This is a merged summary of answers to several questions about the different aspects of the blood in the light of true Biblical atonement, gathered from the research and pastoral resources available at https://maranathamedia.com/.
These include: Atonement (A. Ebens); The Atonement, The Demands of the Law and Divine Retribution (A. Ebens); Blood of the New Covenant (Sermon by A. Ebens); Christ's Mission (E.G. White); Cleansed by the Blood of Jesus (A. Ebens); Cross Light (E.G. White); Cross Examined Cross Encountered (A. Ebens); Did God Kill Jesus? (K. Mullins); The Water of Life (E.J. Waggoner); The Everlasting Covenant (E.J. Waggoner); God Is Love (G. Fifield); 1897 General Conference Bulletin Sermons (G. Fifield); The Water of Life (George Fifield); Jesus Christ and Him Crucified (K. Mullins); Key to Empowering the Third Angel's Message (A. Ebens); Laodicea and the Atonement (Sermon by A. Ebens); Mercy Not Sacrifice (E.J. Waggoner); Mercy Not Sacrifice (Sermon by R. Olschewsky); The Mystery of the Cross (Sermon by A. Ebens); Natural Justice and Atonement (A. Ebens); One Mediator (A. Ebens); Perfect Peace (Sermon series by A. Ebens); The Sufferings of Christ (E.G. White); Then Shall the Sanctuary Be Cleansed (D. Short); Justice and Mercy (E.J. Waggoner); Why Did Christ Have to Die? (K. Mullins); What is the Cross? (Sermon by A. Ebens); Why God Instituted Animal Sacrifices (K. Mullins).
The sources distinguish between literal blood, associated with the Old Covenant and man's perception of justice, and spiritual blood, which is the life-giving Spirit of the New Covenant.
- The Witness of Life: The foundation for this is the biblical principle that "the life of the flesh is in the blood" (Leviticus 17:11). Thus, the blood of Jesus cleansing from sin (1 John 1:7) refers to a spiritual transfusion of His sinless life into the soul to purge the "poison" of sin. John further confirms this by declaring that the Spirit, the water, and the blood "agree in one" (1 John 5:8). Because water and the Spirit are universal symbols of life and refreshment, the blood must also represent life, not death or a legal debt. This unity was visually demonstrated on the Cross when both blood and water flowed from Christ's side as a singular stream of life (John 19:34).
- The Biological Analogy: As highlighted in the writings of George Fifield, physical blood actively eliminates toxins and poisons from a biological body while simultaneously repairing and building up tissue. Spiritually, the blood of Jesus acts as an omnipresent, active force that searches out hidden evils in the human character and "purges the conscience from dead works" (Hebrews 9:14). We are saved by a spiritual transfusion of His sinless life into our anemic condition, fulfilling the law through the "Spirit of life" (Romans 8:1–4).
- Literal Blood as a Defiling Agent: Conversely, literal blood, associated with the Old Covenant, represents man's perception that justice requires death. In the Sanctuary type, this literal blood actually "defiles" the holy place because it signifies the people's "appeasement mindset." The Sanctuary is only truly "cleansed" (Daniel 8:14) when humanity rejects this pagan, retributive theology and ceases bringing "blood"—the enmity of our own murderous hearts—into the presence of a non-violent God (Isaiah 1:11, 15; Leviticus 16:19).
In the New Covenant, "blood" is symbolized by wine, representing the Father’s delight and the joy of the Spirit.
- The Blood of Grapes: The "blood of the new covenant" (Matthew 26:27-28) is identified as the "blood of grapes" (Genesis 49:10-11), signaling that the Father’s delight and blessing are what truly reconcile humanity to God.
- Gladness for God and Man: Scripture notes that wine "cheers both God and men" (Judges 9:12-13) and "makes glad the heart of man" (Psalm 104:15).
- The Blessing Within: This "new wine" is described as having a "blessing in it" (Isaiah 65:8), which is activated by a "good word" (Proverbs 12:25).
