The sacrifice of Jesus’ life on the cross paid the price for the sins of all mankind. His spilled blood and torn flesh bring life to those who accept Him as Saviour. It is a great mystery as to why His innocent life was required as a sacrifice for your sins and mine. We cannot intellectually understand the vicarious suffering (passion) of the Lord, nor why this was the plan through which salvation would come. Those religions, however, that do not accept the atoning work of Jesus Christ have become “bloodless” theologies without power. As the Scripture says in Hebrews 9:22,… without shedding of blood is no remission.
Early in my Christian walk, the Lord gave me a beautiful analogy of what the blood of Jesus does for us. This was especially meaningful to me coming from a medical background. As a former laboratory technician, one of my primary duties in the lab was to examine and analyze patients’ blood samples. The revelation the Lord gave me makes a comparison between human blood and the blood of Jesus. The function of human blood in the body is to keep it healthy and alive. The same is true of the blood of Jesus. His blood keeps the body of Christ healthy and alive.
Another of the main functions of the blood in the human body is to facilitate cleansing of the system. This is also one of the main purposes the blood of Jesus does for us. As members of the body of Christ, we are in need of cleansing when we come to the Lord. This cleansing process is an ongoing operation, as we walk in the Lord, so that we will remain free from sin.
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. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:7-9).
The blood in the human body brings carbon dioxide to the lungs to be exhaled and exchanged for the oxygen needed for the body. This is done through the action of the heart beat that pumps the blood through arteries to the entire system. The veins are the blood vessels that return the blood to the heart and lungs, while the arteries carry it back to the body. The majority of people from whom I would take blood samples with a needle and syringe would comment on how dark their blood was as I removed it. I would always explain that the blood was taken from a vein. Consequently, it was full of impurities and depleted of oxygen. Therefore it was dark since it lacked oxygen that gives blood its bright red color. In accidents in which a blood vessel has been severed, one can determine whether it is a vein or artery by the color of the blood and by the flow at the point of injury. If an artery has been severed, it will be bright red and spurting out with each beat of the heart; a severed vein will ooze dark red (blackish in color) blood.
Just as the body needs cleansing, we also need that cleansing work in our spirits and souls. When the Holy Spirit points out sin to us, we need to repent and confess that sin so that we can be cleansed of it. The above Scripture says that if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we will be in fellowship one with another. As Christians, if we have broken fellowship with any member in the body of Christ, one or both of us will be walking in darkness and sin. God never divides and separates His body. We should always strive to walk in peace and harmony with all of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Of course, if there are those who refuse to fellowship with us, then we must leave them in the hands of the Lord and pray for them. However, we should be very sure that there is nothing at our end of the relationship that is preventing fellowship, lest we be guilty of “walking in the dark.”
If there are those who are rebellious and refuse to “walk in the light,” then the church leadership should seek the Lord as to how to handle the problem. Perhaps the Lord would have the fellowship fast and pray for those individuals. The Spirit of Christ always seeks to reconcile any division. He requires those that are strong to bear the burdens of those that are weak. The Lord would have those that are mature to pray for and love those that are immature. If those involved in conflict would put on the nature of Christ during those times, the Lord would bring forth victory each time.
