John 19:33 But coming to Jesus, when they saw that He had already died, they did not break His legs; (34) But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately there came out blood and water. Heb 9:22 And almost all things are purified by blood according to the law, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
Two substances came out of the Lord's pierced side: blood and water. Blood is for redemption, dealing with sins, and water is for imparting life, dealing with death. On the negative side, the Lord's death takes away our sins; on the positive side, it imparts life into us.
Before we can take the Lord as the living water of life, we must firstly be cleansed. Thus, blood is mentioned as the first item and water as the second. After we have been cleansed by the blood, then we are enabled to receive the Lord as life.
The blood which flowed out of the Lord's side is for redemption. Hebrews 9:22 says, “Without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness”. The blood here signifies the redemptive aspect of Christ's death.
The blood which flowed out for our redemption was typified by the blood of the Passover lamb. As Zechariah 13:1 indicates, this redeeming blood formed a fountain for the washing of sins. Hallelujah for such a fountain!
This fountain is not for drinking but for washing. The blood which flowed out was also for purchasing the church (Acts 20:28). The blood which formed a fountain for the washing of sins was the price of the purchase of the church.