On Second Thought
The verses assigned for today were "no brainers." " In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness " —Hebrews 9:22. All believers know that these verses combine an Old Testament ritual with a New Testament truth: To satisfy God's requirements, blood must be shed and Jesus Christ replaced once and for all, the need for the continual sacrifice of lambs when He took our place on the cross and died there, atoning for our sins. His blood made it possible for those who believe to receive forgiveness. Then something else came to mind. The Apostle Peter wrote: " To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps " (1 Peter 2:21). In the context, Peter is referring to suffering for the cause of Christ. But I got hooked on the idea of shedding blood as paving the way for forgiveness. Most of us believe that when s...