JESUS PHYSICAL BLOOD AND DEATH DIDN'T BRING SALVATION (Not A Human Ritual)

Many in the Church these days talk a lot about the Blood of Jesus Christ, now and then, we hear people praying and pleading “The Blood of Jesus…the Blood of Jesus …!”. They cover this with the blood, they cover that with the blood, and so forth. They look upon the Blood of Christ, which the Bible speaks of as the physical red liquid flowing in the veins of Jesus’ body. But what exactly does the Bible mean by the term “Blood of Jesus?” Does it refer to His physical or literal blood? This is the first thing we have to clarify here.

Religion has made many to also believe that Jesus saved us by His physical death. Could this be true, or is there more to this that the Bible says or wants us to know beyond the shallow belief that religion falsely casts, that makes it look as if Jesus' death at Calvary’s cross was a human ritual? What really does the Bible say about this? Is our salvation the product of human ritual performed through the shedding of Jesus’ physical blood? This is the way many have religiously looked upon what happened at Calvary’s cross when our Lord gave His life to redeem humanity. Is it Jesus' physical Blood that saved us? And if so, how much blood do Believers have to plead to be saved?

What I’m about to unravel in this teaching is not on the surface. While those who’ve been blinded by religion will keep on fighting against the truth, we cannot help but keep teaching the truth of all that Christ accomplished for us in His work of redemption, something too good to be true, that is beyond sense knowledge.

So what does the Bible mean by this all-important terminology which Scripture unequivocally tells us is the purchase currency and price that obtained the redemption of humanity, and whose sinless quality became eternal the value of this redemption?

THE BLOOD METAPHOR

Early enough, I learned that the phrase “Blood of Jesus,” or “Blood of Christ,” is a figure of speech (metaphor) used to describe the spiritual life of Jesus Christ given as payment for humanity’s sins, in His saving work on the cross.

This metaphor has to do with the saving work of Christ on the cross.

Of course, there’s no way I can explain everything there is to say about the Blood of Jesus Christ, however, here I just want to quickly point out the reality that it was not the physical blood of Jesus Christ that saved us. I know this is a sensitive subject for many Believers who hold a traditional view about the physical Blood of Jesus Christ and our salvation. Notwithstanding, the truth must be said.

Many will not immediately grasp the truth that I am sharing here. They will find it a hard bone to chew until they begin to realize that Jesus was already bleeding in His body from the flogging and scourging of the Roman soldiers, His blood was already dripping to the ground before He was taken to Calvary’s cross, yet we weren’t saved yet. And even while hanging on the cross, before He yielded up his spirit, He was also bleeding then, and His blood must have been touching the earth in droplets, but even at that, we were not yet pronounced saved, until it was the time He cried “it is finished!” Then He yielded up His sinless spirit in exchange for our freedom. Behold salvation at last!!!

What am I saying? For centuries, tradition has held many in bondage, which has made them believe that there was a special mysterious power in the red liquid that circulated through the physical body of Jesus Christ. A lot of Believers cling to the religious dogma that Jesus carried His physical blood with Him to heaven in a bowl or bucket. Such a ridiculous idea emanated from the Dark Ages and still continues to hold many in bondage to ignorance, which makes them keep attaching a mysticism around the physical Blood of Jesus Christ, something Satan through religion uses to keep them in the darkness of ritualism.

But you see, we are here to remove this veil that religion for long used to blind people to worship GOD in ignorance of the truth, whereby they're always laying emphasis on the physical blood of Christ while overlooking the real thing – His spiritual death, which is what has actually saved us from a ritualistic mentality concerning our salvation.

Contrary to traditional teaching, as I pointed out above, when the Bible speaks of Jesus' Blood or the Blood of Christ, it does not refer to some physical, literal blood as many have misconstrued.

JESUS DIED TWICE ON THE CROSS

Unless one understands that Jesus died twice on the cross, it will become difficult to recognize how His physical death, or physical blood was not what paid for our sins nor brought us salvation.

Scripture makes it clear that Jesus died twice. He died spiritually first, then He died physically. It was not His physical death or blood that saved us. Instead, it was His spiritual death that saved us.

The reality of His spiritual death is brought forth in the following passages of the Bible.

The prophet Isaiah without realizing what he was saying during his time, prophesied that Jesus was going to die twice.

