Why Must Blood Be Shed? (Reader Question)

Before moving on to the next verse in our study (2:10), I wanted to address a question from a reader. Back in our study of redemption in 1:7 (August 12, 2011 post), we noted: “Why emphasize the blood of Christ so often? Why not speak more of His life than His graphic death? Because, as Hebrews 9:22 declares: ‘Almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.’ . . . Because of sin and guilt, blood must be shed for forgiveness.”

Question: “Why must there be blood shed? I don’t doubt it. I believe that because the Bible says so. But why? Is there an answer for this?” (LT)

Answer: I would first commend you on your comment, “I don’t doubt it. I believe that because the bible says so.” That attitude demonstrates a life of faith and humility, one untainted by skepticism and unbelief.

As noted above, Hebrews 9:22 declares: “without shedding of blood is no remission.” Now, the reason for that is rooted in Leviticus 17:11, one of the key verses of the book, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.” The principle behind atonement is life for life, and it is blood that is the critical symbol of life.

There is some fascinating history here that illustrates all this. In his 1628 book, On the Motion of the Heart and Blood, English physician Dr. William Harvey (1578–1657) was the first person to describe in detail the systemic circulation and properties of blood being pumped to the body by the heart (although others had similar ideas before him). “It is the fountain of life,” he wrote, “the first to live, and the last to die, and the primary seat of the animal soul; it lives and is nourished of itself, and by no other part of the human body.” He did, in fact, fully revive the Mosaic principle of the vitality of the blood. This principle was later adopted by the celebrated Dr. John Hunter (1728-93), professor of anatomy in London, who fully establish the reality of this through experimentation. Later, the eminent French zoologist Milne Edwards (1800-85) made this amazing statement:

If an animal be bled until it falls into a state of syncope, and the further loss of blood is not prevented, all muscular motion quickly ceases, respiration is suspended, the heart pauses from its action, life is no longer manifested by any outward sign, and death soon becomes inevitable; but if, in this state, the blood of another animal of the same species be injected into the veins of the one to all appearance dead, we see with amazement this inanimate body return to life, gaining accessions of vitality with each new quantity of blood that is introduced, eventual beginning to breathe freely, moving with ease, and finally walking as it was wont to do, and recovering completely.

So, as the ancient rabbis expressed it, the sacrifice offered life for life, soul for soul, an innocent victim atoning for the guilty party. That is what Christ did for us. He was the ultimate blood sacrifice. As we were dead in sin (Eph. 2:1-3), it was His blood that gave us life. It was that “blood transfusion” that saved all those who would believe.

Soli deo Gloria!

A Picture of Grace

In one last look at Ephesians 2:8-9—For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast—the great preacher and commentator Donald Grey Barnhouse recounts in his book How God Saves Men one of the most graphic pictures of salvation by grace I have ever read in my 30 years of ministry.

He tells the story of Henry Moorehouse, a social worker in the slums of 19^th Century London, and a little girl that he befriended. As he was headed home one evening, he saw the little girl exit a basement store carrying a pitcher of milk, only to see her a few steps later slip, fall, and drop the pitcher, shattering it and spilling the milk into the filthy gutter. Broken hearted, the poor little girl began to cry. Moorehouse approached and tried to console her but to no avail. All she could say was, “My mommy’ll whip me.” Confidently, Moorehouse then said, “No, little girl, your mother won’t whip you. I’ll see to that. Look, the pitcher isn’t broken in many pieces.” He then stooped down, picked up the pieces, and began fitting them back together. The little girl had seen pitchers mended before, so she hopefully stopped crying as he worked. But then, working too roughly, Moorehouse knocked it apart, and the little urchin started crying again. Renewing his promise, Moorehouse said, “Don’t cry, little girl. I promise you that your mother won’t whip you.” Setting to work again, he got all of it back together except for the handle. He then gave it to her so she could attach the handle, but, of course, it fell apart again. This time her tears could not be stopped. So Moorehouse picked her up, carried her to a shop that sold crockery, and bought a new pitcher. Still carrying her, he went back to where she had bought the milk and had the new pitcher filled. Finally, after asking her where she lived, he carried her there, set he down on the step, handed her the pitcher of milk, and asked, “Now, do you think your mother will whip you?” With a radiant smile she answered, “Oh, no sir, it’s a lot better pitcher than we had before.”

