Blood is essential because God has decreed that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin, and He uses blood as the visible mark of faith that secures safety and redemption.
In the Passover, the Israelites were secure only because the blood was on the doorposts; God saw the blood and saw their faith, and passed over them. Les Feldick teaches that God sovereignly chose shed blood as the only way to forgive sin, and this same blood principle is fulfilled in Christ, who is our Passover and the propitiation through faith in His blood.
Exodus 12:13 — This is the foundational Passover verse where God directly connects the blood applied to the door with His passing over the household.
Hebrews 9:22 — This verse states plainly that without the shedding of blood there is no remission, which is the heart of the question.
Romans 3:25 — This verse shows that Christ is the propitiation through faith in His blood, bringing the Old Testament blood principle into the Gospel.
Scripture states plainly that blood is not optional. In Exodus 12:13 God said, "And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt." The safety of the firstborn was tied to the blood on the door. Hebrews 9:22 connects this principle to forgiveness: "And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission." The same truth is stated for believers in Christ. Romans 3:25 says that God "hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God." Ephesians 1:7 adds, "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace." These verses show that redemption and forgiveness are accomplished through blood. Paul also identifies Christ as our Passover: "For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us" (1 Corinthians 5:7). This ties the blood of the Passover lamb in Egypt to the blood of Christ, showing that blood is the consistent thread of God's plan of redemption from the Old Testament to the New.
Les Feldick teaches that blood is central because God sovereignly chose shed blood as the only way to forgive sin. He points to the Passover night in Egypt: the Israelites were calm and secure because, by faith, they had applied the blood to their doorposts, and God looked at the blood and recognized their faith. He notes that a Jew who refused to put the blood on the door would not have been safe. The lesson is that security never comes without blood. In the New Testament, Les applies this to Christ. Jesus is our Passover, so His blood had to be shed. Les stresses that this is the one and only way to experience the redemption described in Romans 3:24-25. He says people today "shun the blood" and don't like to talk about it, but God's demand for shed blood cannot be bypassed. The two imperatives are without faith we cannot please God, and without the shedding of blood there is no remission.
The Israelite households in Egypt were not safe because of anything they earned or their own goodness; they were safe because the blood was on the door. Applying the blood was an act of faith. God looked at the blood and saw their faith, and that is what gave them safety. If they had refused to put the blood on the door, they would have lost their firstborn. Scripture itself says that when God sees the blood He will pass over that house.
God in His own reasoning and line of thought has demanded shed blood for the remission of sin, and no one can go against that. God sovereignly decided that forgiveness would be through shed blood and no other way. In the tabernacle, the high priest had to present blood every year because the blood-sprinkled way is the only approach to God. Without the shedding of blood there is no remission, and this applies to every human being.
Romans 3:25 says God set forth Christ as a propitiation through faith in His blood. The only way to experience the redemption described in the previous verse is putting your faith in the blood of Christ. In the Passover, faith was shown by applying the blood to the doorposts; in the Gospel, faith is placed in the blood of Christ, who is our Passover. This is the real thing, not just an example.
Les Feldick observes that people today don't like to talk about sacrificial blood and are not programmed for it. However, the demands of Scripture cannot be ignored. Those who trust in good works absolutely shun the blood, but the whole purpose of the cross was that Christ had to shed His blood. It had to be a death where the blood was evident; stoning would not have fulfilled the shedding of blood that the crucifixion accomplished.
The Blood on the Doorposts Shows Faith
The Israelites' safety in Egypt came from the blood applied to the doorposts; by faith they did what God said, and God saw the blood when He looked at their faith.
God's Demand for Shed Blood Cannot Be Ignored
Even though people don't like sacrificial blood, God has demanded shed blood for the remission of sins, and no one can go against that requirement.
Redemption Comes Only Through Faith in His Blood
God purchases mankind's redemption only with blood, and the only way to experience redemption is putting faith in the blood of Christ, as pictured by the Passover night.
God Chose the Blood from the Beginning
God sovereignly determined that forgiveness would be through shed blood; life is in the blood, and new life comes only through death, making the blood essential to salvation.
Without the Shedding of Blood There Is No Remission
The high priest had to present blood every year because the blood-sprinkled way is the only approach to God, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.
Security Is Found Under the Blood, Not in Personal Merit
The Israelites were secure because of the blood on the door, not because of their goodness; without the blood they would have lost their firstborn.
Christ Our Passover Means There Must Be Blood
Because Christ is our Passover, the shedding of blood is still the central issue, and Romans 3 presents faith in His blood as the doctrinal ground for salvation.
The Cross Was Specifically About Shedding Blood
The whole purpose of the cross was the shedding of blood; without faith it is impossible to please God, and without the shedding of blood there is no remission.
Exodus 12:13: And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.
God's own statement that the blood on the houses is what caused the plague to pass over the Israelites.
Hebrews 9:22: And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
This verse directly states the necessity of blood for remission or forgiveness.
Romans 3:25: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
Christ is presented as the propitiation through faith in His blood for the remission of sins.
Ephesians 1:7: In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
Redemption and forgiveness are through Christ's blood, based on God's grace.
1 Corinthians 5:7: Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
Christ is identified as our Passover, connecting the Passover blood to His sacrifice.
God sovereignly decided that shed blood would be the means to forgive sin (Clip 3). Scripture says clearly that without shedding of blood there is no remission (Hebrews 9:22), and Les Feldick says this is God's own requirement that cannot be bypassed (Clip 1).
Both are connected. Their faith led them to apply the blood to the doorposts, and God looked at the blood and saw their faith (Clip 0). Scripture says the plague passed over because of the blood (Exodus 12:13), and Les notes that without the blood on the door they would not have been safe (Clip 5).
Because God lost humanity when Adam fell, and the only thing God can use to purchase redemption is blood (Clip 2). Romans 3:25 says Christ is a propitiation through faith in His blood, and placing faith in the blood is the only way to experience redemption (Clip 2).
Watch the Teaching: Why the Blood? The Bible's Answer to Forgiveness & Faith