The Bible speaks of mysteries…Jesus spoke of the "mystery of the kingdom," while the apostle Paul spoke of the "mystery" of the rapture, and the "great mystery" of Christ and the Church. One subject that is still a mystery to most Christians is the blood of Jesus. However, God never speaks of the blood as a mystery, so I believe that He wants you and me to know all about the dynamite benefits that are ours through the blood. The answers to the question, "What is the power of the blood?" will revolutionize your Christian experience and produce powerful results on a day-to-day basis.
To properly comprehend the power of the blood of Jesus requires an understanding of its Old Testament counterpart: the blood of sacrificial bulls and goats.
In Leviticus 17:11 God provided the condition for atonement by saying:
For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: For it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.
It was the shed blood upon the altar, the death of a spotless animal, which brought about the atonement or covering for sin. After it was shed, the animal's blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat...the golden lid on the Ark of the Covenant. The very presence of God was above the mercy seat by virtue of the shed blood sprinkled there.
Because the penalty for sin is death, the animal's death in the place of the sinner symbolized the ultimate sacrifice by Jesus for man's sin. According to Hebrews 10:4, the blood, or death, of bulls and goats was not sufficient to take away sins: an animal death was not an adequate substitute for the death of a sinful human—that required the death of a spotless human life—the life of Jesus.
The Bible says, "…we have redemption through His blood…" (Eph. 1:7). To seal our redemption after His death, Jesus ascended to heaven, and through His own blood He entered the Holy place once for all mankind and offered Himself to God (Heb. 9:12,14). Because of His death, we enjoy the benefits of God's grace and mercy, we enjoy His very presence, and we call ourselves "Christians." It is faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ that obtained God's favor for us, giving us our new name.
Many times, as Christians, we have only throught of Jesus' blood as the agent that cleansed sin from our lives; but His shed blood has accomplished far more! It's that "far more" which has remained a mystery to many Christians. To grasp the power that is available to us through the blood of Jesus, I want to compare the physical facts about human blood to the supernatural facts about Jesus' blood. The physical qualities of blood provide a stunning picture of all the spiritual realities we can enjoy because of the shed blood of Jesus, our "Great Physician." Although there are eight attributes of Jesus' shed blood, I want to spend the rest of our time focusing on the first three. I'll cover the remaining five attributes next time.
1. BLOOD - Agent of Purification
As blood moves through your system, it removes waste material from your body. Likewise, the Bible explains that "If we confess our sins, (God) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).
This cleansing is powerful! Jesus warned the Pharisees, "You appear beautiful on the outside, but your hearts are like the insides of tombs…filled with death and all uncleanness" (Matt. 23:27). The cleansing power of the Lord's blood purifies our hearts from the inside out. Just as your blood carries away wastes from your system, Jesus' shed blood removes the filth of sin and uncleanness from your daily life. His blood purifies your heart perfectly so that you actually become a temple of God!
2. BLOOD - Life Supply
Blood is the central life supply to each of your body's cells, of which there are millions. Each cell in your body receives new blood…new life…every 50 seconds! The life-giving substance of blood constantly supplies your body with strength to continue living. The shed blood of Jesus gives us continual life too: "Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:54). Through the blood of Jesus, you now have a full supply of abundant life…divine, eternal life that sprang forth the moment you were born again! From that moment you stepped into a new life—the life of God became your life—to sustain and strengthen you forever!
3. BLOOD - Climate Control
The blood flowing through your body warms your system to a temperature of around 98.6 degrees. The blood of Jesus also prevents our spiritual temperatures from growing cold. Matt 24:12 speaks of coldness in a person's life: "And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold." But in Romans 12:11 the apostle Paul admonished us: "Never flag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit, serve the Lord" (RSC).
In a sense, Jesus' blood is your spiritual "climate control." How can you stay "on fire" for God in this sinful, cold world? Stay energized with the blood of Jesus! His shed blood provides you with spiritual fuel. Recognition of all that the blood has accomplished will warm up your relationship with God…it will raise your spiritual temperature!
After denying Jesus, Peter followed the Lord from "afar off" (Mark 14:54). What separated Peter from the Lord? Peter had become spiritually cool because of fear. That fear drove him to warm his hands by an enemy's fire. Peter's spiritual temperature plummeted - that created a distance between himself and God.
Sometimes we see Christians backslide - usually due to unconfessed sin that cools their spiritual temperatures. How heartbreaking! Especially when Eph 2:13 tells us that Jesus' blood draws us nigh, or close, to God. The blood was shed by Jesus to bind our hearts and wills to our Maker.
In Rev. 3:16 God warned, "…because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth." God wants us to be hot! He has provided us with the shed blood of His Son to keep our spiritual temperatures turned up to "high."
Christians need to comprehend the power of the blood of Jesus. Again, it is not one of the mysteries of the Bible, but something that we can study and comprehend. God wants us to know and understand the purpose and power of the blood of Jesus so we can continue to walk out victorious lives in Christ!
Excerpt permission granted by Marilyn Hickey Ministries