THE LIFE IS IN THE BLOOD

 

Lev 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.

Deut 12:23 Only be sure that you do not eat the blood, for the blood is the life, and you shall not eat the life with the flesh.

Gen 9:3 Every living creature will be food for you; as I gave the green plants, I have given you everything. 4 However, you must not eat meat with its lifeblood in it.

In the Old Testament we see this principle established - that the life is in the blood. There was great importance and value placed on the blood as the blood was equated with life. When the Israelites saw the blood flowing out of an animal they saw its life flowing out. They very literally saw the blood as the life of the animal.

On the basis of the above I find myself asking this question – if the life is IN the blood, then what exactly is it that is in the blood that is life. I am going to approach this question from two different perspectives – the physical perspective and the spiritual perspective. I am going to approach this question from a purely physical perspective and ascertain what the physical properties of the blood are, and then see if the physical reality which we find has any spiritual reality or spiritual application to it.

The physical parallels the spiritual

The bible clearly teaches us that there is a physical and a spiritual realm. These two realms may sometimes be seen as being diametrically opposed to each other. While it may be true that these two realms are different and operate in terms of different laws, I also believe that there are very real parallels and points of contact between these two realms. I believe that the physical realm often reflects the spiritual realm and there are many parallels between the physical and the spiritual. While it is true that the bible teaches that the desires of the flesh are opposed to or opposite to the desires of the spirit, this cannot be used to surmise that the spiritual realm and the physical realm are opposed or opposite to each other. The bible itself teaches that the physical realm in which we exist was formed out of the spiritual realm – in other words the physical originated in the spiritual.

Heb 11:3 By faith we understand that the worlds were set in order at God’s command, so that the visible (physical realm) has its origin in the invisible (spiritual realm).

So everything we see, the physical realm, has its origin in that which is not seen, which is the spiritual realm. So there are points of contact or origin between the physical and the spiritual. Another way in which we may interpret this verse is to say that the spiritual ‘gave birth’ to the physical. One is not normally opposed to that which you gave birth to, in the same way the spiritual is not opposed to the physical which it brought forth or gave birth to. Might it be that there is an umbilical cord between the physical and spiritual – an umbilical cord of faith?

The physical also often mirrors the spiritual. The Tabernacle of Moses was a mirror image of the heavenly Tabernacle and the physical elements within the Tabernacle reflected spiritual truths.

Hebrew 8:5 These serve as a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was warned when he was about to complete the tabernacle. For God said, Be careful that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown to you on the mountain.

So there are parallels between the physical and the spiritual, and the physical realities often reflect spiritual realities or truths.

In his teachings Jesus often used physical things to teach spiritual truths. He used the birds of the air and flowers of the field to teach Gods provision.

Mat 6:26  Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?⁷  28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

Consider as well the wonderful teaching on the vine and the branches – through using the physical reality of how a vine grows Jesus is able to convey wonderful spiritual truth to his disciples.  

John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me.

The bible also clearly teaches that physical created things reflect the invisible things such as when the invisible character of God is seen through his visible creation.

Rom 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

From this it is clear that there is much connectedness and many parallels between the physical realm and the spiritual realm. It is in the light of this foundation that we will now seek to understand one of the greatest physical realities in the Christian life and then seek to understand the spiritual realities that are revealed or reflected by this physical reality. What is this awesome reality I am referring to?

THE BLOOD OF JESUS!

Yes – the blood which Jesus shed on our behalf was real physical blood – but contained within this blood were awesome spiritual realities.

What is the lifeblood?

From the Old Testament translations quoted above concerning blood we find the word “lifeblood” being used and reference made to the fact that the “life is in the blood”. To understand these references let us take at the system within which the blood operates - the circulatory system. The circulatory system is depicted in the following graphic:

                         

Here we find the two paths that the blood travels within the body - the one depicted in red and the other in blue. The path depicted in red is the path that is taken by the oxygenated blood (oxygen rich blood) as it travels in the body. From the heart the blood passes by the lungs where it picks up oxygen. The oxygen rich blood is then transported to every organ and every part of the body – bringing life to every part of the body. It is the oxygen rich or oxygenated blood which sustains our organs and cells. After having deposited all of its oxygen and nutrients the oxygen depleted blood then travels back through the veins to the heart. This system or path of travel taken by the oxygen depleted blood is depicted in blue.  

