Bulletin

There Is Power in Blood
Bob Bauer

Occasionally we will sing "There is Power in the Blood" in our assembly. It is one of those old favorites which most everyone knows. Recently our family had first hand experience in witnessing the power of blood. For the last month or so, I have commented to my wife how her new makeup made her look pale. Of course, she appreciated my constructive criticism . . . NOT! This past week we found out that it wasn't the makeup that made her pale. She was bleeding internally and her blood count was less than half of what it should have been. The doctor immediately sent her to the hospital for a transfusion. Four units of blood and a pint of iron dextran later, her once pale cheeks had the rosy redness of a twenty-year-old (I got some points for that comment.). The whole experience caused me to realize how powerful blood is – without it there is a pallor and eventually death and with it there are vitality and life.

Centuries ago, God revealed to Noah the significance of blood. He told Noah, "But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood" (Genesis 9:4 NKJV). While the context of God's words to Noah concern physical life, there can be no doubt that blood is vital to our spiritual life. The writer to the Hebrew Christians penned, " . . . without shedding of blood there is no remission" (Hebrews 9:22 NKJV). This inspired writer made the argument that the blood which was offered under the previous dispensations could never take away sins and were but a shadow of God's true plan for redeeming man – Jesus the Christ (Hebrews 10:1-25). It is through His blood that we are made aware of the true power of blood. His shed blood enables mankind to draw near to God (Ephesians 2:13; Hebrews 10:19) and to be set apart for God's use (Hebrews 13:12). His blood enables mankind to be cleansed from sin which alienates them from God (1 John 1:7; Revelation 1:5; Isaiah 59:1-2; Ephesians 2:11-12). It is no wonder the inspired writer to the Hebrew Christians said of those who were contemplating turning their back on Christ and Christianity that they would be trampling the Son of God underfoot, counting the blood of the covenant by which they were sanctified a common thing, and insulting the Spirit of grace (Hebrews 10:29).

Christ shed his blood on the cruel cross of Calvary to take away the pallor associated with being dead in sin (Ephesians 2:11) and it is only through His blood that one can be revitalized (Romans 5:12-21). Yes, there is power in blood – a severely anemic person can be revitalized in a matter of hours – but it is only through the precious blood of the Lamb that mankind can fully experience and appreciate "wonder-working power."