For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life. (Leviticus 17:11)
Some things in life are inseparable. You can’t make soup without liquid, build a log cabin without trees, or make a bonfire without flames. The same goes for sacrifice. Sacrifices are where life meets death—they are two sides of the same coin. Without an animal dying, there would be no blood. This is also true in our physical world—we cannot live unless something else dies, as we must eat to survive. Eating means something else—either an animal or a plant—dies to give us life. Life and death are strongly intertwined.
We live in an age saturated with action films, violent video games, and endless news reports about violent acts. Consequently, it’s hardly surprising that ‘blood’ conjures up negative connotations of violence, terrorism, war, suffering, and wrath. This might explain why Divine Abuse theology emphasizes the torture and suffering of Christ, linking it to divine anger, under the mistaken belief that this represents biblical atonement. Contrarily, the Bible depicts blood from a distinct perspective. In ancient Israel, blood signified purification, cleansing, and healing. Most importantly, blood symbolizes LIFE:
For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.
Leviticus 17:11
Leviticus 17:11 is the foundation for understanding blood in the Bible. Nowadays, we know this to be true scientifically—our life is indeed in our blood, which is why we donate blood—to give life. When you donate blood, you are essentially giving the gift of life. This is why it makes sense when Jesus tells his followers, “Whoever drinks my blood has eternal life” (John 6:54).
Metaphorically speaking, the sacrifices’ blood was akin to what alcohol gel, bleach, or detergent is for us today. No physician would be willing to enter the hospital’s operation room unless it is sanitized and germ-free. Likewise, the altar/tabernacle had to be “sterilized” with blood:
You shall purify the altar when you make atonement for it, and you shall anoint it to consecrate it.
Exodus 29:36
And Moses slaughtered it and took the blood, and with his finger put it on the horns of the altar around it, and purified the altar…
Leviticus 8:15
He shall take some of the bull’s blood and some of the goat’s blood and put it on all the horns of the altar. He shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times to cleanse it and consecrate it from the uncleanness of the Israelites.
Leviticus 16:18-19
Thus, it wasn’t that God would punish Israel if they ignored the sacrificial system; rather, it was as if they were saying, “We don’t care for you being here right now, Dr. Yahweh. We’ll manage on our own. Thanks.” Therefore, God’s presence was not there to shield Israel when her ruthless enemies came calling. In biblical terms, this absence of blessings and protection is often referred to as God’s wrath.
Thus, in the Hebrew Scriptures, sacrifices were not intended to appease an angry God, as if to prevent Him from striking someone down with lightning in anger. Instead, they were designed to foster fellowship with God and secure His blessings and protection. The goal was to ensure that God felt “welcome” and that His “residence”—the Tabernacle—was kept clean and orderly, so to speak. This fundamentally differed from pagan practices, which viewed the gods as capricious beings requiring appeasement through pain, abuse, and death for their sadistic and demonic satisfaction.
Death does not atone for sins; blood (life) does. Death was an inseparable and imperative side-effect of making a sacrifice. If an animal was to give all its blood (life), it had to die. Its death was a payment that was paid for its blood. Thus, if someone owed their life or the animal’s life, it meant they owed their blood.
The point of the biblical sacrifices was the blood, as blood represented life. The animal’s death was a side-effect of obtaining its blood, which is why ‘death’ and ‘blood’ can be used interchangeably when speaking of Christ’s atonement. “Christ died for us” equals “Christ’s blood was shed for us.” Both terms attempt to convey the same thing because Christ’s death alludes to Christ’s blood. From a Jewish perspective, to say, “Christ shed his blood for us,” is akin to saying, “Christ gave us life.”
This is how we get to the real climax of the Bible—not Christ’s death by God’s wrath, but the blood—LIFE— of Christ. That is why New Testament authors repeated, time and again, that it is the blood (life) of Christ that covers our sins, redeems us, and justifies us. The value is not in Christ’s death but in his blood:
…we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins…
Ephesians 1:7
…to make the people holy through his own blood…
Hebrews 13:12
…him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood…
Revelation 1:5
…we have now been justified by his blood…
Romans 5:9
…we have redemption through his blood…
Ephesians 1:7
…have been brought near by the blood of Christ…
Ephesians 2:13
…making peace through his blood, shed on the cross…
Colossians 1:20
…you were redeemed…with the precious blood of Christ…
1 Peter 1:18-19
…the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin…
1 John 1:7
Because life is in the blood, it holds the power of purification, sanctification, justification, and atonement. Blood, being life, is why unless one “drink his blood, you have no life in you” (John 6:53). Through Jesus’ blood, we receive eternal life because his life was in his blood. The gospel is not about torture and death but about life and resurrection. It’s about Jesus conquering death for humankind’s sake, not about Jesus dying because God was angry.
Conclusion
Under the Law of Moses, offerings consisted of animals from the flock or herd, select birds, and grains or grain-based products. Blood sacrifices, however, served as the principal means of atonement, as blood symbolizes life, making it essential, foundational, and non-substitutable. Hence, the New Testament proclaims, “Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22). In biblical thought, life, symbolized by the blood, is sacred and owned by God. The shedding of blood in sacrifice represented the transference of life. Life was the antidote to death and was therefore used for purification rituals. Remember how a handshake during COVID-19 often prompted an immediate desire to sanitize one’s hands? This sanitizer can be likened to blood’s role in biblical purification and sanctification rituals. To the Israelites, the sacrifices’ blood was, metaphorically, akin to a sanitizer, iodine, bleach, or detergent—a “magical potion” that preserved and protected life, removed stains, and cleansed sins.
This article is a copy-paste from my book, ‘The “Gospel” of Divine Abuse,’ available on this Amazon page.
A free sample is available here.