So we find two systems in operation, one transporting oxygenated blood the other deoxygenated blood. The difference between these two systems of blood travel is simply this – oxygen. The one system transports the oxygen rich blood to every organ and area of the body bringing life to every cell, the other system returns deoxygenated blood to the heart from where it can be pumped to the lungs to be oxygenated once again.

What is the “lifeblood”- it is this oxygen rich blood which is transported to every area of the body and bringing and sustaining life in every organ and cell in the body.

The next question we need to ask is this: if the bible says the life is ‘in’ the blood then what is it that is physically in the blood? The physical reality of what is in the blood should hold great spiritual reality or have great significance to us in a spiritual sense, as we know that there are parallels between physical and spiritual reality and we also know as Christians that there is no greater physical reality than the blood of Christ.

 

What are the major components of the lifeblood? 

If one breaks down the components of the lifeblood you will find that there are a number of different components. Some who have never really considered this question before may be surprised to hear that the blood flowing in their veins is not just ‘blood’. Blood is in fact composed of a number of components – but may be broken down into three major components.  

                                                   

The first major component, you may be glad to hear, is in fact blood. The blood component consists of red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.

These blood components are suspended in a fluid which has the medical term “Plasma”. This plasma is about 92% water and about 7% protein. The second major component is then water which constitutes 92% of the plasma.

When the blood flows over the lungs each of the red blood cells basically becomes a taxi and each red blood cell picks up around three to four oxygen molecules from the lungs. The blood then becomes highly oxygenated. The average amount of oxygen in the blood is about 96% - if oxygen levels drop below 90% it becomes a health issue. Oxygen is then the third component of the blood.

 

 

From the above then we can arrive at the following conclusion as to what the major components of the blood are. These are:       

1.     BLOOD (RED AND WHITE CELLS/PLATELETS)

2.     WATER (PLASMA)

3.     OXYGEN                  

These are the three major physical components of the lifeblood and were also the three major components in the physical blood which Jesus shed on our behalf. The question then arises as to whether there is spiritual relevance or spiritual reality reflected by these physical components of Jesus blood. I believe there are, and one of the reasons that I believe this is because at the crucifixion the blood of Jesus was broken down into these three physical components so that we might see and know what these components are and the spiritual realities reflected in them.

When was the blood of Jesus broken down into these three physical components?    

Mark 15:37 And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last.  

As we noted above the oxygen within the blood comes through the lungs – through breathing. When we breathe, when we inhale, the air is drawn into our lungs and the oxygen enters our blood through the lungs. When Jesus breathed his last, the oxygen was removed or separated out of his blood. When he ceased to breathe all the oxygen was depleted from his blood.   

Then after Jesus had died on the cross John 19:34 records the following:

John 19:34 But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and blood and water flowed out immediately.

The Apostle John was very adamant about this fact and goes on to state that he was a witness to this fact – that blood AND water flowed from Jesus side. Why was he so adamant?

Forensic pathologists have sited this event as one of the proofs that Jesus was already dead at the time that the Roman soldier pierced him through the side with the spear – because after death occurs the water and blood components of the blood separate out. History in fact teaches us that those who were crucified by the Romans were never pierced with the spear through the heart in order to hasten death – they were only pierced in this manner when already dead. The purpose of crucifixion was to inflict as much pain and suffering as possible and not to supply relief by piercing through the heart with a spear. Those who were alive and needed to have their death hastened had their legs broken in order to induce shock and more suffering until death occurred. It was only where death had occurred and the crucified person had to be removed from the cross for some or other reason that they were pierced through the heart as a “coup de gras”, ensuring that no-one ever survived the crucifixion.

Forensic pathologists then site this fact of blood and water flowing from Jesus side as a proof of the fact that he was already dead, because when death occurs the blood and the water components of the blood separate out. So then by declaring the fact that blood and water flowed out of Jesus side, John is then testifying to the fact that Jesus undoubtedly died on the cross. This he was doing to counter some theories that arose after the crucifixion and before the writing of his Gospel – that Jesus had not died on the cross but simply fell unconscious and revived later in the tomb.    

So then we have before us in the record of the crucifixion the revealing of these three major components of the blood – oxygen (breath), water and blood. If it was important enough for the Holy Spirit to distinguish between and separate out these components of the blood then they must have some great spiritual relevance for our lives.

