Bill, lots of questions.

Let's get to some of the easiest from all over the world.

Dear Dr. Craig, when was the atoning blood of the Lord shed?

And what does shedding of blood mean?

The Lord said, it is finished, then he delivered his spirit.

I believe that the atonement work had been done.

But the literal shedding of his blood didn't happen until after the Roman soldier pierced

his side, then blood and water came out.

This is from Ben in the United States.

I would say to Ben that what is meant by the blood of Christ or the shedding the blood

means the death of Christ.

It's a metaphor for Christ's physical death on the cross.

And so I do not think that the work of the atonement was done until Christ died.

The animal sacrifices in the Old Testament had to be killed in order for the sacrifice

to be efficacious.

Otherwise, ancient Israel might have just practiced bloodletting.

You just drain some of the blood out of the sheep or the goat and then scattered on

the altar.

But no, the animal had to be killed and similarly Christ had to die.

And that's what is meant by the blood of Christ is his death.

And so the atonement work was not done until he died.

Otherwise, he could have come down from the cross without dying and would have achieved

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