The Blood of the New Covenant

Introduction

Both the Old and the New Covenant were “dedicated” with blood: “Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood” (Heb. 9:18). In the Greek, the word “dedicated” means inaugurated or consecrated. We find the record of this consecration of the first covenant in Exodus 24:7-8, “And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient. And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words.” In 1 Corinthians 11:25, we see the Lord’s Supper as a commemoration of the consecrating of the New Covenant, which was the death of the Lord Jesus Christ: “After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.” In this article, we will consider how the blood of the New Covenant is better than the blood of the Old Covenant, and this one aspect by which we know that the New Covenant is “better” than the Old (Heb. 8:6). There are two key ideas that will illustrate this thesis. First, the blood of the Old Covenant was unable to really atone for sin. Second, the Lord Jesus Christ really did effectually atone for the sin of his people.

The Blood of the Old Covenant

The blood of the Old Covenant could not, and was not designed for, the true remission of sins. The Scripture is very clear that “without shedding of blood is no remission” (Heb. 9:22). Here the word “remission” is a translation of a Greek word which means forgiveness. The idea is the release of a debt or an obligation; it is used in Luke 4:18 to describe release from captivity and a heavy burden. We know that sin produces guilt, and this guilt is the weight of knowing that we are under obligation to divine justice. This is why we speak of sin as “debt.” We owe something to the divine justice of God Almighty, who will by no means clear the guilty. The wages of sin, as Paul says in Romans 6:23, is death. That is, the proper reward or payment for our sin is our death. This has been true from the very creation: “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Gen. 2:17). We know that this death is not merely physical, but also spiritual; when Adam fell, humanity became dead in trespasses and sins. Further, the final penalty for unrepentant sin is eternal death, suffering under the just wrath of God forever. Thus, in order for our sin to be remitted, there must be the shedding of blood. “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul” (Lev. 17:11). Life is required for sin, whether of the one who commits it, or of another in his place. The Old Covenant sacrifices represented this truth.

While demanded by the Old Covenant, the animal sacrifices could not truly or in reality atone for sin. In Hebrews 10:4 we read, “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.” This is not a contradiction of Leviticus 17:11, because in the verse before we read, “But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.” In other words, the institution of the sacrifices served as a reminder, a calling to mind, of the daily sins of the people, and that the “atonement” in the blood of animals pointed to the need for a final and complete atonement. There are several reasons why the death of animals could not atone for the sins of mankind. For one, as Matthew Poole points out in his commentary on this text, the sacrifices were merely corporeal, and had no bearing on the spiritual sins of the people because animals do not have spirits. One of the most telling reasons is that the blood of animals is inherently finite, whereas the guilt of sin is necessarily infinite, as the One whom we have offended is infinite. Nor was this a concept novel in the gospel age, for Jehovah had spoken as much through the prophet Isaiah: “To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats” (Is. 1:11). The Lord did not delight in the blood of animals because they could not atone for the sins which the Jews committed. They were guilty of transgressing the law, but diligently kept the rituals of the Old Covenant. Yet those rituals, including the animal sacrifices, could not truly atone for their sins.

One important aspect of the Old Covenant sacrifices, besides serving as a remembrance of sins, was the principle of holiness. Sacrifices are, in the popular mind, most commonly associated with the guilt of actual transgressions; that is, sins of commission or omission of the Mosaic law. While this is certainly a true association, sacrifices were also required for other things which created uncleanness in a person which were not inherently sinful. The birth of a child made a woman unclean: seven days for a boy and 14 days for a girl; in order to be purified, she had to bring an animal sacrifice according to her means (Lev. 12). Natural issues resulting from the human reproductive system created uncleanness and required an atonement (Lev. 15). This pointed to the reality that the covenant people of God were called to be holy, which refers not only to purity, but also to separation from other peoples: “Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy” (Lev. 19:2). When the people became unclean, whether through sin or through the weakness of the natural flesh, the blood of an animal was required: blood washed away uncleanness. Yet the blood of animals could not truly cleanse. The Psalmist knew this: “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word” (Ps. 119:9). The word of God, the revelation of God in his Scriptures (which is the ultimate significance of the Hebrew word tôrâh), is that by which a person may be cleansed, not the sacrifice of livestock.