That is what God has done in His grace. Once a whole creature, man was destroyed by a fall, shattered beyond repair. In his own efforts, he has tried through the ages to put the pieces back together but has failed miserably. God had to intervene, not by just fixing the old pitcher, where the cracks would show and leak, but by creating a new one. And just as that little girl could not pay Moorehouse for his kindness—since she didn’t have anything!—neither can man purchase salvation. It is all of grace, all because God desired to show undeserved kindness.

I would close our thoughts on grace with this sonnet:

                             Grace

            Grace. What a wondrous word it is to hear!

            What staggering thoughts it brings to mind!

            Delivering us from dead works and fear,

            It has opened wide the eyes of the blind.

            Grace. There’s surely no more glorious theme,

            Best defined as unmerited favor,

            Transforming us from sinners who blaspheme

             To the saints of God who give Him honor.

            Grace. No greater word can any man speak,

             No fuller expression of God’s glory.

            Tis God’s gift to the dead, not merely weak,

            The true heart of the salvation story.

                  One day we shall see Our Lord face to face.

                  And eternally praise Him for His Grace.

The Proof of Grace (3)

Concluding our consideration of the Proof of grace, we again emphasize the truth of Ephesians 2:8-9: For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

It’s interesting that our entire society operates according to man’s performance. Early in their education, children learn that they are evaluated by their performance and thereby put into categories. Soldiers earn their ranks. Employees earn their positions and salaries. The Ford Corporation, for example, has a scale of 27 levels, Level 1 denoting clerks and secretaries and Level 27 reserved for the Chairman of the Board. An employee must be at level 9 to get an outside parking place, 13 to get a window, a plant, or an intercom in their office, and 16 before their office can have a private bathroom. Not to mention that most all of us, at one time or another, have said, “I need a vacation; after all, I’ve worked hard and I’ve earned it.” In the end, therefore, it all boils down to what each of us can boast in. 

Paul knew all too well about boasting. There was never a more self-satisfied person or a more self-assured person than Saul of Tarsus. Indeed, he was proud that he was Jew, proud that he was of the tribe of Benjamin, proud that he was a Pharisee, proud of his religion, proud of his morality, proud of his knowledge, and proud of his works. But now he says, none of us have anything to boast about. As he again wrote to the Corinthians, “He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord” (I Cor. 1:31). And to the Galatians he declared, “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world” (Gal. 6:14).

As Romans 3:23 declares: “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Sin is missing the mark of God’s glory; that is, we shoot for the mark of God’s glory but miss it every time. To illustrate, at its widest point, the Grand Canyon is eighteen miles wide rim to rim, its average width is ten miles, and its minimum width is only 600 yards at Marble Canyon. Now, let’s assume several people try to jump the canyon at that minimum width, which works out to be a mere 1800 feet. Perhaps one can person jump only ten feet but another twenty feet. Perhaps someone else can even match the current world record long jump distance of 29 feet, four and a half inches. Or let’s even assume by some super human feat that one jumper went 1,799 feet, 11 inches. Do any of them make it? No. What difference is there between ten feet and 1,799 feet, 11 inches? None whatsoever. All have fallen short and died! That is why we need grace.

This is precisely why we went into such detail to define grace in an earlier installment. To say that we must add our works to God’s grace is the most contradictory statement we could ever formulate. Any theology that mixes grace with works or faith with merit, no matter how sincere the motive, is simply heresy, plain and simple, and is to be cursed as Paul states in Galatians 1:8-9.

Having said that, does that mean that works have no place whatsoever in the believer’s life? Does that mean that works are meaningless and irrelevant? Absolutely not, as Paul makes clear in the very next verse: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Good works do not produce salvation, but salvation most certainly produces good works.

This is also what James means when he writes about faith and works. True saving faith produces good works as an evidence of what God has done solely by grace. As James asks, what evidence of true saving faith is it if a Christian brother or sister is naked and hungry and comes to our door but we respond, “Oh, well, God bless you,” and then shut the door (2:15)? No, as proof of our salvation, we will bring him in, cloth him, and feed him. Those who pervert the Gospel, however, say, “By bringing him in, giving him suit and meal, we have contributed to our salvation and that will help us get to heaven.” But that is not grace; that is works.