Might it be that it is not sufficient for us to merely know that the blood of Christ was shed on our behalf, but to rather be aware of all the spiritual components contained in the blood and their application to our lives? Might it be that our spiritual lives may be all the poorer for not distinguishing between the components of the blood and the spiritual implications for our spiritual lives? If this is true then we need to ascertain what the spiritual truths are that are reflected in the blood, water and oxygen.

However, before we consider these components of the blood and their spiritual significance let us first take notice of the fact that these three components of the blood were not only revealed at the crucifixion but were also laid out, and separated out for us, in the Tabernacle of Moses. If you take a bird’s eye view of the Tabernacle you find only three objects present – the brazen alter, the brazen laver and the tent of meeting.

               

 

The brazen altar was the altar at the entrance to the Tabernacle and was where the animals were sacrificed and their blood poured out for the atonement of sins. The brazen altar is then a picture or representation of the blood component.  

The brazen laver was between the brazen altar and the tent of meeting and contained water which the priests used for washing before entering the tent of meeting. The brazen laver therefore represents the water component of the blood.

The tent of meeting was where God, who is spirit, and who is the breath of life, would come down and tabernacle with the people. So the tent of meeting represents the oxygen component of the blood.  

So in the Tabernacle of Moses we can also see these three components of the blood represented and broken down for us. So then we can also use the Tabernacle as a reference point – a point of contact between the physical realm and the spiritual realm – to show what the spiritual realities of these three components of the blood are.

Let us now look at the spiritual realities reflected by the physical components of the blood. Let us start with the first physical component – the blood cells.

 

 

BLOOD - ATONEMENT

 

The first physical component we identified in our blood was the red blood cells, white blood cells and the platelets. These make up the blood component within our blood. This blood component represents a spiritual component of our salvation. Just as salvation consists of a number of components so the blood consists of a number of components. We do not always consider what these components are which make up our salvation and can thereby fall short of the complete salvation God desires for us. The Greek word translated as saved is sozo which can also be translated as “made whole”. God’s desire is not just for our salvation but for us to be made whole – and his provision for making us whole is his blood. Therein lies the importance of identifying the components within his blood so that we may attain wholeness and maturity in Christ.

Eph 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect (complete) man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ

So then – what does this first component represent? The blood component represents the spiritual component of ‘atonement’.

The first altar one encounters when entering the Tabernacle is the Brazen altar. This was the altar were the animals were sacrificed and their blood was poured out to atone for the sins of the people.

Lev 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.

Why was atonement necessary? The bible states that the soul that sins must die:

Ezek 18:4 Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die.

 

The bible also states that all have sinned:

Rom 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

So all who sin must die, and all have sinned – so all must die!

This was the condition of the world before Jesus came – and so the Israelites maintained a system of sacrifices upon the altar to shed blood to atone for the sins of the people. This system of atonement however did not remove the sins of the people but covered them for a period of time until the true sacrifice could be made by Jesus, the unblemished Lamb of God.     

Heb 10:1 For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. 2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? 3 But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

 

Hebrews points out to us that the blood of bulls and goats could not permanently remove the sins of the people or cleanse their guilty conscience – they only covered their sin for a period of time until the next sacrifice was required. It was only the pure unblemished sinless blood of Jesus which could permanently remove the stain of sin.

Hebrews 10:11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when Christ  had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

 

So the blood component is a picture of the once for all time offering of the blood of Jesus not only to remove sin but also to remove sin consciousness (guilt) and replace it with a righteousness consciousness. The blood not only declares our sins atoned for – it declares us righteous. This blood offering is a once for all time cleansing – we are cleansed in the blood once for all time.

Hebrews 10:14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

 

Many, by failing to differentiate the components of the blood, return to the blood component to be cleansed time and time again – not understanding that the cleansing with the blood is a once for all time cleansing and after that only water is required and no longer blood. The notion of returning to the blood is really crucifying Christ over and over again – saying that the once for all blood shed for you was not enough and has not atoned for all your sins. It is really a guilt consciousness that causes some to want to return to the blood every time they feel guilty about some aspect of their relationship with God. They have failed to appreciate and experience the truth that their guilt consciousness has been replaced by a righteousness consciousness. By not differentiating between the blood component (Brazen altar) and the water component (Brazen laver) they have failed to move on to maturity and have developed a spiritual bipolar disorder – being swayed by their emotions of guilt rather than stabilized by the spiritual truth of their permanent position of righteousness in Christ. 

