When mountaineers are exploring some of the toughest environments in the world, they need a rope that they can rely on to save them if they fall. The members of the first mountaineering club, the Alpine Club, commissioned a manufacturer to make a rope they could trust. It looked pretty much the same as other ropes, but the way they could tell it was genuine was that it had a red strand of thread running through it. So, what does the Bible and this rope have in common? From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible has a symbolic red strand running through its words, and it represents the only thing that can save us, the only thing we can rely on - the blood of Jesus. Here are a couple of examples: 1) ‘The life of the body is in the blood, and I have given you rules for pouring that blood on the altar to remove your sins so you will belong to the LORD. It is the blood that removes the sins, because it is life’ (Leviticus 17:11 NCV). 2) ‘According to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness’ (Hebrews 9:22 NLT). The Old Testament law required that the blood of slaughtered animals offered as sacrifices was sprinkled on the altar to atone for sins. But Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and the blood He shed for us atoned for all our sins. When we put our trust in Christ’s finished work on the cross, we’re accepted by God. We can be sure that one day He’ll welcome us into heaven with open arms, because ‘The blood of Jesus Christ…cleanses us from all sin.’