Topical Bible: Blood of Guilt

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The concept of "blood of guilt" in the Bible refers to the responsibility and consequences associated with the shedding of innocent blood. This theme is woven throughout the Scriptures, highlighting the gravity of murder and the divine demand for justice.

Old Testament Context

In the Old Testament, the shedding of innocent blood is a serious offense that incurs guilt upon the perpetrator. Genesis 4:10-11 recounts the account of Cain and Abel, where God confronts Cain after he murders his brother Abel: "The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground. Now you are cursed and banished from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand." Here, Abel's blood metaphorically cries out for justice, indicating the seriousness of Cain's guilt.

The Mosaic Law further elaborates on the consequences of shedding innocent blood. Numbers 35:33-34 states, "Do not defile the land where you live and where I dwell. For I, the LORD, dwell among the Israelites." The land itself is defiled by bloodshed, and the guilt must be atoned for, often through the death of the murderer, to cleanse the land.

Deuteronomy 19:10-13 provides instructions for cities of refuge, where those who commit unintentional manslaughter can seek asylum. However, intentional murderers are not afforded this protection, emphasizing the severity of their guilt: "Show him no pity. You must purge from Israel the guilt of shedding innocent blood, so that it may go well with you."

New Testament Understanding

In the New Testament, the concept of blood guilt continues to hold significant weight. Matthew 27:24-25 describes the scene of Jesus' trial before Pilate, where the crowd declares, "His blood be on us and on our children!" This statement reflects the acceptance of responsibility for the shedding of innocent blood, underscoring the collective guilt of those who demanded Jesus' crucifixion.

The New Testament also presents Jesus' sacrificial death as the ultimate atonement for sin, including the guilt of bloodshed. Hebrews 9:14 explains, "How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from works of death, so that we may serve the living God!" Here, the blood of Christ is portrayed as the means by which believers are cleansed from guilt, including the guilt associated with the shedding of blood.

Theological Implications

The "blood of guilt" serves as a reminder of the sanctity of life and the divine justice that demands accountability for the shedding of innocent blood. It underscores the biblical principle that life is sacred and that God, as the ultimate judge, will hold individuals and nations accountable for acts of violence and murder.

Throughout Scripture, the call to justice and the provision of atonement through Christ's sacrifice highlight the balance between divine justice and mercy. The blood of Christ is presented as the ultimate solution to the problem of guilt, offering redemption and reconciliation to those who repent and believe.

Nave's Topical Index

Leviticus 20:9
For every one that curses his father or his mother shall be surely put to death: he has cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be on him.
Nave's Topical Index

2 Samuel 1:16
And David said to him, Your blood be on your head; for your mouth has testified against you, saying, I have slain the LORD's anointed.
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Ezekiel 18:13
Has given forth on usury, and has taken increase: shall he then live? he shall not live: he has done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be on him.
Nave's Topical Index

Strong's Hebrew

1818. dam -- blood
... root Definition blood NASB Word Usage blood (303), bloodguilt (2), bloodguiltiness
(12), bloodshed (27), bloody (7), death (1), guilt of blood (2), homicide or ...
/hebrew/1818.htm - 6k

Library

The Guilt of the First Sin is So Great that it Can be Washed Away ...
... Chapter 48."The Guilt of the First Sin is So Great that It Can Be Washed
Away Only in the Blood of the Mediator, Jesus Christ. ...
/.../augustine/the enchiridion/chapter 48 the guilt of the.htm

A Lamb Bears all the Guilt Away.
... A Lamb bears all its guilt away The world thus to deliver, All sins of sinners ... The
punishment is great, and dread The wrath, but Thou Thy blood shalt shed, And ...
/.../gerhardt/paul gerhardts spiritual songs/a lamb bears all the.htm

The Blood of Sprinkling
... him. When thus covered all over with that guilt whose penalty is death, the
blood is brought in by the great High Priest. That blood ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bonar/gods way of peace/chapter v the blood of.htm

The Blood of the Testament
... That blood, having taken away the guilt of sin, operates in a sanctifying manner,
and takes away the power of sin, and the pardoned man does not live as he ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 58 1912/the blood of the testament.htm

The Voice of the Blood of Christ
... vile, but he saw that his vileness was all washed away; he knew that he was guilty,
but he saw his guilt all atoned for, through the precious blood that was ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 4 1858/the voice of the blood.htm

Guiltless and Without Sin.
... and born in sin; then He did not suffer vicariously, but for Himself personally;
then there can be no blood of reconciliation. If the original guilt of Adam ...
/.../kuyper/the work of the holy spirit/xviii guiltless and without sin.htm

The Blood
... Sacraments, however well they may be attended to, cannot save me. Nothing
but thy blood, O Jesus, can redeem me from the guilt of sin. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 5 1859/the blood.htm

"My Little Children, These Things Write I unto You, that Ye Sin ...
... To take away guilt, nothing so fit as blood for there is no punishment beyond blood,
therefore saith the apostle, "without the shedding of blood there is no ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon xxii my little children.htm

Fences and Serpents
... that lives in evil and sin; but I put all into two words"every sin that I do tells
upon myself, inasmuch as its virus passes into my blood as guilt and as ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/fences and serpents.htm

The Sermon to the Nuns
... was at first much more clear that the Lord's love was unrequited and lightly esteemed,
than that by the power and value of the atoning Blood all guilt was once ...
/.../bevan/three friends of god/chapter xiii the sermon to.htm