Atonement by the blood of Jesus is not an arm of Christian truth; it is the heart of it.— Charles Spurgeon
There is more power in one drop of the blood of Jesus than there is in the whole kingdom of Satan.— Derek Prince
Building on our reflections on the sufferings of Jesus, we now turn to a foundational truth that defines the destiny of all humanity. This journey begins in the Garden of Eden, where God placed Adam and Eve, His image-bearers, blessed with authority and fellowship.
God gave them everything to enjoy with only one condition: they were not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This command was not a restriction, but a necessary opportunity to exercise their God-given capacity to choose. Sadly, through Satan's deception, Adam and Eve disobeyed. That disobedience introduced sin, shame, and separation into the human story.
After God addressed the consequences of their sin, He took a powerful, prophetic step: “And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.” (Genesis 3:21).
The garments of skin imply the death of an animal. This required the shedding of blood. From the very beginning, God showed that atonement for sin would require substitution and sacrifice. This pointed forward to Christ, the Lamb who was to come.
The Hebrew word kippur (from kāpar, meaning “to cover” or “to reconcile”) translated as atonement described this sacred act. On Yom Kippur, the high priest entered the Holy of Holies to sprinkle blood for the cleansing of his own sins and that of the people. “He shall sprinkle the blood... seven times before the mercy seat.” (Leviticus 16:14)
But all of this pointed ahead. The sacrifices were temporary. The priesthood was imperfect. The blood of animals could only cover sin; it could not remove it. A greater atonement was needed.
Unlike Aaron, Jesus, our Perfect High Priest, offered not the blood of animals, but His own blood. He didn’t enter an earthly tabernacle but the heavenly sanctuary. He didn’t offer year after year; He did it once, for all.
In his book, Applying the Blood, Derek Prince identifies seven moments in Jesus’ passion when His shed blood profoundly fulfilled the sevenfold sprinkling required under the Law:
Sweat like blood in Gethsemane (Luke 22:44)
Struck with rods and fists (Micah 5:1; Matt. 26:67)
Scourged by Roman soldiers (Matt. 27:26)
Beard plucked out (Isaiah 50:6)
Thorny crown pressed into His head (Matt 27:29; John 19:2)
Nails driven into His hands and feet (John 19:18; 20:25)
Pierced in the side with a spear (John 19:34)
When Adam sinned, the earth was cursed, and man was sentenced to toil, sweat and death: “Cursed is the ground... thorns and thistles it shall bring... by the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground …” (Genesis 3:17–19). Jesus bore that curse.
He sweat blood in Gethsemane.
He wore a crown of thorns.
He was robed in purple, perhaps symbolic of thistles.
He descended into death and Hades, the fall’s full sentence.
What does this mean for us? Because of Christ’s atoning blood:
We no longer need to live in shame: His blood covers our sins
We no longer need to hide from God. He reconciles uto God.
We are no longer under the curse. Jesus nailed it to the cross.
We now enjoy freedom, abundance, rest, and glory.
See the beauty of it all: Christ’s atonement didn’t just cover our sin. It addressed the curse, the shame, the sweat, the separation, and the sentence of death. Every consequence that came with Adam’s fall, Christ bore it fully. Glory to the Lamb who was slain!