What was the Purpose for
Jesus Shedding His Blood?
By Jonathan Mitchell
We have a direct answer to this question in Col. 1:20,
"and THROUGH Him at once to transfer The All (The Whole; = all of existential creation), away from a certain state to the level of another state which is quite different (or: to change and transform all things, i.e., The Whole, by bringing movement away from being down, and thus to be other [than they were; it was]; to reconcile all things; to change everything from estrangement and alienation to friendship and harmony and move The All), INTO Him - making (constructing; forming; creating) Peace and binding together in a harmonious Joining, through the blood of His cross (execution stake/pole): through Him, whether the things upon the earth (or: land) or the things within the atmospheres and heavens!"
From my commentary on this verse:
This is the work of the cross. Anything less simply devalues that work. "The whole universe of things, material as well as spiritual, shall be restored to harmony with God" (Lightfoot, p. 158). "Now the universe is again under its head and thereby cosmic peace has returned... through Christ..." (Lohse, p. 59). Note: all commentaries are available here.
He is the Way of peace (eirene, from the verb which means "to join or bind together" - thus creating peace). This peace exists within Him in all realms - on earth, as it is in heaven. He is the expression of God's kingdom come, and nothing exists outside His reign of sovereign action and influence.
The first rendering of the Greek infinitive of apokatallasso is a core meaning of the verb, "to transfer from a certain state to the level of another which is quite different, (etc.)," and is the primary lexical definition. But the root, allasso means to change, alter or transform, make different or other than it was. The prefixed prepositions apo & kata signify a movement away from being down, so this would imply an upward movement. I have included the traditional definition "to reconcile" and thus also added the resultant idea of a "change from estrangement and alienation to friendship and harmony." But the central idea is a movement away from where humanity was, and what had been established, to be placed INTO (eis) Him.
Paul then uses two dia phrases to confirm that this all happened "through" the work of Christ: "through" the blood of His cross, and then "through" Him. There is no place in this for religious works, or even our belief in Him. It is all THROUGH HIM. The last two phrases of this verse are a common expression of the totality of the ancient view of the universe: upon the land/earth, and within the heavens/skies. Thus Paul points to the universality of the work of the cross. Nothing is excluded.
Now we find, in 1 Jn.1:7, a beautiful assertion:
"Yet if we keep on walking about (= continue living and ordering our life) within the midst of, and in union with (or: in the sphere of), the Light, as He exists (or: is) within this Light, we [note: i.e., God and us] constantly have common being and existence (or: hold common fellowship, participation and enjoy partnership) reciprocally with one another, and the blood of, from, and which is, Jesus, His Son, keeps continually or repeatedly cleansing us (or: is progressively rendering us pure) from every sin (or: from all error, failure, deviation, mistake, and from every shot that is off target [when it occurs])."
From my commentary on this verse:
Verse 7a brings into focus our behavior - how we live. The Light is a sphere of living our lives and is also the sphere of our "common being and existence." It is the sphere within which God and Christ have their existence. Here God is not just Light, but resides "within" the light of authentic living; within the light of the reality of the new arrangement (or: covenant; cf Heb.8:6-13) of the new creation (cf 2 Cor. 5:17). The message - the Logos - of the Life (vs. 1) is in fact the very life in union with which, and in the midst of which, we are called to live and move and have our existence (Acts 17:28).
In proceeding to unpack the last half of this verse we must keep in mind the present tense of the verb "cleansing." Following Catholic theologians (e.g., Thomas Aquinas) justification is a doctrine that involves continued forgiveness of sins throughout the believer's life. The traditional Reformed view of this verse is that "the blood of Jesus" refers here to the once-for-all sacrifice of Christ on the cross.
When justification (dikaiosune) is rightly understood as "being turned in the right direction (or: being rightwised - Bultmann's term)" or "being placed in the Way (Christ) pointed out" (W.E. Chamberlain, An Exegetical Grammar of the Greek New Testament) which involves "right relationship" (Barclay, and others) or "fairness and equity," the forensic notion of both Catholics and Protestants quickly disappears.
