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What is the blood of Christ for?

By David Camps


As a Christian, I have often heard sermons, prayers or casual conversations at church that the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ protects us. We even have songs about it during our worship services. I have also heard God does not see us the way we are because we are covered by the blood of his son. Following this line of reasoning, we can conclude that we are delivered from any tragedy whatsoever, and our inward actions, whether virtuous or unjust, are not considered.

According to the followers of this doctrine, the biblical support for being protected through the blood of Christ is found in Exodus 12.  A lamb was sacrificed whose blood was taken and stricken “on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses”. Then, when the Lord passed through the land of Egypt to smite its firstborns, he would pass over the houses by seeing the blood, and the plague would not destroy anybody from the people of Israel. The explanation is that now it is applicable to Christians today because that event is a typology, in this case, a figure of Christ in the Old Testament.  The blood of a lamb sacrificed in Moses time represented the blood of the Savior. Since this lamb’s blood was to protect the people of Israel from the last plague, it is assumed that the blood of Christ will automatically protect all Christians.  But if this were the case, the following questions would arise: why did many early Christians die in martyrdom or were persecuted? Was not the blood of Christ going to automatically protect them? Why was it not applicable or transferable to them? (See 2 Corinthians 11:23-27).  It is believed that all of the early apostles had terrible deaths because of preaching salvation. They were not delivered from torture and suffering through the blood of Christ.

Many Christians affirm that the reason for the general belief of being covered by the blood of Christ is that when our Lord walked on earth, he obeyed the moral law for us. So, when he shed his blood, he covered us completely.  If we behave wrongfully, God will not see it because we are covered. Yet, the Bible teaches Christ did not obey the moral law for us.  As any moral being, our Lord was bound to obey the law, but he did it for himself (Mathew 5:17; Philippians 2:8). Otherwise, he would not have suffered nor died for us. Neither would we be required to live a holy live (1 Timothy 5:7; 22; 1 Peter 1:15-16).

The Bible teaches that the blood of Christ is for the remission of our sins (Mathew 26:28; Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14). It also teaches that through the blood of Christ our sins and our conscience are cleansed (Revelation. 7:14; Hebrews 9:14). Furthermore, besides the blood being for our sins, the epistle to the Hebrews provides more understanding about what the blood of Christ is for:

Free access to the Father (Hebrews 10:19).

The establishment of a new covenant, being Jesus Christ the mediator (Hebrews 12:24; see also Luke 22:20).

In conclusion, we do not see that the blood of our Lord is for other than those mentioned above. It is important we have a clear and sane interpretation of the Lord’s sacrifice for us. Otherwise, we may fall in confusion and have strange beliefs that are not based on the Scripture, but on wrong inferences people may have about certain teachings. We must make sure that whatever we are taught is supported by the scripture. The Apostle Paul warns us to be alert and “be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines” (Hebrews 13:9), but “to prove all things” (1 Thessalonians 5:21).   It is our duty to do so.