Nothing but the Blood?

There is an old hymn that goes something like this:

What can take away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Oh, precious fount I know, that makes me white as snow. No other fount I know, nothing but the blood of Jesus.

But is this really true? Can the blood of Jesus take away sins?

So what does it actually mean to “take away” sins? The first thing that comes to your mind is that it means your sins are forgiven. But wait a minute. People “get their sins forgiven” on Sunday and then go right out the next week and commit the same sins. Maybe they are forgiven, but if they are still committing them, they’re still there — seems like they didn’t get “taken away” in the first place, right? Maybe the old hymn should be re-written and made to say, “What can get my sins taken away?”

This is really a metaphor

So what does the “blood” actually do? This is actually a metaphor, since there is no literal blood, especially that of Christ. Of course, if it were literal they would have to go back in a time machine 2000 years and collect the blood of a dying man on a cross and then bring it back to the present time. The problem then would be, how can a little blood make the sins permanently go away, of one person, let alone millions? Then to compound that, take into consideration all the billions of people that have ever lived and have sinned all their lives… I could go on and on, but you get the point — it’s obviously figurative.

If you are “saved” and all your sins “under the blood“, so-to-speak, then why are you judged for the bad you’ve done?

Now just think about this for a minute. If you are “saved” and your sins are all “covered under the blood” and all your sins are supposedly forgiven and forgotten, then why must we appear before the “judgement seat of Christ” for the good or bad things that we have done? Obviously, Paul is speaking to believers at Corinth, not unbelievers. The judgement seat is in the after-life and if we must receive for the bad we have done in the body, how can this be? How can a “saved” person be held accountable for things he did when he/she was in in the body? Or can he?

2Co 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

Was the “sacrifice” on the cross not sufficient? Doesn’t the “blood of Christ” cover all sin? It appears that it doesn’t or is the traditional church teaching wrong? There appears to be a great contradiction here. And what happens if God doesn’t forgive your sins? Do you go to hell for eternity or do you have to get punishment until you’ve paid for your wrongdoings? (Maybe it’s kind of like Karma…)

What about that old saying, “Once saved always saved”? I have always wondered about all the things that don’t add up in the bible and the things that I was always taught in church. Why is there never a satisfactory answer to my questions?

How can one man’s death pay for the sins of others?

So since this “blood” is really just a metaphor, the what does it actually represent? To understand this more fully we must go back to the old testament to see where this idea originated. In old times they believed that God accepted the shed blood of an sacrificed animal as a substitute for sins and this was, to them, a symbol of death, that one life (of an animal) was given to save another’s life. And this process had to be repeated over and over.

Now, according to the New Testament (which the orthodox church wrote), Jesus was the lamb of God that took the place of all that blood shed and his sacrifice and his blood took the place of all that and it was only once for all time, never having to be repeated. But according to the Old Testament no man can pay for the sins of others, every man must pay for his own sins. This is a great contradiction, not just seemingly either. One is right and the other is wrong — God never changes, right?

Deu 24:16 The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.

Mal 3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not;

So how can one innocent man’s death, pay for the sins of all men throughout all time? This is not scriptural, it’s not logical and it’s not true!

God hated blood sacrifices

Jesus was sacrificed like an animal (metaphorically speaking) “for the sins of the world”. However, according to the prophets God did not order any animal sacrifice, neither did he like it, in fact he hated it! If He hated animal sacrifice, how much more He must hate human sacrifice!? (What’s more, it’s against the Bible! — Deu 24:16)

Jer 7:22 For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices:

Jer 7:23 But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.

Hos 6:6 For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

Hos 8:13 Though they offer choice sacrifices, though they eat flesh, the Lord does not accept them. Now he will remember their iniquity, and punish their sins

Amos 5:21-24 I hate, I despise your festivals, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the offerings of well-being of your fatted animals I will not look upon.

So what was it that God actually wanted? It was obedience.

In the New Testament it is written that Jesus said this:

Mat 26:28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

But he also said this:

Jn 6:53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.

Obviously, Jesus was speaking metaphorically here when he talked about drinking his blood (I need not even get into what it would take for the whole world to drink his blood). So what does drinking his blood mean? It represents drinking in, so to speak, the words that he spoke since this is where life comes from.

Jn 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

Mat 7:24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

In fact, just believing is not enough to believe in him or believing in his blood and confessing that God raised Jesus from the dead. James the brother of Jesus said:

Jas 2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
Jas 2:18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
Jas 2:19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
Jas 2:20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

Jesus himself taught this same idea, from where James got the idea in the first place:

“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”

“Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?”

“And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” (Mat 7:21-23)

I know this is contradictory to the teachings of Paul, but sorry to say, there are many teachings of Paul (if they are actually Paul’s), that are contradictory to what Jesus and his disciples taught.

Here the writer of Hebrews says that animal sacrifice can not purify the flesh:

Heb 10:4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.

Heb 9:13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: (in other words taking away sins)

Then he goes on to say:

Heb 9:14 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?

“How much more”? It should say, how much less, to continue with the same logic. If the literal blood of sacrificed animals can not take away sins, how much less could the sacrifice of a just man?

The truth is, Jesus’ blood was NOT shed to take away the sins of the world but the put an end to animal sacrifices!

I came to end the animal sacrifices, and if you do not stop making sacrifices, the wrath of God will not leave you alone. (Jesus, cited from Epiphanius, Panarion 3:16)

I have come to end the sacrifices and feasts of blood, and if you do not cease offering and eating of flesh and blood, the wrath of God will not cease from you, even as it came to your fathers in the wilderness, who lusted for flesh, and ate to their content, and were filled with rottenness, and the plague consumed them. (Gospel of the Nazarenes 21:8)

It was not the destruction of the temple that put an end to animal sacrifices, it was when Jesus was sacrificed so that this horrible practice against defenseless animals would cease — not to take away people’s sins.

So then how are sins taken away?

Sins are taken away or in a different way of saying it, being cleansed from unrighteousness. That is something that God does when we confess sins and forsake them. It has nothing to do with believing in the blood or the sacrifice of an innocent man. It has everything to do with our relationship with God.

1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Just think about this for a minute: If your sins are taken away, then they are not there, you are cleansed, you cease to commit those sins. If you continue to commit them, then they are not taken away.

It’s not what you believe, but it’s keeping Jesus’ commandments that is important to God

The Lord said: If ye be with me gathered together in my bosom and do not my commandments, I will cast you away and say unto you: Depart from me; I know you not whence ye are, ye workers of wickedness. (Second Epistle of Clement, iv. 5)

And I say to you, Though you be gathered together in my bosom, if you keep not my commandments I will cast you forth. (Gospel of the Nazarenes 21:9)

So it’s not enough to believe, but also confessing, forsaking and doing the will of the father, which are Jesus’ teachings that he received from the Father, that were not his own.

Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.