"Knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot." (1 Peter 1:18, 19, ESV.)

The great Dutch painter, Rembrandt, painted a scene of the crucifixion of Jesus. Many people were included in the scene. Rembrandt included a picture of himself in the edge of the scene. He was criticized for doing that, but he defended himself on the grounds that he felt guilty and felt that, in a sense, he was there when Jesus died. Jesus died for his sins, and ours, as well.

Many religious people reject the blood of Jesus. Liberals have cried out that conservatives have made Christianity into a slaughter house religion. Liberals have demanded that translators leave out references to blood in the Bible! Can you imagine the result of removing the passages on the blood of Jesus? How then can lost man be saved?

Col. 1:14

"(Son) in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."

Eph. 1:7

"In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace."

Rev. 5:9

"And they sang a new song, saying, Worthy are you to take the scroll

and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation."

Leviticus 17:11

"For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life."

Leviticus 17:14

"For the life of every creature is its blood: its blood is its life. Therefore I have said to the people of Israel, You shall not eat the blood of any creature, for the life of every creature is its blood. Whoever eats it shall be cut off."

The Passover and Jesus (Exodus 12 and 1 Cor. 5:7)

The story of the Passover is given in the fifty-one verses of Exodus 12. For Israel it was the Passover, but for the Egyptians it was the tenth plague in which their firstborn children and livestock died. (vs. 29-32.) The death angel sent against the Egyptians passed over the children of Israel if they had the blood of the lamb on their doorposts.

"The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt." (12:13.)

It should be noted that there is not a record of one Israelite child dying when the death angel came. They all lived because the blood of the lamb was on their doorposts. Today, we do not have a physical Passover to observe. We have not been commanded to kill a lamb one-year-old and without blemish and put the blood on our door posts. But we do have a Passover Lamb who is Christ Jesus the Savior.

"For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed." (1Cor. 5:7.)

But this is the important question: How can I know that the blood of the Passover Lamb, Christ, is on my doorposts? Most of the years that I preached at Christian Chapel, Amory, MS, I presented "First Principle Lessons" to the preteens and teens. One of the lessons that they listened to most attentively was this one about the blood on the door posts. When I asked them if they knew how the blood of Christ was on their doorposts at home, you could see the concern and interest. Because if we do not have the blood on our doorposts, we too will die. All who are not covered by the blood will die eternally. The Pharaoh of Egypt lost his firstborn son that fateful night. Cries were heard across the land after midnight. (12:29-30.)

Everyone should be interested in knowing how the blood of Christ is applied to one’s life. Many know that the blood of Christ is the right solution to the sin problem, but they do not know or accept the application. How is the blood applied to my life? In physical terms, how do I put the blood on my doorpost?

The New Covenant. Our relationship with God the Father is through the Son by terms of the new covenant. There are only two covenants in Scripture. The first is with Israel; the second is with the new Israel of God or the church. The blood that sealed the first covenant was the blood of bulls and goats. The blood that sealed the second covenant is the blood of Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 9:18-22

"Therefore not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood. [19] For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, [20] saying, "This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you." [21] And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship. [22] Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins." (ESV)

Hebrews 9:13-14

"For if the sprinkling of defiled persons with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a heifer sanctifies for the purification of the flesh, [14] how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God."

Hebrews 13:20

"Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant…."

Matthew 26:27-28

"And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, "Drink of it, all of you, [28] for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins."

We can conclude that in order to be covered by the blood of Christ, we must enter into a covenant agreement with God. God has already "cut the covenant." We must enter into this covenant by faith and in submission to God’s will. If we have not accepted the terms of this covenant relationship with God, then our homes are not covered by the blood of Jesus.

Baptism. There is a connection between baptism and the blood of Christ in Scripture. I may seem strange that such is the case, but it is true. There is a spiritual connection, not a physical one.

"Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?" (Rom. 6:3.)

"Unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood." (Rev. 1:5.) "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins." (Eph. 1:7.) "If we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." (1 John 1:7.) Christians continue to be cleansed by the blood as they serve the Lord.

The Church. The Church of our Lord is covered with the blood of Jesus. It is sanctified by the blood. If one is not in the body of Christ, one is not covered by the blood.

"Take heed unto yourselves and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Spirit hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood." (Acts 20:28.)

". . . hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son, in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins." (Col. 1:13-14.) It is in the Kingdom or in the Church that his blood saves. It does not save outside the Kingdom.

The Lord’s Supper. There is an obvious connection between the blood of Christ and the Lord’s Supper. Both parts of the supper refer directly to the death of Jesus on the cross. We partake of the bread and the wine, which represent his body and blood.

Many Christians mistakenly think that they can come and leave quickly after partaking the Lord’s Supper and they will be saved. That is, in fact, what they do week after week. The only connection that they have with the blood of Christ is this physical partaking of the supper. Just physically eating this bread and drinking of the wine does not apply the blood of Christ to your life. What makes the application is faith in his blood. (Rom. 3:25.) There must be a spiritual connection, or there is no connection at all. The Lord’s Supper is not a religious ritual; it is not like taking a vitamin or medicine for your soul; it is not miraculous (it does not change you instantly upon taking it). It is spiritual; it is a memorial. It is valuable only if faith is expressed and we are drawn closer to our Lord.