Sermon Tone Analysis

(the) Blood , Atonement,(of) Sin, Imputed,(in) Christ B.A.S.I.C.

About Sacrifice & Atonement

Despite the fact that most humans long to live in a world where goodness and justice prevail, something always compels us to wreak havoc and destruction.

In the Bible, we see this evil nature ruining things in two ways.

For one, evil has the direct effect of hurting other people.

This direct effect must be made right by fixing whatever problem the evil has caused.

For example, if a person steals from another person, they must make it right by returning whatever item was stolen.

There is another, indirect effect of evil that the Bible talks about, though.

This effect is one of a ruined relationship with God, destruction of trust, and emotional damage.

This effect of evil must be corrected in another way.

Many people feel as if it is God's responsibility to correct this effect and rid the world of evil.

However, the same evil that is corrupting relationships and causing damage out in the world is the evil that exists in all of us.

To rid the world of evil, God would have to destroy all of mankind.

Thankfully, God has a plan to rid the world of evil without destroying humanity.

In the early story of the Bible, animal sacrifice atoned for man's sins.

Though it was the sinner who deserved to be removed from the world, an animal would take their place.

The animal's blood would then be sprinkled by priest in a symbolic cleansing of evil's indirect consequences throughout the community.

This process was called purification, and it was able to make things right between the Israelites and God.

Though Old Testament atonement was a temporary solution for evil, evil still persisted no matter how many sacrifices were made.

These Old Testament sacrifices fell short of atoning for man's sins.

Speaking on this problem, Isaiah talked of a king who would come as a servant and die on behalf of the Israelites, giving his life to atone for their sins.

The king that Isaiah prophesied about was Jesus.

All over the New Testament, we hear how the death of Jesus was an atonement for our sins, covering the debt that humans owe God for contributing to all the evil and death in the world.

The New Testament also talks about the atonement of Jesus Christ as a purification.

Like the blood of the animal sacrifices, it is now Christ's blood that washes away all of the damage and side-effects of sin, purifying and sanctifying the world.

The story doesn't end there, though.

Because Jesus was able to conquer death and rise from the dead, Christ made Himself the perfect sacrifice who now continually offers Himself to anyone who needs Him.

Because Christ became the perfect sacrifice, the ritual of animal sacrifice was no longer required.

It was replaced, though, with two other rituals.

The first is baptism.

Like Jesus, who was lowered down into the grave and rose again anew, Christians are lowered down into the water and rise up out of it a new person.

In this way, baptism connects us with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.

The second ritual that Christ instituted is the Lord's supper, a reenactment of Jesus's last supper, which allows Christians to remember the sacrifice that Jesus made on their behalf.

Thanks to atonement in Christianity and the rituals that connect us to it, we are able to have our debts forgiven and walk in newness with God.

Blood as basis of life

Synopsis

Scripture treats blood as the basis of life, and regards the shedding of blood as representing the end of life.

Blood symbolises life

(ESV) — 10 “If any one of the house of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn among them eats any blood, I will set my face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from among his people.

11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.

12 Therefore I have said to the people of Israel, No person among you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger who sojourns among you eat blood.

13 “Any one also of the people of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn among them, who takes in hunting any beast or bird that may be eaten shall pour out its blood and cover it with earth.

14 For the life of every creature is its blood: its blood is its life.

Therefore I have said to the people of Israel, You shall not eat the blood of any creature, for the life of every creature is its blood.

Whoever eats it shall be cut off.

See also ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

(ESV) — 4 But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.

5 And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man.

From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man.

6 “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.

(ESV) — 20 “When the Lord your God enlarges your territory, as he has promised you, and you say, ‘I will eat meat,’ because you crave meat, you may eat meat whenever you desire.

21 If the place that the Lord your God will choose to put his name there is too far from you, then you may kill any of your herd or your flock, which the Lord has given you, as I have commanded you, and you may eat within your towns whenever you desire.

22 Just as the gazelle or the deer is eaten, so you may eat of it.

The unclean and the clean alike may eat of it.

23 Only be sure that you do not eat the blood, for the blood is the life, and you shall not eat the life with the flesh.

24 You shall not eat it; you shall pour it out on the earth like water.

25 You shall not eat it, that all may go well with you and with your children after you, when you do what is right in the sight of the Lord.

(ESV) — 15 And David said longingly, “Oh, that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate!” 16 Then the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate and carried and brought it to David.

But he would not drink of it.

He poured it out to the Lord 17 and said, “Far be it from me, O Lord, that I should do this.

Shall I drink the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives?”

Therefore he would not drink it.

These things the three mighty men did.

(ESV) — 14 From oppression and violence he redeems their life, and precious is their blood in his sight.

(ESV) — 34 Also on your skirts is found the lifeblood of the guiltless poor; you did not find them breaking in.

Yet in spite of all these things

(ESV) — 1 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, speak to your people and say to them, If I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from among them, and make him their watchman, 3 and if he sees the sword coming upon the land and blows the trumpet and warns the people, 4 then if anyone who hears the sound of the trumpet does not take warning, and the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be upon his own head.

5 He heard the sound of the trumpet and did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself.

But if he had taken warning, he would have saved his life.

6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any one of them, that person is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.

(ESV) — 3 Then when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.”

They said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.”

(ESV) — 50 so that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, 51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary.

Yes, I tell you, it will be required of this generation.

Blood indicating violent death

(ESV) — 8 Cain spoke to Abel his brother.

And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.

9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?”

He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” 10 And the Lord said, “What have you done?

The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground.

11 And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.

See also ; ; ; ;

(ESV) — 6 “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.

(ESV) — 22 Abimelech ruled over Israel three years.

23 And God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem, and the leaders of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech, 24 that the violence done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood be laid on Abimelech their brother, who killed them, and on the men of Shechem, who strengthened his hands to kill his brothers.

(ESV) — 5 “Moreover, you also know what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, how he dealt with the two commanders of the armies of Israel, Abner the son of Ner, and Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed, avenging in time of peace for blood that had been shed in war, and putting the blood of war on the belt around his waist and on the sandals on his feet.

6 Act therefore according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace.

(ESV) — 28 When the news came to Joab—for Joab had supported Adonijah although he had not supported Absalom—Joab fled to the tent of the Lord and caught hold of the horns of the altar.

29 And when it was told King Solomon, “Joab has fled to the tent of the Lord, and behold, he is beside the altar,” Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, “Go, strike him down.”

30 So Benaiah came to the tent of the Lord and said to him, “The king commands, ‘Come out.’

” But he said, “No, I will die here.”

Then Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, “Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me.” 31 The king replied to him, “Do as he has said, strike him down and bury him, and thus take away from me and from my father’s house the guilt for the blood that Joab shed without cause.

32 The Lord will bring back his bloody deeds on his own head, because, without the knowledge of my father David, he attacked and killed with the sword two men more righteous and better than himself, Abner the son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah.

33 So shall their blood come back on the head of Joab and on the head of his descendants forever.

But for David and for his descendants and for his house and for his throne there shall be peace from the Lord forevermore.”

34 Then Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and struck him down and put him to death.

And he was buried in his own house in the wilderness.

(ESV) — 30 When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it.

And she painted her eyes and adorned her head and looked out of the window.

31 And as Jehu entered the gate, she said, “Is it peace, you Zimri, murderer of your master?” 32 And he lifted up his face to the window and said, “Who is on my side?