Last month, Ripley’s Believe It or Not revealed a secret ingredient in chocolate bars consumed by multiple generations of Russian children. The bars were promoted as wholesome and healthy, as well as able to help with anemia, a condition in about 25% of the population, especially small kids. They were made with condensed milk, syrup, and beet sugar, and tasted like Tootsie Rolls. The secret ingredient turned out to be a minimum of 5% of cow’s blood, and can still be purchased in Russia today as well as Russian markets in the United States.
“Words from Above” in the Bible tell us about something about blood which was never intended to be a secret. In Leviticus 17, God strictly forbid His followers from eating blood, explaining that “the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls.” The blood of animals sacrificed for the forgiveness of sins was poured out, but never consumed. When people hunted animals for food, the blood was to be poured out on the ground and covered with dirt.
God’s animal sacrifice system pointed ahead and was replaced by the sacrifice that Jesus made on the Cross of Calvary, at which time He shed His blood to pay the penalty for the sins of all the people of the world. Paul the apostle says in Ephesians 1:7 that in Jesus that we have redemption through the blood of Jesus. In other words, Jesus has redeemed us from the power of Satan, which means that He has “bought” us back from his control. In I Corinthians 6:20, Paul refers to it as being “bought with a price”, which is the price of His blood that He voluntarily and willingly shed on the Cross.
In Romans 5:9, Paul also says that we are justified by His blood, which means we are treated by God “just as if we had never sinned”. In Ephesians 2:13, Paul says that whereas at one time we were alienated from God due to our sins, we have been “brought near to Him by the blood of Christ”. Paul says in Hebrews 10 that we have boldness to approach God in prayer as a result of the His blood, and describes this as a “new and living way”. Also, he says in Hebrews that through the blood of Jesus our hearts are sprinkled from an evil conscience, so that not only are our sins forgiven, but also our consciences are made clear. Revelation 12:11 tells us that those who have entered into heaven overcame the devil by the blood of the Lamb.
Larry R. Steffee is pastor of the Center Hill Brethren In Christ Church on Miller Road in Smithville. Everyone is welcome to attend. For informa-tion, you may email lrsteffeetn@yahoo.com.
