Symbol of Blood - Final

"and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye might be sanctified from all sin, and enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come, even immortal glory;"

As has already been discussed plenty, forgiveness is different than sanctification. Forgiveness comes through receiving the ordinances of the gospel and repenting as the case with baptism by water. Sanctification, to be made holy, is a higher gift and requires a spiritual cleaning of our spirit. The source of this spiritual cleansing is the blood of Christ. So one last effort how it works.

Consider this story from the New Testament (Mark 5) with the symbol of Christ sanctifying blood compared to ours damaged by sin. Look at the description of her attempted healing - something a physical physician was unable to assist. The phrase "nothing bettered" and most importantly ONLY the need to touch the Savior - just to associate ourselves to Him:

And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague."

She felt in her body she was healed.

How terribly tragic and ironic the statement in Matthew 27 when Pilate offered Christ's release - "Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children." How much that should have been their sincere and sacred prayer instead of their mocking and evil rant!

1 Corintians 15:50 builds the case for our blood becoming impure through sin - "Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption."

Alma 5:22 continues - "And now I ask of you, my brethren, how will any of you feel, if ye shall stand before the bar of God, having your garments stained with blood and all manner of filthiness?"

At the second coming the moon will be turned to blood. Christ's garment will be dyed in blood. Isaiah describes it as only he can (Isa 63):
"I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come."

Our blood - the source of life - was physically and spiritually damaged in the fall. Our own sins add more damage to it. Our blood can only be cleansed by his blood. Blood that he voluntarily sacrficed for us. He gave up His perfect and precious blood when he committed Himself to the Atonement. How important is the symbol of blood coming from every pore and falling to the earth! The symbol of His blood being pressed from His body so that it may touch those who seek the hem of His garment.

When His blood enters ours we will be both resurrected and redeemed at the same time. Immortality and Eternal Life. Those in the First Resurrection will be instantly redeemed without feeling the consequences of justice as already described. But I also made the case that all of mankind will be redeemed and receive the blood of Chirst, but those who reject the Savior will wait, suffering their own personal redemption of justice, and missing the chance at Celestial glory. But that doesn't change the fact that their eventual resurrection will come through the blood of Christ and with it will come redemption.

The scriptures are so full of references to cleansed by the blood of Christ. Revelations 1:5, "And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,"

Hebrews 13:12, "Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate."

Final scripture is D&C 38:4, "I am the same which have taken the Zion of Enoch into mine own bosom; and verily, I say, even as many as have believed in my name, for I am Christ, and in mine own name, by the virtue of the blood which I have spilt, have I pleaded before the Father for them."

The "blood which He has spilt" on the earth and on us if we so chose. There are some extremely sacred imagery in the temple that I can't cover here that shows how we gather the blood of Christ into ourselves. Bottom line is we will need to gather some of the blood shed in the Atonement to add to ours to be redeemed and that is what is decribed in the opening scripture from Moses.