Are You Washed in the Blood?

Are you washed in the blood?

Out of context, that’s a pretty odd question – even a bit disturbing.  Put those words into a popular upbeat hymn sung by faithful church goers and it could border on downright sadistic. Am I washed in the blood?   What was Elisha Hoffman thinking when he wrote those words in 1878? 

And did you know that there is a fountain filled with blood?  Um…Eww.   

(That one was written by William Cowper, while recovering from a bout of depression in 1772.) 

To be clear, and to put it all in context, the blood we’re singing about is the blood of Jesus Christ.  And here’s the thing: we do not have forgiveness of sins without it.  We do not have atonement, or redemption, or grace without it.  Neither do we have peace or promise or life without it!  It is the central theme of our Christian faith.  Many hymns written in the 18^th and 19^th centuries have references to the blood of Jesus and have become favorite hymns of Christians ever since.   It’s interesting though, it seems many newer, contemporary Christian songs steer clear of highlighting the blood of Jesus.  Oh, I know there are some old hymns set to new tempos and maybe it’s just my perspective but I do wonder why it seems many of our newer songs tend to avoid the subject of blood, especially since it is so primary to who we are as believers.   Have we gotten familiar with it? Are we offended by the thought of it?   Is it outdated? Admittedly, it is kind of gross.  And maybe the concept of a blood sacrifice is old school and we need to figure out a way to serve up a less offensive, simpler sounding gospel in order to be relevant with the culture around us.   

OR maybe we should re-enroll in that old school, and remind ourselves why the blood is so crucial to our faith.

John 6:53-56 says, “Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.  Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.  For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.  He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.”  

Do you realize that just after Jesus said these words, He lost most of His friends?  Apparently such icky  talk wasn’t relevant back in those days either.  It didn’t seem to make much difference to Jesus though.  Regardless of how offensive it may have sounded, Jesus still came to do what He had to do for our sake.  And it involved blood - more specifically, His blood.  It wasn’t about bringing a popular message, it was about saving our lives. 

So what’s the deal with the blood and why is it so important?  Putting it as clear and simply as possible: sin is bad, particularly when compared with the holiness of a perfect God.  (and to be clear, every one of us is marked by sin.)  Sin requires absolute judgment and the penalty is absolute death.  Back in the days of Moses, the Lord asked His children to provide a blood sacrifice of a perfect lamb - to atone for their sins for that year.  The lamb was killed.  Blood was applied.  Mercy was extended.  It was the Lord’s way of revealing His ultimate plan to save us.  He knew, even back then, that He would send His only son Jesus – The perfect Lamb– to live among us, and to die for us – a very bloody death.   Jesus paid the ultimate price for our salvation and it required something very precious.  His very life – His very blood. 

Why did He do it?  One word: LOVE.  

“Oh the blood of Jesus - it washes white as snow” and justifies us before our Holy God.   “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.”  Isaiah 1:18   

Let’s revive these old hymns in our hearts. Let’s meditate on the beauty of God’s perfect plan of salvation and lift our voices to declare that there is now and forever, power in the blood!  It isn’t about bringing a popular message, it is about saving lives.

So tell me something: Are you washed in the blood? And if you're not...maybe it's time to get clean. 

 “To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. “   Rev 1:5-6

(You can listen to Selah's version of There is a Fountain Filled with Blood by clicking on the link in the upper right hand corner.)