The picture that we are given in scripture of this once for all shedding of the blood of the lamb for the atonement of sins is the Passover event recorded in Exodus 12: 1-14. A lamb without blemish had to be slaughtered and the blood placed on the two side posts and upper post of the house in which the lamb was to be eaten. The lamb was a picture of Christ – without blemish – without sin. The blood placed on the door posts was a picture of the cross where his blood was shed. This blood then was a sign that judgment should not fall on the house to which the blood had been applied but that the angel of death should pass-over (Passover).    

Exodus 12:13 The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, so that when I see the blood I will pass over you, and this plague will not fall on you to destroy you when I attack the land of Egypt.

Exodus 12:22 Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. None of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning.

                                                                                                        

The sequence above represents the door of the house and how the blood was to be applied to the door of the house. Exodus 12:22 speaks of the blood “that is in the basin”. The Israelites had a channel dug at the door of the house to avoid flooding, or water running into their houses – this was the “basin” referred to. This is depicted in picture 1 at the base of the door. When the Passover lamb was slain, it was slain outside and the blood ran into this channel – as depicted in picture 2.  The hyssop was then dipped into this blood at the foot of the door and placed on the side posts and upper post of the door as depicted in pictures 2 and 3. From picture four it is clear that this sequence of placing the blood on the door posts was a picture of how Jesus – the perfect and unblemished Lamb of God - would be crucified on the cross.

In this Passover event then we have a graphic representation of Jesus, the Lamb of God, being sacrificed and his blood placed on the door posts of our lives to secure our salvation.

In Exodus 12:13 God then declares that when he sees the blood he will not destroy those in the house but will “Passover” them. So God declares that he sees the blood on the door posts OF the house and not those who are IN the house. This Passover then is not about you, what you have done or how good you have been – God does not look at you, he only looks at the blood. God inspects the blood and does not inspect you. If the blood passes inspection, then you pass inspection – and death passes over you, you pass over from death to life. When we put our faith in Jesus, his blood is applied to the door posts of our lives, and the angel of death passes us by.

This Passover event only occurred once in the life of Israel but was to be remembered annually as an eternal remembrance – a once for all time event.

Exodus 12:14 And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.

 

The Passover was a once only event in the life of the Israelites – it was never repeated. What was repeated however was the annual celebration of the event – the celebration of the feast of Passover. And so it is with the Christian – the blood is applied once only to the door posts of his life but it is celebrated forever after.

At every Passover celebration that the Israelites had the High priest would examine the Passover lamb to make sure it was without blemish. Jesus, our Passover lamb, was examined many times and found to be without blemish. At the start of his ministry Jesus went into the desert and was tested and examined by the devil for forty days and was found to be without blemish. During his ministry Jesus was tried and tested many times by the religious leaders and sects but was found to be without blemish. Before he was crucified Jesus was taken before the religious leader of the day, the High Priest Caiaphas, where he was examined and found to be without blemish. Then Jesus was taken before the political leader of the day Pilate, and was examined and found to be without blemish. He was shown many times over to be the Passover lamb without blemish, and so his blood applied to the door posts of our lives is without blemish. When the devil comes to condemn you concerning your life or your conduct you need to send him back out to the door posts of your life to inspect the blood. If he inspects the blood and finds blemish in the blood then he can enter in to examine you, but until then he cannot inspect you or condemn you because your salvation is not based on your condition but on the condition of the blood.

Romans 8:1 puts it this way –

Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

And so our Passover – the day we put our faith and trust in the Lord and his blood was applied to the door posts of our lives – is a once for all time event. When we put our faith in Christ we Passover from death to life – the angel of death passes us by. This application of the blood to the door posts of our lives is a once only and never to be repeated event. When we sin, when we experience condemnation and guilt, when we experience times of falling away in our relationship with God – reapplying the blood is not an option. It is the condition of the blood that saves us and not our condition. Our condition will change many times but the condition of the blood remains unchanged. To reapply the blood is to say that the blood of Christ was not sufficient to save us. This can never be so. Our emotions, our feelings of being saved, our feelings of being worthy of the blood will change but the blood of Christ will not change. We need to differentiate between the blood and the water. Water may be applied many times but the blood only once.