The Blood of the New Covenant

Unlike the blood of the Old Covenant, the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ effectually atones for the sin of his people. The reason his death is able to actually remit sin is his Person: he is truly God and truly man. Because he is truly man, he was able to really bear our sins and guilt. This was foretold in the Old Testament: “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed” (Is. 53:5). Peter referred to this text in his first epistle: “who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed” (1 Pet. 2:24). We read in Hebrews 9:28, “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” John the Baptist proclaimed, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). The animals of the Old Covenant sacrifices could only figuratively bear the sin of men; but the Lamb of God, the One whose blood is the blood of the New Covenant, truly and really bore our sin. Because he is truly God, the Lord Jesus Christ was able to fully and perfectly satisfy the demands of divine justice; in other words, he was able to pay the debt incurred by our guilt. The apostle Paul called attention to this truth in Colossians 2:14, describing the work of the Lord Jesus as “blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.” While on the cross, he became a curse, bearing the penalty of the law for us (Gal. 3:13). Then, he was taken down and laid in a virgin tomb, signifying that the penalty was fully discharged, and there was no remaining curse for those for whom he died. John Gill wrote the following, “by his body being taken down from the cross, and laid in the grave, it was token that the curse was at an end, and entirely abolished” (Body of Doctrinal Divinity, Book V, Chapter 5). He was able to make this full satisfaction because he is God. The wrath of God against sinners is infinite, because God himself is infinite; thus, only One who is also infinite (i.e., the Second Person of the Trinity, the Son, the Word) could meet the demands of an infinite justice. There no longer is any “handwriting of ordinances” against us, because Jesus Paid It All.

There are several differences between the Old Covenant blood and the New Covenant blood, and it will be worthwhile to explore some of them. First, the Old Covenant priests had to offer sacrifices for themselves, while the Lord Jesus Christ was born without sin and lived without sin. In Leviticus 4:3 we read, “If the priest that is anointed do sin according to the sin of the people; then let him bring for his sin, which he hath sinned, a young bullock without blemish unto the LORD for a sin offering.” Even on the Day of Atonement, the priests had to offer sacrifices for themselves, regardless of whether they were conscious of any particular sin like in the previous text: “And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house” (Lev. 16:6). Yet the Savior had no need for such sacrifices, because he was without both seminal and actual sin: “And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him” (John 8:29; cf. 1 Pet. 2:22, et al.). Second, the Old Covenant sacrifices were made daily, and indeed some were offered multiple times per day; but the Lord Jesus Christ was offered once for all at the end of the world. One prime example of this, of course, is the morning and evening lambs: “Now this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar; two lambs of the first year day by day continually” (Ex. 29:38). The morning lamb was offered the previous night’s sin, and the evening lamb was offered for the sins of the day. But the Lord Jesus gave himself once, and his sacrifice has no need to be repeated because he perfectly atoned for sin: “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Heb. 10:10). Third, the Old Covenant sacrifices were made on a wooden altar, whereas the divine nature of the Lord Jesus Christ was the altar upon which his sacrifice was given. Exodus 27 outlines the Old Covenant altar made of shittim wood, with its horns and grate and so forth, which was overlaid with brass. It must have been a magnificent sight to see. The altar in the temple during the earthly ministry of Jesus was nearly as impressive (Edersheim, The Temple: Its Ministry and Services, 54-55). Yet even this was a shadow, for we read in Hebrews 13:10, “We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.” There is not space to get into every aspect whereby the altar was a type of the Lord Jesus Christ (see Keach’s Tropologia). Consider but one: the Old Covenant altar was a place of refuge (1 Kings 1:50); the Lord Jesus Christ is our ultimate Refuge, and all who cling to him by faith shall be delivered.

Furthermore, the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ truly cleanses us from sin. Those who by faith laid hold of the Lord Jesus are made new creatures, and we are called “saints,” holy ones. Once, we were covered in the filth of sin: “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor. 6:11). This washing was the purpose of the Lord Jesus Christ giving himself for his people. Paul writes, “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Eph. 5:26-27). John tells us, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Those who belong to the Lord Jesus are thoroughly cleansed, and no longer under the dominion of sin. The reigning power of sin is broken, though there is indwelling sin with which we do battle. Again, Paul writes, “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin” (Rom. 6:6). This is why there is no condemnation for the one who is in Christ Jesus, who walks not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit (Rom. 8:1): we have been cleansed.

Conclusion

This ought to produce within us both gratitude and admiration; we ought to glorify God and give him thanks for this great salvation which he has worked. We also ought to earnestly set our eyes and affections on the Lord Jesus Christ, and not look back to the shadows. The blood of the law had no true life in it. If we would have eternal life, we must partake of the blood of Jesus Christ by faith (John 6:54). This is not to say that the Old Covenant has no use for us, because it certainly does. It shows us our Savior, points us to our need of him, and highlights his glory. But we have come to Mt. Zion, the Jerusalem from heaven, the city of the living God, “and to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel” (Heb. 12:24).