- Drying Up the Fountain of Retribution: This "good word" is the Father’s declaration at the Jordan: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17). Accepting this word of delight allows the "fountain of blood" (the demand for retribution) to dry up in the human heart.
- The River of Gladness: This spiritual blood is the "river whose streams make glad the city of God" (Psalm 46:4), assuring believers of their sonship.
- The Wine of Babylon: This "blood of grapes" stands in direct contrast to the "wine of Babylon" (Revelation 17:2, 6). The wine of Babylon is the intoxicating delusion that God is an executioner who requires blood and violence to be appeased. True atonement involves becoming spiritually sober by rejecting this counterfeit wine and drinking exclusively from the Father's unconditional love.
The sources argue that God never required sacrifice for forgiveness; instead, it was a condescension to human necessity. Christ’s priesthood is primarily after the order of Melchizedek, an eternal ministry of life that preceded the Levitical system of animal sacrifice.
- Divine Desire: Scripture explicitly and repeatedly states that God "did not desire" or "require" burnt offerings (Psalm 40:6, Hebrews 10:5-6).
- The Purpose of Sacrifice: Sacrifices served as a mirror to show humanity the "will to kill God" in their own hearts. Because fallen man was "numbed by sin" and believed God would not forgive without a penalty, God condescended to allow the addition of sacrifices—forms customary among men—to strengthen their faith. This diagnostic mirror required the sinner to personally strike the blow to expose the gravity of his own hidden enmity (Leviticus 4:29).
- The Melchizedek Order: Christ’s priesthood follows the order of Melchizedek, an eternal ministry of life and righteousness through His Spirit. When Melchizedek met Abraham (Genesis 14:18-20), he offered only bread, wine, and a blessing, with no blood or animal sacrifice required.
- Defeating "Serpent Justice": Christ submitted to death to satisfy the requirements of "serpent justice"—Satan's principle that every sin must be punished—thereby releasing humanity from the dominion of death (Hebrews 2:14).
The "new and living way" (Hebrews 10:20) is a path to the Father that is entirely free from the requirement of death to satisfy divine justice; it is the transition from a religion of death-appeasement—the "ministration of death" (the Old Covenant)—to a life-giving relationship with the Father—the "ministration of the Spirit" (the New Covenant) based on mercy, sonship, and the character of God as a non-violent Father.
- The Veil of His Flesh: Christ veiled His divinity in "sinful flesh" (Romans 8:3) to meet humanity in its state of fear and distrust. By doing so, He "abolished in His flesh the enmity"—the human decrees and ordinances that demanded death for sin (Ephesians 2:14-15).
- From Brass to Gold: This path moves the believer from "brass" thinking (the courtyard where we wrongly esteemed Christ as "smitten of God" in (Isaiah 53:4) to the "gold" of the Father’s true character. This involves "leaving out" the courtyard (Revelation 11:2).
- Internal Cleansing: It involves cleansing the conscience from "dead works" (the need for sacrifice) to serve the "living God" through His Spirit (Hebrews 9:14).
- The Spirit of Sonship: This living way replaces the fear of punishment with the "Spirit of Sonship," allowing the believer to cry "Abba, Father" (Romans 8:15-16) and realize they are "accepted in the Beloved" (Ephesians 1:6). It enables the 144,000 to stand in God's presence without a mediator for literal blood, as they fully reflect His character of love.
In the "new and living way" revealed by the sources, true atonement—or at-one-ment—was effectively manifested at the baptism of Christ. While traditional views place the completed atonement at the death of Jesus to satisfy a legal debt, these sources suggest that from God's perspective, humanity was reconciled when Christ, as our representative, accepted His identity and worth as the Father’s beloved child.
- Representative Reconciliation: Christ took on the same "flesh and blood" (Hebrews 2:14) and the "likeness of sinful flesh" (Romans 8:3) to present the fallen race to the Father. As the "second Adam," He stood in the place where the first Adam had failed, ready to receive and believe the Father's word.
