The Cost of Forgiveness – Hebrews 9:15-22
Oct 23, 2025 23
[15] Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant. [16] For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. [17] For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive. [18] Therefore not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood. [19] For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats with water and scarlet wool and hyssop and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, [20] saying, “This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you.” [21] And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship. [22] Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. (ESV)
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Verse 22 is blunt: “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.”
Why all the blood? Because sin demands death. Sin brings death. And forgiveness – real forgiveness – costs everything.
A Sea of Blood
From Moses to Jesus, whenever sacrifices were offered, there were more than a million animal sacrifices. Each bull spilled a gallon or two of blood. Each goat, a quart. The Old Covenant truly rested on a sea of blood.
During Passover, a trough was constructed from the temple down into the Kidron Valley for the disposal of blood – sacrificial system plumbing. Day after day, year after year, blood was shed.
Why? To teach one main lesson: sin demands the shedding of blood.
Verse 18 says even the first covenant wasn’t inaugurated without blood. When Moses proclaimed every commandment to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats and sprinkled both the book and all the people, saying in verse 20, “This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you.”
Everything dripped with blood. The altar. The people. The book. Then verse 21 adds that Moses sprinkled the tabernacle and everything used in worship with blood.
It wasn’t pretty. But it was necessary. Blood was the sign – even the smell – of the Old Covenant.
Jesus, the Mediator
Verse 15 tells us Jesus is the mediator of a new covenant. A mediator’s job is to bring two parties together – here, holy God and sinful humanity. His sacrifice is the means of bringing us together, because his shed blood provides forgiveness.
And here’s what’s remarkable: his blood is both retroactive and proactive. Verse 15 says, “a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.” Jesus’ death reaches back to the Garden of Eden, covering every Old Testament believer who came to God in faith. And his blood is proactive too – paying for our sins past, present, and future when we trust in him.
Death Required
Verses 16-17 use the imagery of a will. A will only takes effect when somebody dies. It never takes effect while the one who made it is living. You might be promised a significant inheritance, but it won’t do you any good unless the person who made the will dies.
Jesus had to die to activate the new covenant. His death made forgiveness possible. His death opened the way to eternal inheritance.
The costliness of forgiveness cannot be overstated. It required Jesus’ life.
The Good News Is…
The good news is that the price has been paid. Jesus died so you could be forgiven. The sea of blood under the old system was always pointing to his once-for-all sacrifice. Every animal slaughtered, every drop of blood spilled, was crying out: sin is serious, and someone must die.
Jesus took that death upon himself. He paid the full price. And now forgiveness is freely offered to all who trust in him – not because it’s cheap, but because Jesus paid what we never could.
Reflection
How does knowing the cost of your forgiveness – Jesus’ blood shed on the cross – help you to live a life of gratitude?
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