25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,
by [modifies propitiation] His [emphatic] blood,
The shed blood of Christ satisfies God’s righteous demands. Jesus paid it all, all to Him we owe. He took my hell that I might have His heaven. A person who believes places his or her faith in the sacrifice of Christ for sin. This person believes that the blood of Christ was sufficient expiation for sin.
The word “by” is literally in; that is, “in his blood.” This phrase refers to the sacrifice of Jesus when He shed His blood on the cross. He was the atoning sacrifice itself. “Blood” is more than “death.” It was the sacrificial nature of Christ’s death that made it significant before God.
He 9:21-22, 21 Then likewise he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry. 22 And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission [forgiveness].
The emphatic “His” in this phrase refers to the person who gave His blood. It is the person who gives value to the shed blood. It was his sacrificial death that lends value to our salvation. This makes emphatic the point that it is Christ’s blood and nothing else that saves or satisfies God’s demands. Only Christ’s death has efficacy with God.
The Old Testament does not emphasize the victim (the animal), just the blood. The New Testament, on the other hand, emphasizes the person who made the sacrifice. It is the person of Christ who gives value to the sacrifice. Old Testament sacrifices could not take away our sin; they were only illustrations of the One who would.
The blood of Christ is the basis for our faith that God can save our souls eternally. God is propitiated (satisfied) about saving us through the sacrifice of Christ’s blood on the cross. “Blood” represents the sacrificial character of His death.
Eph 2:13, But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
He 9:12, Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.
He 10:19, Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus,
1 Pe 1:19-20, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. 20 He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you
1 Jn 1:7, But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
Re 1:5, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood,
PRINCIPLE:
The shed blood of Christ represents His expiatory sacrifice for our sins.
APPLICATION:
The way of acceptance before God today is the same as in the Old Testament—through sacrificial blood. There is no other way to approach God. Any other way offends God’s absoluteness. Our salvation was purchased at great price. There is no other way but God’s way.
There is an equation between the blood of Christ and expiatory sacrifice. God required blood rather than money, service, or effort by man. The issue is the nature of the blood of Christ itself. There is no saving value in the chemical elements of His blood. The saving value is in His sacrificial death. It is not His life that saves us but His death on our behalf. It was the giving of His life that ransoms our souls.
He 9:20-21, 20 saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you.” 21 Then likewise he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry.
Ro 5:9, Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
Sin produces death in God’s eyes. That is why God allowed death to enter the universe. There is no other way to deal with sin other than death.
Ro 6:23, For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
God is wonderful beyond words. Here I was, reading on “righteousness through faith”, gaining understanding on a particular concept about the carnal Christian. These verses are all about Christ on the cross. Today is day after Good Friday, what perfect reading! THANK YOU JESUS!