Isa 53:9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his DEATH; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

The translators' notes in the center column reference edition of the authorized King James version 1611 (published by Cambridge University Press), indicate that the Hebrew word mâveth which has been translated as DEATH is actually a plural word and should read DEATHS (plural).

The apostle Paul also confirms that Jesus Christ died twice at the cross of Calvary, in the following New Testament passages.

Romans 5: 10; Colossians 1: 22, and Romans 1: 4; 10: 9.

In both passages, of Romans 5: 10, and Colossians 1: 22, Christ’s spiritual death is the subject of discussion. The Greek word translated as DEATH in these passages is Thanatos –this word as we should know is the Greek word used when referring to spiritual death. We can see from those two passages that Paul connects our reconciliation to GOD which is part of the work of salvation to the spiritual death of Christ on the cross, and this was completed before He died physically.

On the other hand, the physical death of Jesus Christ is the subject of Romans 1: 4; and 10: 9.

The Greek word usually translated as death when speaking of someone resurrecting from physical death, is Nekros, and this is the word that Paul uses here to describe Jesus' “resurrection from the dead (Nekros).” This indicates that Jesus Christ was resurrected from physical death. The apostle Peter speaks further that by His resurrection from the dead, Jesus has proved that physical death has been conquered as well, and by so doing, He provides Believers with the assurance of a resurrection from physical death as well. (1 Peter 1: 3).

Even though Jesus' physical death wasn’t what provided salvation for us, nevertheless, His physical death has great significance.

First, you will observe from scripture that Jesus died by His own decision – no one took His life, neither did He die by bleeding to death. Instead, He dismissed His own spirit when He had completed the work of salvation. Observe that He died physically according to His own words in John 10: 17,18. He personally yielded His spirit and died physically after first ensuring that He had completed the work of salvation and that our reconciliation to GOD had been completed spiritually, through His spiritual death (Romans 5: 10). It was after this He then peacefully died physically. Having become sure that everything has been settled.

Realize also from Jesus' statement in John 10: 17, 18 that our Lord’s physical death wasn’t because of sin or as a consequence of His spiritual death. His spiritual death and His physical death are two separate events and for different purposes. His spiritual death was to effect and complete the work of salvation. This He completed before dying physically. It was because He had successfully reconciled us back to GOD, before dying physically that He could say “…Father into thy hands I commit my spirit.” And having said this He breathed His last and dismissed His spirit. (Luke 23: 46).

THE PHYSICAL BLOOD WAS NOT WHAT

PURCHASED OUR REDEMPTION

So we can see that Jesus' physical blood was not the purchase price of our redemption, because He did not bleed to death on the cross, nor was it His physical death that saved us. What many don’t realize which I have clearly pointed out earlier is that Jesus saved us before dying physically. He finished the work of salvation before He died physically (John 19: 28, 30)

As I also said earlier, the physical death of Christ has great significance, but it’s not what brought us salvation. The work of salvation was completed before He yielded up His spirit. He made sure He completed the work of salvation before giving up His spirit or dying physically. Reiterating these truths cannot be emphasized too strongly.

The work of salvation was completed before Jesus cried “IT IS FINISHED.” (John 19: 28, 30). The Greek word translated as finished is tetelestai from teleo. The word tetelestai means completed, accomplished, concluded, finished. We understand that since the righteousness of GOD cannot have anything to do with sin and because Christ had become identified with sinful man on the cross. Because of this, the Father had to detach Himself from the human spirit of Christ at the moment the sins of humanity were placed on Christ at the cross (Isaiah 53: 6; John 12: 32; 2 Corinthians 5: 21). This separation of the Father from the human spirit of Jesus signified Jesus’s spiritual death that occurred the very moment He cried ELI-ELI-LEMASABACHTHANI, an Aramaic expression meaning – “My Father, My Father, why hast thou forsaken me.” This was when Jesus died spiritually on our behalf, yet He remained physically alive even when the work of salvation had been spiritually completed (John 19: 30). Through His spiritual death, Jesus completed His mission of His first advent. It was the spiritual death of Christ that brought us salvation.

Therefore, since His physical death wasn't for our salvation, what then was it for? It was for some other equally important objectives, which I am going to explain in the next part of this post. Very important that you must know.

Click here to continue to Part 2

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