The Proof of Grace (2)

Looking again at the Proof of grace in Ephesians 2:8-9—For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast—we see a third principle. Not only does salvation have nothing to do with us, and not only is it a gift, but it is also not of works, lest any man should boast. In spite of this phrase, there are many who resort to their own works, their own religion instead of God’s grace alone.

There is, indeed, a dramatic contrast between “religion” and “Christianity.” We can put it in at least two ways: Religion is works‑oriented, while Christianity is grace‑oriented; or, religion tries to earn salvation, while Christianity gives salvation.

“Religion” is no less than an insulting slap upon the face of the Lord Jesus. He has offered salvation as a gift, but the reply from the religious man is, “Oh, no, I must earn it; I must do something.” We hear it countless times and in countless ways: “I must earn it;” “I must work for it;” “I must agonize for it.” Would we not be hurt and insulted if someone replied that way to a gift we gave them out of love? One might say, “Oh, well thanks, but I owe you one.” Another says,  “I’ll pay you back.” NO! It’s a gift. How much more then is our Savior insulted and grieved at any works‑oriented salvation?

Charles Spurgeon thundered this in his sermon, All of Grace: “Some try to lay hold upon salvation by grace through the use of ceremonies; it will not do. You are christened, confirmed, and caused to receive ‘the holy sacrament’ from priestly hands, or you are baptized, join the church, sit at the Lord’s table: does this bring you salvation? I ask you, ‘Have you salvation?’ You dare not say ‘yes.’ If you did claim salvation of a sort, yet I am sure it would not be in your minds salvation by grace; for those who are most addicted to the performance of outward rites are usually the last persons to enjoy any assurance of being saved by grace: they do not even look for such a thing. The more they multiply their rites and ceremonies, the more they quit the notion of grace, and the more they lose the true idea of salvation.’ What a statement! No works-oriented person can ever say, “I am there.”

How full of meaning and how packed with application are the words, Not of works, lest any man should boast. The Apostle Paul here makes it very clear that no man can boast, “I earned my salvation” or “I bought my forgiveness.” The Greek word behind boast (kauchaomai) means “to boast, vaunt oneself, be proud.” Paul uses it some 35 times in his letters. He rebuked the Corinthians, for example, “For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?” (I Cor. 4:7). In other words, what do we have that we didn’t in one way or another receive? Why do we boast as if we did it ourselves? So Paul is telling us here that we in no way can we boast that our salvation is in any way whatsoever a result of any works we can do. People boast about Confirmation, Baptism, Church membership, Holy Communion, keeping the Ten Commandments, living the Sermon on the Mount, giving to charity, and living a moral life. Some people even boast about their faith (regardless of what that faith is in). But all boasting is rooted in works, not grace.

One writer offers a graphic illustration between grace and works by recounting a scene that seems to occur every year during the final game of the NCAA basketball tournament. We’ve all seen it—that one young player standing at the free-throw line with one second left to play, dribbling the ball nervously. If he makes these two shots, his team wins, he’s a hero, and he’ll have something to boast about and relive for the rest of his life. But if he misses, he’s the goat of the game and his college, and will probably be in therapy when he’s forty.

That’s the difference between grace and works. Man operates on the basis of works, on whether or not he can boast about sinking those free-throws. But God operates by grace; it’s not a matter of our performance but His; He has already done it all.

The Proof of Grace (1)

Having examined the Purpose and Plan of grace, we look finally at the Proof of grace in Ephesians 2:8-9: For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

After seeing the etymology of the English word grace, not to mention the transformation of the Greek word charis, one would think that this would be enough to clearly show that salvation cannot be earned. But Paul, through the Holy Spirit’s control, realized that man’s ignorance demands that God be even clearer. Not only does he tell us what grace IS, he goes into more detail to tell us what grace IS NOT. This truly is the pivotal principle. So, with three thoughts Paul proves that grace is unmerited and unearned.

