BLOODY

How important is the blood? By that, of course, I mean the blood of Jesus. It is immensely, immeasurably important. Without it there is no remission of our sins, Hebrews 9:22 (KJV) ‘And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.’ It is not that the shedding of Christ’s blood saves everyone, regardless of faith, repentance or anything else. No, Paul states in Romans 3:25 (KJV) ‘Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;’ It takes a faith in the blood, a trust in what Christ did on the cross.

I cannot escape the old Hymn, ‘What can wash away my sins, nothing but the blood of Jesus’, it is so true and so Biblical. A reason that Hymns should be kept in the Church, their theological significance. The Bible makes blood a central theme throughout it pages. An inference in Genesis 3:21 (KJV) ‘Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.’ This seems to have been accomplished by killing something, i.e. shedding their blood.

The first mention of blood, interestingly associated with a death, is here, Genesis 4:10 (KJV) ‘And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.’ Cain and Abel’s struggle, leading to the death of Abel, is the first mention of blood in the scripture. A death causes blood to cry out. God speaks to Cain about the crying of Abel’s blood, and it is an example of the significance of the blood.

Those who seek to pull the blood from Christianity, sucks the life blood from it, pun intended. The blood is precious, as Peter said, 1 Peter 1:19 (KJV) ‘But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:’, he is talking about what he said in the previous verse, 1 Peter 1:18 (KJV) ‘Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;’ WE were redeemed by the PRECIOUS blood of Christ. Remove the blood, oh how lifeless, powerless and impotent it would be. For as Paul states, Ephesians 2:13 (KJV) ‘But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.’

#blood #jesus #salvation