In Exodus 12:13 where the Passover event is recorded it says that the blood will be a ‘sign’ upon the houses. The word translated as “sign” is the Hebrew word Lamed/Aleph/Tav - 

לאת       

Guess how many times this word is applied in the scriptures?

You guessed it – only once. God created this word and applied it only once in the scriptures – as a “sign” that the blood is to be applied to you once only. The two letters ALEPH TAV are quiet a common occurrence occurring around 7000 times in the Old Testament Hebrew. These two letters by themselves are not really a word but rather perform a grammatical purpose in that they point to the direct object of the verb in the sentence. The creation of this new word LAMED ALEPH TAV is based therefore on the insertion of one extra letter – the LAMED - to form this new word which only ever appears once in the Hebrew Old Testament. Safe to say then that the crux of this word rests in the Hebrew letter LAMED. This is interesting for a number of reasons.

LAMED is the twelfth letter of the Hebrew alphabet – the number twelve in Hebrew speaks of government or establishing. This then points to the blood as that which establishes – our salvation is established on the blood. The lamed is also the tallest letter and occupies the central point of the Hebrew alphabet – it is seen by the Jews as the heart of the aleph-bet (alphabet). The blood then is shown by this letter to be the heart or central point of Gods revelation to man. In the original Hebrew the letter Lamed was represented by the pictogram of a staff or goad. The staff belongs to the shepherd and is the sign of his authority – showing the blood as being the blood of the Good shepherd (Jesus) and the source of all Christian authority. Christian authority stems then not from our holiness not our goodness not our piety, but his blood acting on our behalf. The original meaning of the word Lamed was to prick, sting, incite or goad, the object being to induce action. We are to be incited or goaded to action not by what we want to achieve or do for Christ but by what he has done and achieved on our behalf through the blood. We are not drawn forward by desire of achieving but goaded or incited from behind – by what the blood has already done and achieved on our behalf.  

So then the blood component represents the spiritual truth of atonement – a once for all time application of the blood of Jesus to the door posts of our lives, removing not only our sins but also our sin consciousness.

Having been cleansed once for all time by the blood (Brazen altar) let us move forward to the water (brazen Laver).

 

WATER – SANCTIFICATION

The water component of the physical blood represents the spiritual truth of sanctification. Water is for washing – and the bible pictures Gods word as water. Sanctification then is the process of washing ourselves with God’s word. 

Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing  her with the washing of water by the word.

2 Peter 3:5 They willfully ignore this: Long ago the heavens and the earth were brought about from water and through water by the word of God.

We who have been washed once for all time in the blood of atonement now have access to the water of the Word of God which washes and cleanses us day by day – transforming us into the image of Christ (a process we call sanctification).

Let us view these two processes from the perspective of the Tabernacle:

As we enter the Tabernacle we encounter the Brazen Altar where the blood is shed for the atonement of our sins. This is a once for all time cleansing as we discussed previously. Having now been cleansed by the blood we then move forward to the Brazen Laver to be washed. We are cleansed by the blood once – we are washed in the water day by day. You are cleansed by the blood once but you can wash in the water as often as you like – the bible encourages us to be washed and transformed by the renewing of our minds day by day.

Rom 12:2 Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

 

Our journey into the Tabernacle (which is a reflection of our spiritual journey) is an interesting one. The Israelites under the old covenant who came day by day to offer sacrifices at the Brazen altar (altar of sacrifice) had no access to the Brazen laver (altar of washing). Only the priests (Aaron and his sons) where allowed access to the laver – to wash their hands and feet before entering into the tent of meeting. The brazen laver was situated half way between the brazen altar and the tent of meeting. The laver, or basin, was a large bowl filled with water. This basin was placed there for the priests to wash their hands and their feet in before entering the Holy Place to minister before God.

Exodus 30:17 The LORD said to Moses, 18 “You shall also make a basin of bronze, with its stand of bronze, for washing. You shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it, 19 with which Aaron and his sons (only the priests) shall wash their hands and their feet. 20 When they go into the tent of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn a food offering  to the LORD, they shall wash with water, so that they may not die. 21 They shall wash their hands and their feet, so that they may not die. It shall be a statute forever to them, even to him and to his offspring throughout their generations.”

