Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.
Used by permission. www.Lockman.org
God, according to His design as the Creator, put the life of all flesh in their blood. The meaning of this is that the flesh has no greater value than its blood – its blood is its life. For instance, when Cain murdered his brother Abel, the Lord came unto him, asking him the whereabouts of his brother. Cain said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” Then the Lord said to him, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me from the ground.” (Genesis 4:9-10).
When Cain killed his brother, his blood entered into the ground. And he thought he had destroyed his brother’s life and also suppressed his voice, therefore no one could bring against him any accusation. Unknown to Cain was that the life he thought he took was actually in the blood of his brother. Therefore, the life could still speak and bring accusations against him. So it was, that the ground that received his brother’s blood from his hand amplified the voice of the blood, or rather Abel; for there was no difference between Abel and his blood. Consequently, judgment was brought upon Cain and he was cursed. This occurrence reveals to us that there is no difference between life and blood.
Now, the law of God says a soul that sins will die (Ezekiel 18:20). However, God in His mercy would want to redeem the sinner. So He provided a means of atoning by the blood. This God had done when creating flesh, that is, putting the life of the flesh in its blood, having foreseen what would befall man later and consequently, the need for redemption. The Bible says in Leviticus 17:11:
“For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.”
So before Jesus came to shed His blood for eternal redemption, God arranged a temporary way of atoning for the sin of man; which was replacing the sinner’s life with the life of the animal by shedding its blood. And since whenever man sins, God judges him, his conscience condemns him and Satan accuses him, the blood of bulls and goats was not powerful enough to set him free. The only blood which can satisfy such claims is the blood of Jesus, being the blood of the Son of God and also the blood of the most righteous man. For if the blood of Abel could speak out, much more the blood of Jesus. However, in the case of the blood of Jesus, it is not speaking for vengeance like Abel’s but forgiveness. Hebrews 12:24 says “the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.” (KJV).
So the blood of Jesus is most valuable and effective towards God, your conscience and Satan.
Firstly, towards God. There is no way a believer can come into the presence of God without the blood of Jesus. Abel could only approach God with blood. And when Cain approached without blood, he was rejected. Additionally, in the time of the law, the high priest could not enter into the Holy of Holies; which was the very presence of God, without the blood which he offered for himself and the errors of the people (Hebrews 9:7). The same applies to believers now. The only way to enter into God’s presence and not die due to our shortcomings is by the blood of Jesus. By presenting the blood to the Father, the believer takes the place of righteous Jesus. So Hebrews 10:19,22 says:
“Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, let us draw near.”
Secondly, towards yourself. So many times your heart condemns you and consequently, your conscience becomes defiled. Sometimes you sin and even after you confessed your sin and asked God for forgiveness, the guilt still remains and your conscience is unsettled. Because of this, you may become inefficient in the service of God and your relationship towards other believers will lack life. Since God is aware of this possibility, He already provided a solution which is the blood of Jesus. That you have guilt in your heart after committing sin is not abnormal. Your heart, being your judge, is only protesting that justice be done. The law that says the person who sins will die is written in your heart (Romans 2:15), where your conscience is situated to bear witness. So the conscience judges you according to the law of God written in your heart. The only way to now satisfy the claim of justice anytime you are condemned is to present the blood of Jesus as a Substitute for yourself. The law cannot be broken. Since you sinned, you must die. However, you are to present the blood of Jesus signifying that He has died in your stead. Only then can your conscience justify you and your heart will be purged.
Lastly, towards the devil. Also relating to sin, Satan reminds you of your past sins and tries to condemn you. He will try to make you feel rejected by God and then keep accusing you. In this case, the blood of Jesus is the answer. When you present the blood to him, he loses all ground to accuse you because by the shedding of the blood of Jesus, your sins have been remitted.
Also, in spiritual warfare, the blood is an instrument of destruction to the enemy. By pleading the blood of Jesus before the devil, you are declaring the victory of Jesus Christ over him and his minions on the cross. Thinking he would extinguish Jesus on the cross, the devil afforded Him the opportunity to spoil him and his kingdom. Colossians 2:15 says “And having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.” So when you use the blood of Jesus against Satan, you are making a public display of him and his cohorts because you have triumphed over them through Jesus Christ. And clearly does the Bible say in Revelation 12:11, “And they overcame him (Satan) because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.”
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