Forgiveness of Sins

According to the book of Hebrews, forgiveness of sins requires the shedding of blood (9:22), but the sacrificial system is no longer effective (10:11). Forgiveness is obtained, rather, by the blood of Christ (9:14; 10:12). The connection between Christ’s blood and forgiveness appears also in Matt 26:28; Rom 3:25; Eph 1:7; 1 John 1:7; Rev 1:5b; 7:14; cf. Rom 5:9; 1 Pet 1:18–19.^[1]

The Lukan accounts of the preaching of John the Baptist (Luke 3:3) and Peter (Acts 2:38) contain the urging of baptism “for the forgiveness of sins” (see also Acts 22:16, Rom 6:1–11, 1 Cor 6:11, Col 2:11–12, 1 Pet 3:21). ^[2]

All of the versions of the Last Supper mention the establishment of the (New) covenant. Matt 26:28 goes so far as to say: “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness (aphesis) of sins.” That is why the preaching of the Church according to Acts typically contained the promise of God’s forgiveness in Christ.^[3]

Far from denying the OT demand for blood sacrifice for forgiveness, the NT authors consistently point to Christ as the ultimate sacrifice, and the fulfillment of the Mosaic system (Heb 9:22—“without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins”). According to Heb 10:12–18, “Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins” and “by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.” Thus, there is no longer any need for the temple cult.^[4]

Forgiveness of sin would be part of the New Covenant only because God provided a Substitute to pay the penalty required of man.^[5]

This is the point Peter also emphasized by contrasting the corruptible earthly price of redemption (“not with perishable things such as silver or gold”) over against the costly means that God chose to redeem (“with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect”). The blood of Christ was already mentioned in 1 Peter 1:2 (“chosen . . . for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood”). There the reference to His blood is an allusion to the ceremony of covenant ratification in Exodus 24:5–8. Moses signified the inauguration of the Mosaic covenant by sprinkling the blood of the sacrifices on the altar and on the people, who pledged obedience to what the Lord commanded in the law. As Jesus taught in the institution of the Lord’s Supper (Matt. 26:27–28; Mark 14:23–24; Luke 22:20), His blood was the ratification of the new covenant, since it was the basis for the complete forgiveness of sins promised in Jeremiah 31:31–34.¹⁹ Here in 1 Peter 1:19 Christ’s blood signifies His life poured out on the cross as the price for the Christian’s redemption. The vicarious nature of this death is reinforced by the comparison with that of a blameless sacrificial lamb (v. 19). It is not clear whether the background for this is the unblemished Passover lamb (Ex. 12:5), the lamb without defect required in the regular sacrificial rituals (Lev. 22:17–25; Num. 28–29), or the innocent lamb led to slaughter, as mentioned in Isaiah 53:7.²⁰ In any case, the image is one of vicarious sacrifice, the blameless victim dying for the sake of others.^[6]