Blood

Blood occupies a uniquely sacred place in biblical theology. The Mosaic law prohibited the consumption of blood on the grounds that “the life of the flesh is in the blood,” and God has given it for the altar to make atonement (Lev. 17:11). This prohibition, rooted in the Noahic covenant (Gen. 9:4), applied to Israel and to resident foreigners alike, and was maintained as a minimal requirement for Gentile believers in the Jerusalem decree of Acts 15:20. The priestly rituals of the tabernacle and temple assigned blood the central role in the atoning sacrificial system: blood applied to the altar covered the sin of the offerer.

In the New Testament, the blood of Christ becomes the supreme fulfillment of all that the sacrificial blood foreshadowed. The Epistle to the Hebrews argues systematically that while animal blood could not truly remove sin (Heb. 10:4), the blood of Jesus—offered once for all as the perfect high priest and sacrifice—effects genuine cleansing of conscience and permanent access to God (Heb. 9:12–14). The Lord's Supper institutes the cup as a covenant in Christ's blood (1 Cor. 11:25; Luke 22:20), and the letters of John and Peter ground Christian cleansing and redemption in his blood (1 John 1:7; 1 Pet. 1:19).