Understanding Communion: The Blood of the New Covenant

By Robb Brunansky

Published January 14, 2025

Over the past five posts (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5), we have had the privilege to consider the significant of the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper and what exactly is taking place at the table.

There is one final thing to cover, which is the significance of the blood of Christ. In Luke 22:20, Jesus says, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.” This imagery is dramatic, depicting a cup tipped over as its contents are poured out. Understanding the importance of this blood of the new covenant is vital to a knowledge of the weightiness of communion and the intimacy it brings with Christ.

I want to discuss the blood of the new covenant under three different headings.

First, the necessity of blood.

Most, if not all, developed parts of the world, are centuries removed from any kind of blood sacrifices – and so it’s hard for our culture to comprehend this proposition. These sacrifices are seen as barbaric, or as a relic of a superstitious time when people thought they had to placate gods with ostentatious offerings. Such bloodiness is uncivilized and unnecessary.

As a result, people have created all kinds of ways to downplay God’s demand for blood sacrifice. One of these ways is to divide God between the Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament God is pictured as a mean, demanding, and violent being who delights in blood; conversely, Jesus in the New Testament was kind, loving, and devoid of wrath, not demanding blood. Scripture, however, clearly presents one true and living God who exists eternally and is unchanging, so any attempt to differentiate a New Testament God from an Old Testament one is fundamentally unbiblical.

Many people, seeking to avoid bifurcating the deity between the testaments, have devised alternative ways of understanding the cross to remove God’s demand for blood to forgive sins. One theory is that Jesus died as our example. They teach that God didn’t require a blood sacrifice but requires that we sincerely believe what we believe so we too would die for it if needed.

Another theory is that Jesus’ death is only a demonstration of God’s love. The cross, then, had nothing to do with anything God demanded or required – nor did it do anything to God. It was solely to change us so we would finally believe in the love of God. These unbiblical ideas are presented because many people can’t conceive of God requiring a blood sacrifice to have a relationship with us.

Some have rejected Christ’s sacrifice entirely, using phrases like “divine child abuse” to describe the cross. As people living in our current culture, it’s easy for us to be influenced by these leanings, even if we don’t fully subscribe to any of the theories. That’s why we need to see that Christ’s blood was integral to the new covenant and to our salvation.

When we think about Luke 22, recall that Jesus was celebrating the Passover meal when He transitioned to this new covenant celebration. Nothing could have been more on the disciples’ minds than the blood of the lamb that caused the Lord to pass over those Jewish homes in Egypt. Blood was required at Passover for salvation of the Israelite firstborns.

When God established the Mosaic Covenant with the Israelites, blood was again a requirement (Hebrews 9). This writer of Hebrews notes the book of the covenant, tabernacle, vessels used in ministry, and even the people themselves, were all sprinkled with blood. It was an incredibly bloody scene, but the blood was necessary for the forgiveness of sins.

The reason we often reject the necessity of blood is because we reject the horror of sin. It would have been disturbing to be present while Moses sprinkled the blood of dead animals on people – young and old. However, this practice was meant to be revolting – because sin is revolting, disturbing, and horrifying.

Our problem with blood is really an issue with what God says about sin. We just don’t see most sin as that bad – especially the “normal” sins of everyday living. Sometimes, we barely even notice these sins. However, the blood at the Lord’s table is a constant reminder of the horror of sin. To deal with sin requires the shedding of blood.

Second, we consider the deficiency of animal blood.

We might think the sacrifices in the Old Testament and the blood shed under the old covenant would be sufficient to bring forgiveness. One thing, though, is clear if we read through Hebrews 9-10: animal sacrifices are inadequate to deal with human sin.

These chapters in Hebrews, in fact, outline three ways that animal sacrifices are deficient for forgiveness. Animal blood shed for sin cannot bring us into God’s presence (Hebrews 9:6-8). Under the system of worship under the Law, the Israelites could not enter the holy place. The high priest could go into the holy of holies with an animal’s blood – but even he didn’t have any real fellowship with God. These layers were a sign that animal sacrifices was not sufficient to bring sinners into the presence of a holy God. A better covenant with better sacrifices was needed.

Animal sacrifices also cannot obtain forgiveness of sins (Hebrews 10:1-4). Repeated offerings of these animals were sure signs of unforgiven sins. These sacrifices were not bad, wrong, or evil. Instead, the sacrifices were good because of the reminder of Israel’s rebellion against God and its need for the Messiah to deliver them from their bondage to sin. The sacrifices were deficient to save, but not deficient for God’s purpose, which was to show us our need of a better sacrifice.

The blood of bulls and goats, furthermore, cannot cleanse us (Hebrews 9:9-10). These sacrifices under the Law could not make the worshiper perfect in conscience because the acts only related to external cleansing. In Christ, though, we are perfect – or else we could not enter God’s presence. Sacrifices would only deal with outward defilement or ceremonial uncleanness. The blood of animal sacrifices, important as it was under the Law, was deficient to bring us salvation.

Third, we must understand the sufficiency of Jesus.

Christ’s blood is so precious because of what it accomplishes for us through His violent death on the cross. This death does for us what no other blood sacrifice could.

It cleanses our consciences (Hebrews 9:14). This blood speaks grace, forgiveness, and reconciliation to us. It tells us we now have peace with God, so our consciences no longer accuse us of our past sins. When we are truly cleansed, we now can serve the living God and perform His worship.

It also has obtained eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:12). Jesus has set us free so we never again will be under the dominion of sin or enslaved in the kingdom of darkness. Our redemption and salvation are eternal.

It obtains for us heavenly fellowship with God (Hebrews 9:23-24). Jesus is in heaven, and His blood calls us to draw near to God in Christ in sincerity and with full assurance. Is there anywhere we do that more clearly than at the Lord’s table? When we come to the table, we are enabled to approach God with full assurance of faith and strengthened by the Spirit who assures us that Jesus died for us. Through Christ’s blood, we have true intimate, heavenly fellowship with our Lord.

Additionally, Jesus does not offer Himself continuously because His blood is sufficient in His once-for-all-sacrifice (Hebrews 9:24-26). When people teach (like in Transubstantiation) that Jesus is sacrificed over and over, they say His sacrifice is no better than that of a bull or a goat, reminding us of our sins time and time again. Jesus’ blood, shed in His violent substitutionary, representative death for us, is all we need.

As we close this series, it is my prayer that these posts have helped us understand – intellectually and experientially – what the Bible says about communion to enrich and strengthen our faith and help us grow in our walk with Christ. Praise the Lord for His perfect sacrifice, redeeming work, and reminder through this ordinance of His plan of salvation.