By Kenneth E. Hagin
(Editor’s Note: This article was adapted from Brother Hagin’s minibook The Precious Blood of Jesus.)
“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation [your manner of life or conduct] received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. . . .” 1 Peter 1:18-19
Circumstances can affect the value of anything. Differing circumstances can make the very same thing either worthless or extremely valuable. The reality of sin and its dire consequences make the blood of Jesus very precious. And the blood of Jesus is made infinitely more valuable and precious to us because of the power it has in our life.
I don’t know whether you can fully realize how precious health is until you get sick. Or whether you can fully realize how precious it is to live without pain until you suffer pain, and how precious food is until you suffer hunger. Hunger makes food precious; thirst makes water precious; and poverty makes riches precious.
Sin makes the blood of Jesus Christ precious.
Redeeming Power
The blood of Jesus Christ is precious because of its redeeming power.
The Bible teaches that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin (Heb. 9:22). As we saw in our text from First Peter, God’s Word teaches that the blood of Christ is precious. It is precious because of its redeeming power. We were not redeemed with silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ.
Paul, in giving his farewell message to the elders of the Church at Ephesus, also talked about our being purchased with Christ’s blood, saying, “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood” (Acts 20:28). Thank God we’ve been bought by the blood of the Lamb!
Cleansing Power
Not only is the blood of Jesus Christ precious because of its redeeming power, but it is also precious because of its cleansing power.
First John 1:7 says, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, AND THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST HIS SON CLEANSETH US FROM ALL SIN”
In the past, churches used to sing a lot of songs about the blood, and it would be good for us to sing them again, to be reminded of the wonderful power in the blood of Jesus. In 1876, Robert Lowry penned the words and music to “Nothing but the Blood,” a Gospel hymn with these powerful words: “What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.”
Notice that the verse from First John said Christ’s blood “cleanseth us from all sin.” In Revelation 1:5 we read, “. . . Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood.”
The Word of God teaches us that we have a better covenant, established on better promises (Heb. 8:6). Under the Old Testament law, the blood of innocent animals was shed. These animals were a type of the Lord Jesus Christ, for our text in First Peter speaks of Him as being “a lamb without blemish and without spot.”
However, the blood of these sacrificial animals only covered the people’s sins; it didn’t cleanse the sins. That’s why the Jews had to repeat these sacrifices at regularly-stated intervals. Their sins were merely covered, not cleansed.
For example, if I were to spill some black ink on a black leather Bible cover, the ink might blend into the leather so well that you wouldn’t be able to see the ink. Yet, the ink spot still would be there. So it was under the Old Covenant. The sin nature was still in man. The people’s sins were only covered.
One thing that makes our New Covenant so much better than the Old Covenant is that Jesus has washed us “cleansed us” from all sin by His own blood!
Pacifying Power
The blood of Jesus is precious because of its redeeming and cleansing power. It’s also precious because of its pacifying power.
COLOSSIANS 1:20
20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
First, the blood of Christ pacifies the broken law. We’ve all sinned and come short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). Through the blood of Jesus, God has made peace, reconciling all things to Himself. God did it!
Second, the blood of Christ pacifies the guilty conscience. One reason many Christians go around feeling so guilty is. because we have not magnified the blood of Jesus as we ought. If believers only knew about the power of blood of Jesus. Now you see why the blood of Jesus is so precious and valuable! And that precious blood was shed for you. of the precious blood of Jesus Christ, they would no longer have a guilty conscience.
Reconciling Power
The blood of Jesus Christ is precious because of its reconciling power.
Ephesians 2:13 says, “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.” In and of our own selves, we couldn’t do anything to reconcile ourselves to God. No amount of good works could enable us to enter into God’s Presence. It’s only through the blood of Jesus that we are reconciled to God.
Emboldening Power
The blood of Jesus Christ is also precious because of its emboldening power.
Let’s examine Hebrews 10:19, which says, “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus. . . .” No, we don’t come by our own name, and we don’t come by our own righteousness. I don’t care how many good works or how much right conduct we have, we still have to come by the blood of Jesus.
Many people want to get healed because they’re “good Christians.” We ought to be good Christians, but we’re not going to be healed because we’re good (or not healed because we’re bad). We’re going to be healed because we believe in Jesus and His blood!
One thing that makes our New Covenant so much better than the Old Covenant is that Jesus has washed us “cleansed us” from all sin by His own blood!
Overcoming Power
The blood of Jesus Christ is precious because of its overcoming power.
Revelation 12:11 says, ‘And they [believers) overcame him [the devil] by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony. . . .” “The word of their testimony” is another way of saying “their right confession.” We’ve preached a lot about faith confessions, and a lot of people have made a lot of confessions. But I don’t think we know or preach as much as we should about the blood of the Lamb.
The Lord didn’t say, “They overcame by the word of their testimony” or “the word of their confession” and end the verse there. No, He said, “They overcame by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. . . .”
I like another translation that uses the word “because” in this verse: “They overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony. . .” (NASB).
Thank God, there is overcoming power in the blood of Jesus “power to overcome the world, the fear of death, the power of the devil, and all evil. There is power in the blood” the precious blood of Jesus!
One reason many Christians go around feeling so guilty is because we have not magnified the blood of Jesus as we ought.
Song-Inspiring Power
The blood of Jesus Christ is precious because of its song-inspiring power.
Revelation 5:9 says, “And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation. . . .” This is a new song for new souls in a new sphere. If you are a child of God, this is your song to sing! And it’s all because of the blood of Jesus.
There is redeeming, cleansing, pacifying, reconciling, overcoming, emboldening, and song-inspiring power in the blood of Jesus. Now you see why the blood of Jesus is so precious and valuable! And that precious blood was shed for you.
The Cleansing Power of the Blood
We all make mistakes. It is a part of our human nature to make mistakes. This body is not redeemed yet (but, thank God, it’s going to be one of these days). No one is perfect. Because there are imperfections in all of us, we all miss it from time to time.
First John 1:7 says, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”
The Apostle John didn’t write this verse to sinners. He wrote it to the Church, because he said, “If we walk in the light….” Sinners are not walking in the light. That’s the reason they need to come to Jesus and be born again.
But as long as you walk in the light, even though you may miss it, there is a continual cleansing from sin. When you know you’ve missed it, confess your sin to the Lord. He is faithful and just to forgive you and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).
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From, “Word of Faith Magazine”/ Pages 8-10, May 2008, By Kenneth E. Hagin
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