Blood

Blood. Its the substance that flows within our human bodies. As far as my memory of biology serves me, it consists mainly of water, hemoglobin (red blood cells) and plasma. It serves as a transporting agent in the body; bringing supplied to the body’s cells i.e. water, oxygen and taking waste products from them i.e. carbon dioxide. It brings life, in a sense, to the whole body.

In the Bible, blood plays a very significant role and is treated as a sacred thing. In the Old Testament, blood is used to purify the people and the altar area. The significance of this is brought to its height in the New Testament when Jesus died and shed His blood on the cross for the purification of our sins. In the laws that God gave to the Israelites, one of them is that they must not eat anything with blood still in it (Leviticus 17) whereas in the book of Acts, one of the decrees the Council of Jerusalem to the Gentile believers was that they are not supposed to eat anything with blood still in it (Acts 15:20). I think is to respect the significance of blood because consuming blood outright shows that one destroys life and has power over life.

Nowadays, we see how blood is treated with ‘disrespect’ so to say. This is portrayed so clearly in the media. Shows or movies depicting violence seems to be everywhere. Blood is shed freely and life is treated cheaply. In horror movies, showing blood is a must. If not, its not horror. I personally haven’t watched a horror movie but from the advertisements alone I can gauge what is the content. Blood is poured freely and spilled everywhere. Now, some may say, “But those are just movie effects and it is not real blood.” True but the subtle message it passes is not just movie effects. It passes the ‘cheapness’ of the value of blood and its significance. It may not be a conscious effect but it may effect a person subconsciously; especially those that can’t differentiate truth from error.

Even in ‘cartoons’ are not spared. By ‘cartoons’ I mean more of the japanese anime kind of ‘cartoons’. There are so many animes that show people being slaughtered and blood being spilled so graphically in the process. What would the younger generation think? That killing is everything? Blood gushing like a fountain from a wound is a cool thing?

Good Friday and Easter has just passed. On Good Friday, Jesus shed His blood on the cross to cleanse from sin all those who believe in Him. He gave His life so that the world may have life. Like in the Old Testament, His blood cleanses us from all sin. Those who watch the movie “The Passion of Christ” would get a rough idea the torture that Jesus went through and the blood he shed for you and I. The worldview today has marred the significance of blood so that people would look at Christ’s sacrifice and say “So what? That’s normal to me.” How it cheapens and degrades the sacrifice Jesus Christ made on the cross! Let us remember the blood’s true significance and thank the Lord of the Universe for the sacrifice that He made.

There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel’s veins;
And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.
Lose all their guilty stains, lose all their guilty stains;
And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.

The dying thief rejoiced to see that fountain in his day;
And there have I, though vile as he, washed all my sins away.
Washed all my sins away, washed all my sins away;
And there have I, though vile as he, washed all my sins away.

Dear dying Lamb, Thy precious blood shall never lose its power
Till all the ransomed church of God be saved, to sin no more.
Be saved, to sin no more, be saved, to sin no more;
Till all the ransomed church of God be saved, to sin no more.

E’er since, by faith, I saw the stream Thy flowing wounds supply,
Redeeming love has been my theme, and shall be till I die.
And shall be till I die, and shall be till I die;
Redeeming love has been my theme, and shall be till I die.

Title: There is A Fountain Filled With Blood

Words: Will­iam Cow­per, in Con­yer’s Col­lect­ion of Psalms and Hymns, 1772.

Music: Cleans­ing Fount­ain, 19th Cen­tu­ry Amer­i­can camp meet­ing tune

For those who are lazy.....

Acts 15:20

20Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood.

For those who are scared of Leviticus....

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=leviticus%2017&version=31

go here and read Leviticus 17....too long to post here...:P nah....juz joking..its not that bad...its short enough but still a bit too long to post here...