Salvation Through Blood

Throughout the past nine weeks we have been considering that part of Christian doctrine which is called “the doctrine of baptisms” (Heb. 6:2).

We will now begin with the question: what part do baptism in water and baptism in the Holy Spirit play in the total plan of God for all New Testament believers?

We shall follow an approach to this question frequently employed by the writers of the New Testament. We shall view God’s deliverance of Israel out of Egypt as a type or pattern of the greater deliverance from the slavery of sin and Satan offered to the whole human race through Jesus Christ. We will focus on three specific features of Israel’s deliverance out of Egypt and use these to illustrate three main elements in the salvation provided for all men through Christ.

First of all, God sent His appointed deliverer, Moses, to Israel right where they were, in the midst of Egypt in their misery and slavery. There He saved them from wrath and from judgement through their faith in the blood of the sacrifice which He had appointed – the Passover lamb.

In the New Testament, John the Baptist – the forerunner sent to prepare the way before Christ – introduced Him with the words:

“Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)

Thus he proclaimed Jesus as the appointed Saviour whose sacrificial death and shed blood would accomplish all that had been foreshadowed by the Passover lamb.

Looking back on Christ’s death and resurrection, Paul says:

“Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.” (1 Cor. 5:7)

The Passover lamb provided temporary deliverance for Israel from physical slavery. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ provided eternal salvation for all who put their faith in His shed blood as the propitiation for their sins.

It was not God’s purpose, however, for Israel to remain any longer in Egypt. The very same night that the Passover was sacrificed, Israel began their exodus, no longer a rabble of slaves but now an army in ordered ranks. There was urgency in all that they did. They took their bread before it was leavened. They marched in haste, with their loins girded and their staves in their hands.

In like manner, God meets the sinner right where he is in the world and saves him in the depths of his need and bondage. But God does not leave the sinner there. Immediately He calls him out into a totally new way of life – a life of separation and sanctification.