Why was Jesus' blood necessary for the salvation experience?

Answer 1

Jesuss' blood was shed to get rid of our sins so our sins would be forgiven This is my blood of the New Testament which is shed for many" (Mark 14: 24). "This cup is the New Testament in my blood, which is shed for you" (Luke 22: 20). "This is my blood of the New Testament which is shed for many FOR THE REMISSION OF SINS" (Matthew 26: 28). The above is one of the most significant discrepancies in the Bible. The Atonement is the chief doctrine connected with Christ and orthodox Christianity. The text quoted from Matthew is the only text in the Four Gospels which clearly teaches this doctrine. "Two other texts (Matthew 20: 28; John 1: 29) are adduced in support of it, but do not clearly teach it. Now Matthew has falsely ascribed to Jesus the revelation of the Atonement, or Mark and Luke have either ignorantly or intentionally omitted this greatest of Christian doctrines. They contain no mention of the Atonement as understood by orthodox Christians.

---------------- What most Christians fail to remember when it comes to Christ's presence on earth is that he was not here as a "Christian". The term Christian was used for his followers at a later time, after his death, in Antioch. (Acts 11:26.)

Jesus was a Jew.

The Torah was and remains the most significant set of writings for Jews to this day. The Torah, a scroll crafted of lambskin and stretched between two wooden poles, was the Jewish text that details Jewish history, God's commandments, feasts, ordinances, festivals, as well as God's requirement for sacrifice for the remission of sins of the Jewish people. The Torah details how Levites were to offer animal sacrifices annually before God for the remission of their sins. (This annual tradition, known as Yom Kippur, was lost to the Jews after the temple was destroyed and the Jews were dispersed. Since it was an absolute requirement for the shedding of blood for sins to be forgiven, one might ask how Jews today who no longer perform sacrifices before God can have their sins forgiven, since they are no longer fulfilling God's specific laws for the remission of their sin.) The sins they needed atonement for were for their actions or thoughts they had committed each year that were against the laws and decrees that God had commanded for the people of Israel in Torah. There were over 600 commandments that had to be kept. Because it was impossible to do so, the sacrifice had to be made each year by the High Priest. A pure, spotless lamb without blemish was to be slain and offered unto the Lord so that the people could have remission of sins. God knew that they would be lost to this tradition forever without hope, because it is impossible for any mere human to ever keep ALL the commandments of God. In his mercy, he foretold of One who would come that would become the final sacrifice for the remission of sins on their behalf. God was specific about how to recognize him. He would be born of the seed of a woman (Gen 3:15/Galatians 4:4); born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2/Luke 2:4,5,&7), a descendant of King David (Jeremiah 23:5,6/Matthew 1:1); born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14/Luke 1:26-27, 30-31) - there are many Old Testament scriptures that prophesy of the coming of the Jewish "Messiah". In fact, the mathematical odds of any one person fulfilling ALL of these prophesies is astounding. (See below.) While it is known that Jews worship ONE God, most Jews would argue that God does not have a "Son", and therefore Jesus can not be God's Son. They will cite: "Sh'ma Yis'ra'eil Adonai Eloheinu Adonai echad.", or, "Hear, O Israel, the Lord Your God, the Lord is One." However, the Hebrew word for "One" (echad) is the same word used to describe 'one' as in: '"ONE" bunch of grapes."' In other words, this is a plural form of the word 'One'. Also, at Passover, Jews hide three separate pieces of matzoh inside a white linen "Echad" - a cloth with three separate pouches. This is a picture of the tri-unity of God.) In addition, Proverbs 30:4 from the Hebrew Scriptures asks the question about God: "What is His name, and what is his Son's name? Surely, you must know!" So, it is evident from Hebrew Scripture that God has a Son. Jesus, or Yeshua in Hebrew, which is translated: Salvation. Jesus was the fulfillment of not one, not some, but every prophesy from the Hebrew Scriptures. He lived completely without sin, and was therefore the only human qualified to represent mankind before God for a final propitiation for sins. He became our High Priest, and giving us that which we did not deserve (grace) offered Himself as a living sacrifice on behalf of the Jews first, and also the Gentiles (the Church),'for it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- Ephesians 2:8. He became the Living Word (John 1:1) - the Living Torah sacrificed as a pure, spotless Lamb before God, stretched between two wooden poles. So, the concept of "atonement for sin" does not originate with Christianity. It originates with Judaism, and the purpose of Jesus shedding his blood was first and foremost an act of fulfillment to the requirements for the forgiveness of sin set by God in the Torah, first and foremost for the Jews, and then to the Gentiles.

A handful of Jews recognized and worshiped Jesus as the Jewish Messiah. But the Orthodox Jew of Jesus day (Pharisees) missed Him. Many Jews today still do not recognize or accept him as their Messiah. Christians have since created various denominations of Christianity, all with various theologies and doctrines. However, the one consistent belief among them all for them to be authentic Christian sects is that Jesus was the incarnation of the 2nd person of a Triune God, come to earth, who lived a perfect life, was crucified to death, buried, and most importantly, Who rose from the dead after three days. Without the historical proof of the account of Jesus' resurrection from the dead, the entire story is pointless. Thus, the requirement by God that blood must be shed for the forgiveness of sin has been met through Jesus sacrifice and death on the Cross, once and for all, and the annual tradition of animal sacrifice is no longer necessary for Jews to have remission of sin. To be saved from sin, if (they) confess with (their) mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9 Concerning the probability of Jesus fulfilling ALL the prophesies required for Messiah:

In "Science Speaks" by Peter Stoner (Moody Press, 1963) Mr. Stoner details how coincidence regarding the evidence on Jesus fulfilled prophesies is ruled out by the science of probability. The book can be found online.

Answer 2

The verse from Leviticus goes someway to explain this:

11For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. Evidently, a blood atonement was necessary, since blood and life are connected. One major difference between the Old Testament sacrifices and the shedding of Jesus' blood was that the blood of Jesus was a 'once for all' experience, whereas the blood of numerous sacrificial creatures under the Old Testament Law had to be repeated constantly.

The blood of bulls and goats were really also only a picture or illustration of the real and effective sacrifice of Jesus Christ. This is so since it is only possible for a person to atone for their own sins. So, in a sense, everyone had to die for their own sins. This they could not do, and so the animals were substituted as a picture of the perfect sacrifice of Jesus to come in the future. 6Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God. 7But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people: 8The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing: 9Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience; 10Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation. 11But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; 12Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. 13For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 14How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 4For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.