[mizpeh]

Originally Posted by Sam

When Jesus was beaten and the crown of thorns placed on His head, He lost some blood. Then when He was nailed to the cross He lost some more. As He hung on the cross, more blood was shed. Then after He died on the cross one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear and blood and water came out. There are differences of opinion on what this water was. Some think it was water that had built up around His heart. Some think the spear may have pierced a kidney and the water was urine (although at His death perhaps both his bowels and kidneys drained while He was still on the cross.) Jesus would have had 5 quarts or a little less in His body while alive. I would guess that most, if not all of it, would have drained from His body by the time He died. Some may have been trapped in various areas of His body. In my opinion, the literal blood of Jesus soaked into the ground and was dried up (or possibly consumed by scavengers).

In the OT as animals were offered as sacrifice but their blood did not physically cleanse/literally cleanse people. In the case of the priests, blood was applied to the ear, right hand, and right foot at their consecration, but ordinarily blood did not touch humans. Yet, they were considered clean. David prayed, "blot out my transgression,... wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,... cleanse me from my sin,.... purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean, ... blot out all my iniquities..." in Psalm 51. David received forgiveness and cleansing from sin. Here there was no literal animal blood applied. In my opinion it is the same in the NT. The blood of Jesus is not literally applied, but in the sight of God we are cleansed. Terms like washed in the blood are symbolic.

Thanks Sam. I don't believe the literal blood of Jesus is applied to our hearts to removed the body of sin. But you haven't addressed the verses that teach we are cleansed from our sins by the blood in saying the Bible writers are using symbollic language.