Note again that the clause that we are considering here is following a discussion about common being and existence, fellowship, partnership and common participation (koinonia). It is primarily a horizontal setting that is in view, although a setting that is located within the midst of God, as manifested in His Light. The message is about God bringing us into union with Him so that we can live "rightly" with other people, and treat them with love, fairness and equity. It is the cruciform life of a follower of Jesus (Matt. 16:24). The good news never speaks of God having to be reconciled to us. The message is for US to be reconciled to Him (2 Cor. 5:18-20). God loves us and even loves human society (the world - John 3:16). Brian Zahnd is instructive here:
"The world is not just an aggregate of individuals; it is also civilization and human society as a whole, and God intends to save it. Thus Jesus is the savior of souls (individuals) and the savior of the world" (Beauty Will Save the World, Rediscovering the Allure & Mystery of Christianity, Charisma House, 2012, p 99, emphasis original).
Now I will agree that the shedding of Christ's blood was both a historical and an "eternal" act, since 2 Cor. 5:19 tells us that God was within the midst of, and in union with, Christ reconciling the aggregate of humanity (and society) to Himself. Our being cleansed by His blood reaches back to the Christ event that changed history and ended the age of the Law, bringing about a new creation. However, I would suggest that vs. 7b can have another application that is based upon our participation with one another, and with Him. The metaphor of a body has been used to describe the called-out community. The life of a body is within the blood (Lev. 17:14). Christ is the resurrection and the life (John 11:25) and we must drink in His life-blood (John 6:51-56) in order to have His life within us - it becomes our food. But "blood" is also a metaphor, a symbol, of giving one's life for one's friend - as John 6:51 indicates in speaking of "the bread of life" that Jesus gave "for the life of the aggregate of humanity (the world)."
The body of Christ has life within it because His blood (within which is His life) circulates through every member, bringing life to each cell and carrying off the waste. As the members of the body come together in fellowship and inter-participation with one another, His life, via His Spirit and His Word (both of which are life) flows from member to member, both feeding and repeatedly, continuously cleansing each member from mistakes and failures. Keep in mind that John has been speaking about living our lives in the Light (another bringer of life). Our koinonia is a source of life and cleansing, as His life-blood is drunk-down through the fellowship of our common being. He came that we might have Life. The shedding of the blood of animals, so that we can eat their flesh, is a means of providing life to us. And so was the cross (at Passover) a sign and a figure to us: it proclaimed our deliverance and fed us for our journey out of bondage and into His promises.
Another thought on the two parts of this one verse: the first part speaks in corporate terms of a way of life, using the metaphor of Light to describe the character and quality of the covenant community. Perhaps we should see the second part, about His blood, as being the blood that created the covenant community - that it is this new arrangement (Matt. 26:26-29), this new covenant, which is being referenced as the vehicle for carrying away from the community the error and wrong direction of thought, cleansing it from the infection of the false teachings. My friend John Gavazzoni pointed here to Paul's "house-building" term used in Eph. 4:
16. - from out of Whom (or: out from the midst of Which) all the Body (or: the entire body) being continuously fitted and framed together (made a common joint by a word; laid out and closely joined together) and constantly being knit together and caused to mount up united through every fastening (or: joint) of the supply of rich furnishings (or: through every assimilation of the full supply of funds; through every touch {kindling; setting on fire} of the completely supplied requirements) in accord with (or: down from; commensurate to) the operation (operative, effectual energy) within [the] measure of each one part [other MSS: member], is itself continually making (or: is for itself progressively producing and forming) the growth and increase of the Body, [focused on and leading] into house-construction (or: unto building [up] and edification) of itself within the midst of, and in union with, love.
Here in vs. 7 John may have in mind the thoughts that Paul had shared with the Corinthians about when the community came together for covenant meals, that some were behaving poorly towards others, not discerning that they were all coming together as Christ's body (1 Cor. 11:17-34). It was within that context that Paul was addressing
"tearing splits (= separations into cliques; divisions) continually inherent among [them]" (vs. 18).
