Romans 3:25 (NIV) God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished.
Hebrews 13:12 (NIV) And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood.
Revelation 1:5 (NIV) And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood.
I used to think it strange that the Bible keeps talking about the cleansing power of the blood (1 Peter 1:2). It seemed to me that blood was messy stuff. I needed to wash my white lab coats if they became stained with blood. Today, I love the analogy; it is so true of the body. The blood is constantly cleansing every cell, and washing away all the debris that accumulates all the time. I like Paul's phrase in Hebrews 9:14 KJV, "How much more shall the blood of Christ purge your conscience from dead works?" —Dr. Paul Brand
God's Forever Feast (Discovery House, 1998). Leadership, Vol. 20, no. 3, Today's Best Illustrations – Volume 5, (Carol Stream, IL: Christianity Today, 1997), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, Under: "BLOOD".
