10210. 'With the blood of the sin [offering] of expiations' means by means of truths which spring from the good of innocence. This is clear from the meaning of 'the blood' as Divine Truth, dealt with in 4735, 6978, 7317, 7326, 7846, 7850, 9127, 9393, 10026, 10033, 10047; and from the meaning of 'the sin [offering] of expiations', or the sin sacrifice by means of which expiation was made, as purification from evils and consequent falsities.

'Sin' is used to mean a sacrifice for sin, see 10039.

'Expiation' means purification from evils and consequent falsities, 9506.

The reason why this purification is accomplished by means of truths which spring from the good of innocence is that the blood with which the expiation was accomplished came from a young bull or from a lamb, and 'a young bull' means the good of innocence in the external man, 9391, 9990, 10132, 'a lamb' the good of innocence in the internal man, 10132; and innocence must be present if truth and good are to be received, 3111, 3994, 4797, 6013, 6765, 7836(end), 7840, 9262, 10134, as well as the places referred to in 10021. The good of innocence consists in acknowledging that all truths and forms of good come from the Lord and none at all from the human self or proprium; thus it consists in wishing to be led by the Lord and not by self. From this it is evident that the more a person trusts and believes in himself, thus the more he is ruled by self-love, the less the good of innocence is present in him. This is why a person cannot be purified from evils unless the good of innocence is present in him. For if this good is not present that person is led not by the Lord but by self; and anyone who is led by self is led by hell, since the human proprium is nothing but evil, and all evil belongs to hell. The fact that every expiation was accomplished with the blood either of a young bull, or of a lamb, or of turtle doves, that is, young pigeons, is clear in Moses, in Exodus 29:36; Leviticus 4:1-7, 13-18, 27-end; 5:1-7; 15:14, 24, 28-31; Numbers 6:9-11. 'Turtle doves' and 'young pigeons' as well mean the good of innocence.

6765. 'And he said to the one in the wrong, Why are you striking your companion?' means a rebuke, deploring that one person should wish to destroy another's faith. This is clear from the meaning of 'the one in the wrong' as a person who does not uphold the truth of faith and yet is within the Church (for within the Church there are those who uphold the truth of faith and there are those who do not, as the existence of various heresies goes to prove; and those who subscribe to heresy, that is, who do not uphold the truth of faith, are meant here by 'the one in the wrong'); from the meaning of 'striking' as destroying, as above in 6758; and from the meaning of 'companion' as a person who upholds the truth of faith. For when 'the one in the wrong' means a person who does not uphold the truth of faith, 'companion' means one who does uphold it. The word 'companion' is used, not 'brother', even though both of them were Hebrews, because they were hostile to each other. The fact that this is a rebuke is self-evident. What all this implies is that when a person is being regenerated he is sent into battles against falsities. During these the Lord maintains him in truth, but in what he has convinced himself to be the truth; and this is what is used in the battles against falsity. Even that which is not the real truth can be used, provided that it is such as can in some way be joined to good. And it is joined to good through innocence, for innocence is the means which enables that conjunction to be effected. This explains why people within the Church who have accepted any teaching whatever can be regenerated, though those who are in possession of real truths are in a better position than others.