And it was within their fellowship that they were partnering with the Life (figured by the blood) of Christ, figuratively drinking it with Him in a new way, within the kingdom (Matt. 26:29).
For this essay, we will look at just one more passage which sheds light on our topic, and presents the historical setting to which 1 Jn. 1:7 alluded. The ninth chapter of Hebrews instructs us about Israel’s Feast, the Day of Atonement (see our study, "Atonement" at www.greater-emmanuel.org/jm Vol. 4), and unpacks how Christ, the Chief Priest of the new "order of Melchizedek" spiritually fulfilled it, making an end of the sacrificial cultus. Here, we will quote the following verses from this chapter:
20. while saying,"This is the blood of the arrangement (covenant; disposition) which God imparted as the goal to you (or: directed as the end and destiny in mind, with a view to you folks; implanted as a purposed aim, face-to-face with you people)." [Ex. 24:8]
21. Furthermore, in like manner, he sprinkled the Tabernacle, and even all the vessels of the public service, with blood.
22. And so, down from, in accord with, and in the sphere of, the Law, nearly everything is being cleansed in (or: in union with) blood, and apart from blood-shedding a sending-away (or: a causing to flow off; an abandoning or a divorce; or: forgiveness) is not coming into existence (is not being birthed; does not occur).
23. Therefore, [it was] a necessity, on the one hand, for the patterned results of the under-exhibits (the resulting examples, copies, and the effects of suggestive signs) of, and from, the things within the atmospheres and heavens to be cleansed by these [means], yet, on the other hand, the very imposed-heavenly-things (or: the things [situated] upon the atmospheres) themselves by superior (stronger and better) sacrifices than (or: besides) these.
24. For you see, Christ did not enter into set-apart places made by hands (= by humans) - representations (things formed corresponding to a pattern) of the True and Real things - but rather, and in contrast, into the atmosphere and heaven itself, now to be manifested (exhibited to view; caused to appear in clear light; made apparent) by the presence of God over us (or: in God's face and countenance [being] on our behalf).
We should take note that vs. 22 refers to situations that were, "in the sphere of the Law." Christ is the end of the Law (Rom. 10:4), and of the old covenant (Heb. 8:13) - which applied only to Israel. We submit that the "True and Real" Temple into which Christ entered is the body of Christ (1 Cor. 6:19; 2 Cor. 6:71), and thus, we read in Heb. 10:19 that we now have boldness to enter into the holiest chamber (where the blood was sprinkled, on the mercy seat, on the Day of Atonement), "by the blood of Jesus." Now consider Heb. 10:22,
"we can be continuously and progressively approaching with a true heart in union with full-assurance from the completed act of Faithfulness (or: centered within [the] full-carrying from [His] loyalty and fidelity), the hearts having been sprinkled [with His life-blood] from a misery-gushed consciousness of what is evil or unserviceable..."
Notice Heb. 9:21, above, where the Tabernacle, etc., was "sprinkled with blood."
The Day of Atonement was a type, pointing to the work of Christ. Only the high priest was involved in this, and what he did, he did for the entire people of Israel, and by that one offering the sins of the entire people were cleansed away - for that year. But in the fulfillment of that type, Christ was both the Lamb that took away the sins of the world (the aggregate of humanity), and He was also the High Priest that performed the fulfillment of this type - once and for all (Heb. 7:27).
Jesus informed us:
"I, Myself, come so that they can progressively possess (would continuously have; could habitually hold) Life, and may continue possessing [it] in superabundance (or: and may have a surplus surrounding them in excessive amounts)" (Jn. 10:10b).
He came to give us His Life. The shedding of His blood was a witness to all Israel, at that time. For we who live centuries later, we can look back at the OT types and learn the significance of Jesus shedding His blood for us, too. Just as each person is born into this common human life one person at a time, so we come into the Life of Christ one at a time, as He gives us birth, and we are,
"born back up again to a higher place (or: can be brought to birth again; or: would be given birth from above)" (Jn. 3:3ff).
Jonathan
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