The Sanctity of Blood

Today we will continue our study of M.R.DeHaan’s book, The Chemistry of the Blood. Our focus will be on the sanctity of the blood. In other words, what is the big deal about the blood? Especially, what is the big deal about Jesus' blood?

What IS the big deal about Jesus’ blood? Well, for starters, Jesus’ blood is divine blood. Conception by the Holy Ghost was the only way that the virgin birth could be accomplished. The Holy Spirit contributed the blood for Jesus. It is sinless blood. It is divine blood. It is precious blood, for there has never been any other like it.

It is innocent blood. In Matthew 27:4, Judas returns the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and elders saying,

“I have sinned for I have betrayed innocent blood.”

Notice the words of Judas. He did not say that he betrayed an innocent man. Jesus was innocent. He became like all of mankind in all things, except he was sinless. He had sinless blood, for he was conceived by a Divine Father. As a result, Jesus had Divine Blood, Sinless Blood. Judas betrayed Innocent Blood.

Because this blood is sinless it is incorruptible blood. We touched on this previously. Sin made all of human blood corruptible. Soon after death decay sets in, and this decay begins in the blood. This is why embalmers place the embalming fluid in the blood. David said in Psalm 16:10,

“Nor will you let your Holy One see decay.”

Even though Jesus was dead for three days and three nights, His body did not corrupt. Because he was sinless they could not put him to death, no. Instead Jesus gave up his life, He surrendered himself, sacrificed himself for us. He arose by his own resurrection power because death had no claim or power over him except the claim of humanity’s sin, which he was there to pay voluntarily. Romans 5:8-10,

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to

him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!” When God flooded the earth in the time of Noah, he cleansed and renewed the earth. This was a new beginning for humanity. God gave Noah and his family some instructions. Chief among them was this, from Genesis 9:4-5, “But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it. And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting.” We know that as Noah built the ark the earth was filled with violence and evil. In fact, the first overt sin after the fall of Adam was the shedding of Abel’s innocent blood. This blood cried out for vengeance from the ground. If Abel’s blood called for vengeance in the flood, will not God also avenge the blood of those who, even today, are dying innocent deaths at the hands of the wicked? Listen to these words of Jesus, in Matthew 24:36-37, describing the Return of the Son of Man, Christ’s Return. “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.” The shedding of lifeblood will be avenged. The blood of his creation is sacred to the Lord. Because life is in the blood, and not in the flesh, we are permitted to eat flesh, but it must be without blood. God was very insistent on this point. Leviticus 7:26, repeats Genesis 9:4, “And wherever you live, you must not eat the blood of any bird or animal.” In chapter 17 of Leviticus, God tells us that it is a sin to eat any manner of blood. Even though the age of the law has passed and we live in the age of the Spirit of God, we still obey the law. Why no blood now? God’s commands are never arbitrary but always logical. Our God is a logical God. There are many reasons for abstaining from blood. We might mention health and hygiene, HIV, and Covid-19. But there are two reasons that stand out more readily. First, the life is in the blood and Life is sacred. It was God’s special gift and the effect of his own breath created Adam’s blood. Since life is in the blood, all flesh is lifeless without blood. We know that Adam was formed from the dust-just a lump of clay without any life at all. God breathed into his nostrils and behold, he became alive. Since the life is in the blood, it was blood which God added to that body when He breathed into him the breath of life.

Adam’s body was of the earth, but his blood was directly from God. God demands that we respect this fact, since it was God’s own breath which filled flesh with blood.

To eat blood, therefore, is to insult the life of God for the life...is in the blood.

There is a second and more important reason that we should obey God’s commands about the blood. The blood was God’s only purchase price of redemption. It was the transactional means of our salvation. The Bitcoin of our salvation. When Adam sinned, all of mankind sinned, and something happened to his blood, for the life is in the blood. Instead of Adam’s blood being incorruptible and, therefore, deathless blood (as originally intended), his blood became corrupt through sin and became subject to death. To redeem this dead sinner, life must be again imparted. The only remedy for death is life. This life is in the blood, and so blood must be furnished which is sinless and incorruptible.

No one in Adam’s family can do this. Because in Adam all of us died. Whether we recognize this or not, it is still true, we are all of the lineage of Adam. Therefore, we all have sinned and come short. The angels could not furnish the blood for they are spirit beings with neither flesh or blood. There was only one who could furnish this blood : the virgin-born Son of God, with a human body, but also with that all important sinless supernatural blood, imparted by the Holy Ghost.

This sinless supernatural blood was the only price of redemption God could accept, without violating the integrity of His holy nature. Death can only be banished by life. A blood transfusion must be performed and provided.

We are all familiar with the miracle of blood transfusions and blood banks.

In the case of those afflicted with various diseases, the blood from healthy individuals is put into their veins and a healthy life is restored. The greatest transfusion of all is for eternity. Here a poor sinner, dead in trespasses and sins, is saved by the blood of Christ the moment that they believe. The only requisite is faith in the atoning blood of Christ.

As to the modern day blood bank or blood drive we are all familiar. Here the blood of healthy individuals is stored up for future use in emergencies or mass injury tragedies.

While a miracle, how much more of a miracle is it that two thousand years ago there was one Man who gave all of His sinless blood on the Cross of Calvary. Here a blood bank was opened and into that bank went the blood of the Lord Jesus. His blood suits every type, for Jesus is a universal donor, His blood benefits everyone and is free to all who will submit to its “transfusion” by the Holy Spirit. All any of us need to do is to apply for this transfusion by faith.

Have you had this transfusion? For the eternal life is in the blood.

Do no harm, Do good, and stay in love with God.

Blessings,

Thad Brown

Opportunity House

and Harmony UMC