For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. (I Peter 1:18-19)
The ransom price that Christ paid was not material, such as silver or gold, but it was His own precious blood, His very life. He became our sacrificial lamb. He did not die for His own sin, because He had no sin, but He became the atonement for the sins of others. A slave could be redeemed through the payment of money, but the only escape we have from sin is through the payment of Christ's blood. His blood was not called precious until after it was shed at Calvary. Precious indicates it was of pure quality, of total perfection.
Christ was the perfect fulfillment of all Old Testament sacrifices. The key phrase here is "a lamb without blemish or defect". The lamb typifies the innocence, purity, meekness and suffering of Jesus. Without spot or blemish corresponds to the Passover ritual requirement where the sacrificial lamb had to be perfect without any flaw. In applying this to Jesus, it meant He was morally perfect. This sacrificial outpouring of the blood of Jesus should humble us in gratefulness to God for what He has done for us.
to be continued...
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