A few weeks ago we had our neighbor, an
orthodox Jew, come down for a visit. As he
was walking out, he said something that
struck me between the eyes: How could God
want blood for forgiveness? Why must we
choose Jesus? Can't we just live a good life?
It was interesting to me how little he
knew about the necessity of blood as told in
Exodus. I just looked at this fragile man in
my doorway and said, "Don't you
remember? The blood was necessary in Exodus
in order for the Angel of death to pass over
them. Don't you remember what God required of
the Israelites? That blood needed to be shed
for their sins? Jesus is the perfect lamb.
You will never need to shed the blood of an
animal again for forgiveness. Jesus' blood is
now the only acceptable sacrifice…"
He just looked at me and said,
"You've read Exodus?… I guess
you're right. I'll need to think about it.
Good night…" And off he went. How
can someone who has the privilege of so much
history know so little? I realized that many
believers are in the same boat. They know the
message of Jesus but don't know how to
communicate the answer to this question
because they don't really know it for
themselves.
Soon spring will come and we will
celebrate the event of our Risen Lord. Let's
prepare ourselves now to answer those we work
with why the Blood of the Lamb was necessary,
and still is.
A bit of background
In the original Passover, depicted to us
in Exodus 12, we can see that the lamb had to
be one without spot or blemish. In the same
why, Jesus was that Lamb for us, without spot
or blemish (1 Peter 1:19). It was the blood
of the lamb applied to the doorway that saved
them. If the Israelites had left the blood in
a bowl outside of the door, the angel of
death would have brought death to every
firstborn child. It was not enough to know
about the blood, it needed to be applied. It
is interesting that God had them write the
CHET "N" in blood. CHET in Hebrew
stands for life. In a way, the blood on the
entrance of the house insured that those
inside would have life.
There is a death penalty to sin. Almost
all things were purified with blood (Hebrews
9:22). Without blood there is no remission.
What's our response?
What can we draw from this? It is not
enough to know about the Blood, it must be
applied to the doorway of our hearts. The
Blood is ineffective to us if we do not apply
it. The angel of death would still have
authority over our lives when we don't choose
Jesus. When Jesus willfully allowed His Blood
to be shed, He did it with the disposition of
a lamb – deep humility and
self-surrender. We are to be partakers of
this disposition and express His lamb-like
nature. Jesus wants to reproduce Himself in
us (Galatians 5:22,23). And since the penalty
for sin is death, Jesus made Himself the
once-and-for-all sacrifice to bring us back
to the Father. Below are some privileges
because of the Blood:
· The Blood makes peace between God
and man. Colossians 1:20
· The Blood gives us forgiveness of
sins and eternal life. Colossians 1:14
· Satan is overcome by the Blood.
Revelation 12:11
· The Blood gives us continual
cleansing from all sin for us. John 1:7
· We are set free from the tyranny of
an evil conscience to serve the Living
God. Hebrews 9:12-14
· The Blood allows us to now enter
the Holies of Holies of God's presence
and live there all the day. Hebrews
10:19-20
When you sin, remember the cost. Sin's
root is pride in some form. Recognize the
source and specifically repent. Be set free
by the Blood that was shed for you by the
Living God. Apply it once again to the
doorway of your heart and be cleansed. Be set
free. The once-and-for-all answer to freedom
is in the Blood.
