Why Is There No Remission of Sin without the Shedding of Blood?
The thought of a sacrifice for sin underlies the whole message of the Bible. The fact that John 3:17; John 8:11,12 and other promises do not specifically refer to this does not violate in any way the broad, general principle. The Bible as a whole states the method by which God undertakes to save people from sin. The Old Testament, in law and ceremony and prophecy, looks forward to a great sacrifice that is to be made, of which the sacrifice of animals is but a type. The Epistles of the New Testament explain how the sacrifice of Christ may be applied by faith to the human soul. The Gospels tell the story of the life of the Saviour and give with great detail and fullness the account of his sacrificial death. He himself said distinctly of his death (Matt 26:28), "This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." Read with special care the 9th and 10th chapters of Hebrews, the 5th and 6th chapters of Romans; I John 1 and the many other passages which state clearly that salvation from sin is wrought by the sacrifice of Christ. The fact of the atonement underlies all the promises of Scripture. It seems idle, as well as dangerous, to speculate whether there may be or might have been some other way of salvation. This way fits in with our knowledge of nature and of life, and has been testified to by multitudes of redeemed souls. We know that through the blood of Christ salvation from sin can be found; we certainly do not know that it can be found in any other way.
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