First, with the words that not of yourselves, Paul declares that salvation has nothing to do with us. Theologian John Murray states the case very well when he comments on this verse: “When [Paul] says “and that not of yourselves,” he is reminding us of the true nature of grace, that its whole urge and explanation reside in God. It may be easy to give formal assent to this text. Every evangelical Christian will do so. But how ready we are to shy away from its implications! In reality we deny the truth here asserted when we introduce at any point in the whole span and process of salvation a decisive autonomy on the part of man. If salvation at any point is contingent upon some contribution which man himself makes, then at that point it is of ourselves, and to that extent it is not of grace. Paul’s definition “and that not of yourselves” is thereby effaced and the true nature of grace is denied.” Indeed, Murray cuts to the heart of the matter. Grace that is not ALL grace is NO grace. Grace means that God has done everything; if He does not do everything, then it is not grace.

Second, salvation is a gift. Here is a beautiful thought. The Greek for gift is dōron. The idea behind it, and the related word dōrea, is “a complimentary gift.” It is used, for example, in Luke 21:1 where money is being cast into the treasury for the support of the temple and the poor (cf. Matt. 15:5). A synonym, didōmi, is used in that often quoted verse John 3:16, and means “to give of one’s own accord and with good will.”

A gift is such a nice thing to receive, is it not? The whole idea behind a gift is that it is unearned; it is given out of love. In contrast, think about the money you receive each week from your employer. Is that money a gift? Certainly not; it is that which you earned. But our salvation is a gift; it is unearned, undeserved, and given out of unfathomable love.

The story is told of a man who came eagerly but very late to a tent revival, where he found the workmen already tearing down the tent. Frantic at missing the meeting, he asked one of the workers what he could do to be saved. The workman, who was a Christian, replied, “You can’t do anything. It’s too late.” Horrified, the man said, “What do you mean? How can it be too late?” The workman rightly answered, “The work has already been accomplished. There is nothing you need to do but believe it.” All the work has been done. Salvation is a gift. This should, indeed, prompt us to declare soli deo gloria—to God alone be the glory. This leads to Paul’s final thought, which we’ll examine next time.

The Plan of Grace

Having examined the Purpose of grace, we turn to the Plan of grace. In that wondrous statement—For by grace are ye saved through faith (Eph. 2:8)—is found the most important truth about God’s salvation to be found in the Scriptures. Paul presents two thoughts.

First, salvation is BY Grace. These words could not be clearer that the source of salvation is grace alone. Man has absolutely nothing to do with his salvation whatsoever. As preacher Martyn Lloyd-Jones writes, “We are Christians entirely and solely as the result of the grace of God. Let us remind ourselves once more that ‘grace’ means unmerited, undeserved favour. It is an action that arises entirely from the gracious character of God. So the fundamental proposition is that salvation is something that comes to us entirely from God’s side.” Those words “entirely from God’s side” are most significant. As we’ll see, the teaching that says grace is “God’s side” in salvation and faith is “man’s side” is in error. Salvation is entirely of God.

The beloved pastor Harry Ironside captures this Truth as well: “We are not saved because we prayed so earnestly, repented so bitterly, turned over a new leaf, made restitution for past sins, tried to do good, kept the law and obeyed the sermon on the mount, or anything else that we could do, but we were saved by grace, and grace is God’s unmerited favor to those who merited the opposite.” Ironside actually hits on the real issue, namely, grace verses works. We’ll come back to this, but grace and works are diametrically opposed in acquiring salvation.

As Charles Spurgeon declared: “There can be no present salvation unless it be upon this footing—’By grace are ye saved.’ It is a very singular thing that no one has risen up to preach a present salvation by works. I suppose it would be too absurd. The works being unfinished, the salvation would be incomplete; or, the salvation being complete, the main motive of the legalist would be gone.”

Indeed, you will never hear someone who believes in salvation by works say, “Well, I am now sure I possess salvation; I am now sure that I will go to heaven.” Why? Because they do not know; they can never know because they can never be sure that they have done enough works. In contrast, God has done everything that has to do with providing salvation. Paul then presents something else.

