by R.B. Theime, Jr. – 1972 Edited by Stephen E. LaFleur, ThD

The Doctrine of the Blood What is the meaning and importance of the Blood of Christ? The Blood of Christ 1

The Blood of Christ 2 I. Blood is the seat of animal life. Leviticus 17:10-14 Life is the Hebrew word “nephesh” and sometimes means “soul” and sometimes “life”. When used in connection to animals, it always refers to ANIMAL LIFE – not human life. What is the seat of human life? The soul. The animal does not have a soul. “The life of the flesh is in the animal’s blood”. The flesh I animal flesh, not human beings.

The Blood of Christ 3 A noted doctor once made the ”the life of human flesh is in the blood,” and a great medical controversy ensued. People began to question the validity of the statement. A person can bleed to death but he actually “dies” because his soul is forced out of his body through a greater loss of blood than he can stand to lose. As long as the soul is in the body, a person is alive. When the soul leaves, the body is physically dead. The soul is resident in the cranium so heartbeat is not the test as to a person being alive or dead. The criterion is the brain impulse. Medically speaking, it is the EEG instead of the EKG.

The Blood of Christ 4 The heart can stop and soul still be in the body. Once the EEG registers negative, the soul has vacated the body and the person is dead. So, physical death is the separation of the soul (and spirit, if a believer) from the body. An animal used in OT sacrifices, by contract, did not have a soul. Therefore, the animal simply died when its lifeblood ebbed away. Some religions falsely believe that animals are sacred and have souls. There is no possibility of such.

The Blood of Christ 5 It was the soul as well as the body of Christ that bore our sins. But His soul was in His body until His work was finished (John 19:30). Therefore, when He dismissed His spirit, physical death occurred. And when His spirit was dismissed, His soul left the body, but there was no bleeding to death. His blood was still inside His body, as evidenced by the blood clots and serum. Understanding the animal sacrifice helps you to understand the Blood of Christ.

The Blood of Christ 6 II.Animal blood was used in OT sacrifices to represent the spiritual death of Christ on the cross. Lev. 1,2,3 The animal blood was real and literal, but it was a training aid to teach the meaning of Christ’s spiritual death. Col. 1:20, I Peter 1:2, Heb. 10:19. 13:20) The spiritual death of Christ took three hours; His physical death took less than one minute and taught the spiritual death of Christ. The mechanics were communicated and revealed in the ritual of sacrifice.

The Blood of Christ 6 III. The doctrine of redemption was communicated in the OT by the means of animal sacrifice. Heb. 9:22 The whole 9 th chapter of Hebrews deals with activities of The Tabernacle. “Without the shedding of blood is no remission” only refers to animal blood.

The Blood of Christ 6 IV. Jesus did not die on the cross by bleeding to death. His blood was still in his body after physical death. John 19:30-34 Christ died on his own volition.

The Blood of Christ 2 I. Blood is the seat of animal life. Leviticus 17:10-14 Life is the Hebrew word “nephesh”

The Blood of Christ 2 I. Blood is the seat of animal life. Leviticus 17:10-14 Life is the Hebrew word “nephesh”

The Blood of Christ 2 I. Blood is the seat of animal life. Leviticus 17:10-14 Life is the Hebrew word “nephesh”

The Blood of Christ 2 I. Blood is the seat of animal life. Leviticus 17:10-14 Life is the Hebrew word “nephesh”