As part of His work in His death Christ poured out His blood for the new covenant and for the forgiveness of the believers’ sins. In Luke 22:20 the Lord says, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is being poured out for you.” God made a covenant with redeemed Israel in Exodus 24:3-8 (Heb. 9:18-21), which became the old testament, as a base for Him to deal with His redeemed people in the dispensation of law. Christ came to accomplish God’s eternal redemption for God’s chosen people by His death, according to God’s will (Heb. 10:7, 9-10), and with His blood instituted a new covenant, a better covenant (Heb. 8:6-13), which became the new testament after His resurrection (Heb. 9:16-17), as a base for God to be one with His redeemed and regenerated people in the dispensation of grace. This new covenant replaced the old covenant and simultaneously changed God’s old dispensation to His new dispensation. The Lord Jesus wanted His disciples to know this and live a life based on it and according to it after His resurrection.
In Matthew 26:28 the Lord Jesus says, “This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.” The Lord’s blood was required by God’s righteousness for the forgiveness of our sins. Without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin (Heb. 9:22). Without forgiveness of sin there is no way to fulfill the requirement of God’s righteousness so that the new covenant may be enacted. But Christ’s blood was poured out for the forgiveness of sins, and the new covenant has been enacted with His blood. The blood of the Lord Jesus has made a complete redemption for us so that all our sins may be forgiven. His blood has redeemed us from our fallen condition back to God and to God’s full blessing. The Lord’s blood, having satisfied God’s righteousness, enacted the new covenant. In this new covenant God gives us forgiveness, life, salvation, and all spiritual, heavenly, and divine blessings. Therefore, in His work Christ poured out His blood so that the new covenant may be enacted and the believers’ sins may be forgiven.
In one of his hymns Charles Wesley speaks of Christ’s five bleeding wounds received on Calvary. Four of these wounds were the wounds in His hands and feet received when He was nailed to the cross, and the fifth wound was the wound in His side. The first four bleeding wounds were a matter of persecution, but the fifth wound was a matter of redemption.
Luke 22:20 and Matthew 26:28 both indicate that Christ’s blood was poured out. Of course, this blood was poured out by the Lord Jesus Himself. However, we may think that it was the piercing of the Lord’s side by the soldiers that caused His blood to pour out. From the human point of view, the Roman soldiers pierced the Lord’s side, and His blood came out. But from Christ’s point of view, He poured out His blood for redemption. The pouring out of the Lord’s blood spoken of in Luke 22:20 and Matthew 26:28 refers to the blood that poured out of His side, not to the blood that issued from the wounds in His hands and feet. The latter was related to persecution, and the former, to redemption.
Often we speak of the shedding of Christ’s blood on the cross. The Lord Jesus, however, said that His blood was poured out. He poured out His blood not for the suffering of persecution but for the accomplishing of redemption.
It may seem that the Roman soldiers took the initiative to pierce the Lord’s side to cause His blood to come out. Actually, the Lord Jesus took the initiative to pour out His blood. If the pouring out of the Lord’s blood had resulted from the piercing by the soldiers, it might only have been for the suffering of persecution. But according to the Lord’s own word, the pouring out of His blood was for redemption. There is a great difference between these two things. If the pouring out of Christ’s blood was a matter of His being pierced by the soldiers, then this would have been a work accomplished by the soldiers. But the pouring out of Christ’s blood was not the work of Roman soldiers. In the sight of God this was Christ’s work in His death. The Lord did a great work when He poured out His blood for us. This did not take place during the first three hours of His crucifixion when He was persecuted by man. Rather, it happened during the last three hours when He was working to accomplish redemption for us. Yes, Christ’s pouring out of His blood took place through the piercing by the soldiers. But the pouring out of His blood for our redemption was actually Christ’s own work.
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