Second, salvation comes THROUGH faith. Many Christians are unknowingly guilty of saying, “Salvation is by faith; we are saved by faith.” But this incorrect; we are saved by grace through faith. This is not just “semantics;” it’s doctrinal Truth. Grace is the cause of our salvation; Faith is the channel. Or as Spurgeon put it, “Grace is the fountain and the stream: faith is the aqueduct along which the flood of mercy flows down to refresh the thirsty sons of men.”

As we’ve mentioned before, any definition of faith is incomplete without a consideration of its object. Faith is a verb, so without an object, the entire concept is incomplete. In contrast to today’s meaningless “faith in faith” concept, saving faith has as its object “the Lord Jesus Christ.” As pastor and commentator James Boice details in his exposition of Ephesians, faith is not subjective feelings, wishful thinking, optimism, or self-confidence. Rather faith is a total trusting and committing of oneself to Christ as Savior and Lord.

Contrary to popular opinion, faith does not save us. A person can have faith in anything. For instance, you are probably sitting in a chair as you read these words. In a sense, you are putting faith in that chair; you are putting your weight on it fully believing it will hold you up. But does that faith have anything to do with spiritual salvation? Will sitting in church save you? Will being confirmed save you? Will baptism save you? Will observing some ritual or sacrament save you? NO! It is what we place our faith in that makes the difference. What saves us is God’s grace manifested in the person and work of Christ; we merely put faith in that grace and through that channel salvation is given. People today throw around that word “faith.” They say, “Oh, I have faith in God,” but they turn right around and try to work their way to heaven. That is a blatant contradiction, as we will see in the Proof of grace next time.

The Purpose of Grace

In light of the undeniable definition of grace we examined in our last installment, we are prepared to look at three principles concerning grace: its Purpose, its Plan, and its Proof.

First, consider the Purpose of grace. Why did God show such extraordinary, such astounding grace toward us? There is a twofold reason. First and foremost, God showed grace for the express purpose to glorify Himself. How arrogant we are sometimes! The usual view of why God saved us is that He did so because He loves us—that, is, the primary reason God saved us was to bring about something for our bene­fit. Now, while it is quite true that God loved us, that’s not the primary reason He saved us. Why? Because this view pictures us as God’s ultimate purpose when in reality God’s purpose in saving us was to ultimately bring glory to Himself. As we mentioned in Ephe­sians l, God’s ultimate purpose is to restore the unity between God and man so man can glorify Him. Oh, may we come down from our pinnacle of theological arrogance and realize that we are not God’s “focal point.” God’s focal point is primarily His own glory. Any other view is human pride and theological arrogance. We have elevated man over God’s glory.

All this is in view here in verse Ephesians 2:7—he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. The full meaning of the words he might show is to show and demonstrate Himself. That is why, first and foremost, God should grace toward us. It wasn’t because of our goodness. It wasn’t because we had something to offer Him. It wasn’t because of some talent we might be able to contribute to ministry. It was because He wanted to display Himself, to demonstrate Who He is and what He alone can do. Why did Paul write to the Corinthians, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” (I Cor. 10:31)? Because since God displays His glory, should we not also demonstrate it in all that we do?

The second aspect of God’s purpose is to show kindness to man. 19^th Century preacher Alexander Maclaren offers this beautiful illustration: “As an artist in his noblest work paints or chisels simply for love of pouring out his soul, so, but in infinitely loftier fashion, the great Artist delights to manifest Himself, and in manifesting to communi­cate somewhat of Himself.” There truly is a beautiful balance here. First, only God is worthy of praise and all He does brings glory to Himself. Second, one evidence of the glory He is worthy to receive is that He loves us and has shown mercy and grace toward us. There we have God’s purpose—to glorify Himself. But at the same time He shows kindness to man, for that too, above all else, brings glory to Him. Why did God save us? Because He wanted to show kindness. But why did He want to show kindness? To display His glory.

Consider one more thought. How does God show Himself?—through the exceeding riches of His grace, as we have seen clearly in Ephesians 1. But further, how long has He been doing it? Paul says in the ages to come. What a statement that is! It was the design of God to hallow, in all ages, the remembrance of so great goodness. For all time, eternity to eternity, God displays His glory, His greatness, His goodness, and His grace through the holy person and finished work of Jesus Christ.