- The Declaration at the Jordan: When the Father declared His delight (Matthew 3:17), He was speaking to the entire human race through Christ, restoring a connection "kept secret since the fall" (Romans 16:25). Christ accepted these words of delight and blessing on our behalf, receiving His value and worth from the Father's word rather than His own performance.
- Slaying Enmity in the Flesh: By receiving the Father's "wine" of delight while in our nature, Christ "abolished in His flesh the enmity" (Ephesians 2:14-15). This "opened the ear" of humanity to hear the Father as a loving parent (Romans 8:15).
- The Cross as a Diagnostic Accommodation: While God "did not require" sacrifice (Psalm 40:6) but only desired that we "obey [listen to] My voice" (Jeremiah 7:22-23), the Cross was a necessary satisfaction of man's false justice system (Isaiah 53:4, 6) to convince our darkened minds that we are truly forgiven—revealing God's reconciliation of the world to Himself, "not imputing their trespasses to them" (2 Corinthians 5:19).
True atonement extends far beyond a historical event at Calvary; it encompasses a universal reconciliation and a continuous, cosmic outpouring of life.
- The Reconciliation of Unfallen Beings: The "blood of His cross" was necessary to reconcile things in heaven as well as on earth, as stated in Colossians 1:20, which says He made "peace through the blood of His cross" to reconcile "all things to Himself." The unfallen angels were "reconciled" not because they were sinners, but because the cross exposed Satan's character as a "murderer from the beginning" (John 8:44) and revealed the Father’s true, non-violent nature, ending all doubt in the universe.
- The 6,000-Year Present Cross: The shedding of Christ's blood is not merely a past 24-hour event but a continuous, 6,000-year suffering where Christ is "pierced" daily by our distrust and evil-speaking. The "blood" represents the constant self-denial and self-sacrifice of God and His Son throughout human history to sustain a rebellious race, revealing the reality of the "Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" found in Revelation 13:8. This ongoing agony confirms that "in all their affliction He was afflicted" as stated in Isaiah 63:9, and that men continue to "crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh" as described in Hebrews 6:6.
- The True Atoning Blood of Gethsemane: The blood forced through the pores in Gethsemane was not shed by the hands of violent men, but was a result of Christ's mental agony in clinging to His Sonship while feeling the weight of our sins, as Luke 22:44 records His sweat becoming "like great drops of blood". This struggle shows how He "resisted unto blood, striving against sin" as described in Hebrews 12:4. This "blood of the atonement" is what the High Priest takes into the Holiest to bless the people. It represents the victory of faith over the feelings of being "exceedingly sorrowful, even to death," mentioned in Matthew 26:38–39, which is the same victory the 144,000 must have to overcome the feeling of being God-forsaken.
Christ acts as a "go-between" for two parties with different understandings of justice, based on the principle that “a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one” (Galatians 3:20).
- Mediating for God: Christ manifests the Father’s name and glory (John 17:4, 6), showing He "desires mercy and not sacrifice" (Matthew 9:13, 12:7). He is the "tree of life" (John 5:26) who mediates the truth that "in mercy and truth atonement is provided for iniquity" (Proverbs 16:6).
- Mediating for Man: Christ condescends to humanity’s "pagan" understanding of justice. He was "made like His brethren" and "perfected through sufferings" (Hebrews 2:10, 17) to qualify as a sympathetic High Priest in man's estimation. He uses the "language" of blood—"My blood, Father"—to satisfy and convince man's guilty conscience.
- Reconciling Both Sides: By "encircling the fallen race" with His human arm while "grasping the throne of the Infinite" with His divine arm, Christ satisfied both man’s demand for a victim and the Father’s display of mercy in His willingness to surrender His Son to human wrath. In His body, He fulfilled what humanity perceived God required—blood and death—to meet us in our "counterfeit justice" and endure our violence. Through this accommodation, He leads us along the "new and living way" (Hebrews 10:19–20), moving us from the belief in a vengeful deity toward the truth of what the Father actually desires: mercy, life, and the restoration of His love.
