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Pleading THE BLOOD OF JESUS The act of the Atonement for our sin is in the shedding of the blood in Jesus Christ's death. Jesus came in the likeness of sinful flesh, in a mortal body. Since God cannot die He needed to take upon Himself a human body to dies for the sins of the world. By His death He poured out His life and died for our sins we would be reconciled by it. This was done as a Propitiation to the Father almost 2,000 years ago and is still effective today. The Atonement was for man and unto God the Father. Propitiation for sins is always toward God, not toward man. The Father accepted His payment for our sins. It was between God the Father, and the God/man Christ Jesus. We ourselves do not touch the blood, it is applied to our lives by the high priest who is Christ when we believe in faith to receive his Atonement. Eph.1:7; Col. 1:14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins." Rev. 1:5: "To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood," This occurred almost 2,000 years ago. The blood in Jesus body was not the magic. He had to die on a certain day and time to fulfill the plan of the Passover lamb. The blood of Christ refers to his sacrificial death. One can bleed and still not die but the Bible tells us he died for our sins- by crucifixion. If Jesus had been cut and someone were to physically contact his blood, touching it, there would be no transference of his holiness, power or healing. (unlike the Indiana Jones movie in search of the Holy Grail). 1 Cor.15:3: "that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures," Rom.5:8: "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Rom.5:10: "For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, Phil 2:8: "And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross." Heb.9:15 "And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death," God the Father accepted his death as his blood was spilled on the altar (the cross). It was completed when he died. He said this is my body pointing to the Passover lamb motif in the Old Testament .He was given as a lamb on a specific day and time for a specific purpose. If it was done any other way or day it would not have been acceptable. Just as John the baptizer introduced him as "the LAMB that takes away the sins of the world." Christ fulfilled all the Old Testament types including the scapegoat but it was the Passover lamb that is of the most importance. He was judged instead of us, so he passed over our judgment and we go from death to life. Exod.12:13 "And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt." To have the blood applied was so that one would not receive the judgment of God he passed over them. Today the communion we participate in (the blood and bread) is a memorial just as it was celebrated as a feast after the original Passover. Ex.12:14. 1 Cor.5:7 "…Christ our Passover, was sacrificed for us." Lev.1:5": "and the priests, Aaron's sons, shall bring the blood and sprinkle the blood all around on the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of meeting." Lev.4:6: "The priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of the blood seven times before the LORD, in front of the veil of the sanctuary." Lev.4:30: "Then the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering." All these are types of Christ in the different sacrifices and different offerings. While the blood was applied from the animal it required the animal to die, and give its life In the Passover the blood was applied only once and it released the captives of slavery from Israel. They could not personally touch it, they had to use the hyssop plant and dip in the blood to apply it to the door. In the New Testament the blood only works when it is applied by faith; the blood sacrifice is done only once to release one from sin. It continually cleanses it does not have to be reapplied as if it loses strength.(1 Jn.1:7-9) Heb. 9:7-14: "But into the second part the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people's sins committed in ignorance; But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.” Col. 1:20 tells us this all happened at a certain place and time “And, having made peace through the blood of his cross” We are redeemed “through the blood of the everlasting covenant,” (Heb. 13:20). This covenant is eternal because the life of Christ was, so is His blood. In the New Testament it wasn’t a repetitive act like in the Old Testament, but once for all. And we do not handle the blood our high priest Jesus does. It is applied to those who are recipients of salvation. Heb.10:19-22: "Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." We can enter by Christ who is our sacrifice, our high priest as he made a new way through a living tabernacle his own flesh. He sprinkles our hearts (our spirit) by His blood so we can be cleansed and come into a relationship. There are some Charismatic's and Pentecostal's that use the practice (now a cliché) of pleading the blood over people that are unsaved and things they want cleansed or delivered. Just about anything gets the blood pleaded over it. But this is an unbiblical practice, nowhere do we read of the apostles "pleading the Blood." Although we are priests, Jesus is our high priest, we cannot apply the blood over any or every thing we want cleansed. The blood is applied only to those who have faith in the atonement of Christ. It is an individual’s choice and it happens only once, we cannot put the blood over them or on them. In the Old Testament motif's, the blood was sprinkled in the holy of Holies for the people by the high priest once a year. But the objects were those set apart for the Lord, strict instructions were given by God himself on this matter. The high priest could not sprinkle the blood on anything his heart desired. Especially having the blood to be on unsaved or unsanctified individuals. You can't make something clean that is unclean. This was done only on the objects God set apart in the temple. It was sprinkled on the ark, the mercy seat for their forgiveness. We see no such practice by the apostles or instructions in the epistles to do any such sprinkling or pleading of Christ's blood on anyone (even those demon possessed). In the Old Testament it was a physical act by the priest to put the blood on the altar, not moving it from one place to another. It is the same principle in the New Testament, one cannot move it on to those people or things for cleansing by speaking, (pleading it). The blood represents the life of the person, we cannot plead His life on others? Only the high priest handled the blood to go on the mercy seat for the forgiveness of sins, Jesus is the one who sprinkled His blood, not us. We can’t physically touch it today nor can we apply it somewhere else spiritually, since we are not the high priest, Jesus is. The blood was to be on the altar before God. Exod.24:6 And Moses took half the blood and put it in basins, and half the blood he sprinkled on the altar. Heb. 9:19-22:" For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, "This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you." Then likewise he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry. And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission." This blood continues to cleanse today by all those who have faith in Christ's sacrifice because it is eternal. As the blood continues to cleanse us from our sins, it should not be reduced to simply a historical event in the past. There is no magical power in application of the blood for the numerous uses it is applied for today. It was for the cleansing and forgiveness of sins only. To use it as such is to have a distorted view of its application today and an irreverent understanding of it being precious, incorruptible and holy.
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