336. Purged with Blood
Hebrews 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
Blood purges. And there is no remission without shedding of blood. This is how it worked under the OT Mosaic Covenant. Sacrifices were made, blood was shed, and the blood was sprinkled on the Tabernacle, its furnishings, the utensils used in worship, and even on the priests and people. The blood purged these things so that only holy things, things and people purged of sin and corruption, could be used in the worship of a Holy God. Exactly why sacrificed blood should have such power is not rationally explained, except that God said so. This is what you do; forgiveness of sins and making holy cannot happen unless there is shedding of blood.
The only reason we know of for why this principle of shed blood is used in connection with our relationship with God is this: it foreshadows and symbolizes the death of Christ for the forgiveness of our sins. The blood of Christ purges us from all sin. This is why it works: Jesus shed His blood as the once-for-all sacrifice for all sin forever. The animal sacrifice, the shedding and draining of the blood, and the sprinkling of the blood vivifies by sight and smell both the serious and evil nature of sin and evil and also the amazing grace and love of the Son of God. This same visible power of the shed blood comes at us in the Lord’s Supper every Sunday. Appealing to the senses it penetrates the soul and reveals the invisible to the heart.
The outcome of the shedding of blood is “purging.” This is the promise: our sin is purged, cleansed thoroughly, and no vestige or remnant of sin lurks in the shadows of the soul. The remission is complete. And with no sin within us we have become the holy creature we were designed to be. It is beyond comprehension that we should be counted as righteous; it blows the mind that we are considered as saints, holy people. We may confidently boast, “I am holier than thou.” I am holier than I was without the shedding of the blood of Jesus. It is not my holiness, but it is an alien righteousness granted me from the outside. We make our boast in the cross: “I am holy.” I have been purged with blood.