“Under the Blood”

“Under the Blood”

This is quite a common expression that is used in the religious world. One speaks and sings about how glorious it is to be under the blood. This expression is taken from the incident in Egypt when Israel had to paint the doorposts with blood in order to save their firstborn from death. Nevertheless, the Israelites’ hearts did not change because they had painted their doorposts with blood. These were the same Israelites who murmured all the way from Egypt to the borders of Canaan, and who took up stones to stone Joshua and Caleb because they maintained that the children of Israel could overcome the enemies in the land in the power of God. The children of Israel sought God’s help when they came into difficulties and life-threatening situations, but when they were required to be obedient and bring sacrifices, they were hardhearted. God’s great plan with Israel was to lead them into the land of Canaan, and He led them with a mighty hand and helped them through all the difficulties on the way. However, they never reached this great goal because of their hard and unbelieving hearts.

There is also a flock of people in our days who can praise God because they have in an amazing way received economic aid in times of economic difficulties, were healed from sicknesses, and were helped in so many different ways. Their prayers and testimonies usually revolve around these things, but in the midst of all this they are carnal and often present themselves as the great hero in their experiences. They consider it a matter of course that God should be good to them. They speak about being “under the preserving power of the blood.” However, if all this goodness of God cannot lead them to repentance, then all God’s goodness will turn into a corresponding wrath and judgment—as the children of Israel discovered when they were slain in the desert. From the large crowd of Israelites that were saved from Egypt, only Joshua and Caleb were driven by God’s goodness to a reciprocal love, that made them want to keep God’s commandments to the utmost. The others became enemies.

The expression “under the blood” is unbiblical and improper.

In the religious world they also speak about the blood as a cleansing power, by which they usually only mean the forgiveness of sins, a cleansing from committed sins. In this connection the following illustration is used: As Christians we are cleansed in the “river of blood” just like a stone in the brook. The result, however, is a life of constant defeat and forgiveness for the same sins over and over again. That is how it was in the old covenant when they used the blood of animals; but Jesus’ blood cleanses far deeper—not only from manifest sins.

“For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” Heb. 9:13-14.

In the new covenant water is used figuratively of an external cleansing (washing of water by the word), whereas the blood is used figuratively of the inner cleansing. This is how it is with the natural body, and it is the same in the spiritual realm. Jesus’ precious blood must do its cleansing work deep in our inner life so that all of that hard and stiff and selfish nature can be dissolved and destroyed and room can be made for the divine life.

Everyone who knowingly commits sin walks in darkness. “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7. That means that I am cleansed from all the sin I become aware of as I constantly walk in a greater light. The blood is effective when I am in the hour of temptation and trial.

We should also know that we were not redeemed from our aimless conduct—which we have inherited from our forefathers—with corruptible things like silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Jesus, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. If we continue to lead a bad, superficial life and reckon that we are like a stone in the brook, we despise the blood of Jesus instead of honoring it—and in the midst of all this we keep our heart of stone.