The sacrifice of blood is part of the Bible's answer to the problem of sin. Blood in the Bible means life. The sacrifice of blood is therefore the sacrifice of life. One of the reasons for the original sin is that Adam is not willing to make such a sacrifice. When he sees Eve with the forbidden fruit and realizes (albeit wrongly) that his wife has brought the death sentence on him as well, our forefather is faced with a choice: he can keep the law, although with the knowledge that it will not help him at all, or he can break it in the hope that in this way he will find a means to preserve life without the commandment (more details in the article on the Original sin). Because Adam wants to avoid death at all costs, he abandons God's commandment in favor of the vain hope that joining in Eve's crime will allow him to discover the mystery of life and thus avoid death.
The remedy for sin in this sense is consent to death; a voluntary acceptance of the fact that keeping God's commandment is more important than living. To act in this way is the highest expression of man's trust in God, and at the same time a necessary element of justification. Justice, which requires full obedience to God's principles, must also include consent to obedience with all its consequences. The Bible teaches this truth from beginning to end. Abel's sacrifice properly teaches the need for the sacrifice of life, and as such is accepted by God. Abraham, the father of faith, is tested by the command to sacrifice his own son. The Israelites come out of Egypt into the wilderness, where they are completely dependent on God. With no certainty of tomorrow, they must have full confidence that God, who brought them out of bondage, will not allow them to die now.
The Law of Moses, which is subsequently given to Israel, requires a series of blood sacrifices, reminding the Jew of the necessity of the proper sacrifice – the sacrifice of obedience to the farthest consequences. Jesus, in the last moments of his life, experiences abandonment by God and must show complete trust in order to complete his mission in obedience, not knowing if he will come out alive. His followers serve the Gospel knowing that obedience to God's command to make disciples could cost them their lives. There can be no doubt that the sacrifice of blood – the sacrifice of life – manifested in full obedience to God's law, regardless of the consequences, is the leading motive of the Scriptural teaching.
Related themes:
- thematic lectures: The Lord's Supper
- expanded commentaries: Mt. 7:13,14
- basic commentaries: Eph. 2:11-13