 

The laver then was only for the use of the priests (Aaron and his sons) – to wash their hands and feet in before entering into the tabernacle of the congregation (the tent of meeting consisting of the Holy place and the Holy of Holies). The relevance of this for the new covenant believer is in the realization that something has happened on our journey through the tabernacle. When we enter the tabernacle the first encounter we have is with the Brazen altar where we find that Jesus – the sacrificial Lamb of God – had been sacrificed on our behalf, removing the weight of sin and judgment through the shedding of his blood. Then as we move forward into the Tabernacle we encounter the brazen laver which was only for the priests to use. We discover that something has happened to us between the altar of sacrifice and the Brazen laver. We discover that we have become priests!

 

Those under the old covenant who came as offerers offering the blood of bulls and goats also left as offerers, their journey ended at the Brazen altar – where their sins were covered for a period of time. This is not so for those under the new covenant who come offering not the blood of bulls and goats – but the precious blood of the Lamb of God. We are transformed from offerers to priests by the blood of Jesus and given access to the brazen laver. The offering of Jesus the Lamb of God at the Brazen altar not only removes our sin, not only removes our guilt consciousness, but also qualifies us to be a priests and kings. The blood of bulls and goats could not do this but the blood of Jesus does.    

 

REV 1:5 Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

 

In becoming priests through Christ’s blood we have now been given access to the Brazen laver to wash – to be sanctified. We need to take note of this fact - we did not become priests through washing at the laver; we have access to the Laver because we are priests. The picture for us is that we are washed clean of our sins and freely justified at the altar of sacrifice. We are saved completely at the altar of sacrifice. We are made priests and kings at the altar of sacrifice. We then approach the laver to wash ourselves because we are priests  – we do not wash ourselves to become priests, trying by own efforts to make ourselves holy and righteous - we wash ourselves because we are priests – we are holy and righteous by the blood of Jesus.

 

Sanctification then is the process of becoming everything his blood has already graced me to be. The blood of Jesus has graced us a position of righteousness – we do not wash to become righteous – we have access to washing because we are righteous.

 

What this Laver was constructed out of is very interesting. It was made from mirrors.

 

Ex 38:8 He made the basin of bronze and its stand of bronze, from the mirrors of the ministering women who ministered in the entrance of the tent of meeting.

 

(God removed the mirrors from the women ministering at the entrance to the tent of meeting. Did he perhaps no longer want them to look at themselves in their own mirrors – but used the mirrors to create the Laver of water – a picture of God’s word which we look into to see the true reflection of our new creation image in Christ?)

 What is the purpose of a mirror? – to reflect who you are. This is precisely what the word of God does – it reflects who you are. There are however two mirrors in the bible – the Old Testament mirror of Law and the New Testament mirror of faith. The mirror of the law performs its purpose of reflecting your sin so that you are aware of your need for salvation through Christ. Once you receive salvation the New Testament mirror then reflects your new position of righteousness in Christ. It reflects the new creation you have become through the blood of Jesus.

 

2 Corinth 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old (mirror of law) has passed away; behold, the new (mirror of faith) has come.

 

Once you have come to Christ and have washed in the blood of atonement the mirror of the law has performed its function of pointing out your sin and is no longer required. What is then required is the mirror of faith which points out your righteousness in Christ.

 

Romans 7:7 tells us what the purpose of the mirror of the law was:

 

“I would not have known what sin was except through (looking into) the (mirror of the ) law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, "Do not covet."

 

So the mirror of the Law points out my sin. Why? To make me aware of my need for Jesus. But once I have come to Jesus I can put this mirror away.

 

Galatians 3:23-25 puts it like this:

“Before this (mirror of) faith came, we were held prisoners by the (mirror of) law, locked up until faith should be revealed. 24 So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.25 Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.”

 

So now that we are new creations with a new mirror – we no longer stare into the word of God to see our sin – we look into Gods word to see our righteousness. We are reminded through Gods word that the sacrifice on the cross has made us clean – the blood, the word and the Spirit remind us that Jesus has cleansed us at the cross and made us clean. This is the washing – not me trying to cleanse myself or make myself holy – but reminding myself (washing my mind) daily to the fact that I am clean through Christ. The water of God’s word washes us clean by reminding us of our righteousness before God.

 

At this point you may ask yourself this question - If the blood of Christ has washed me clean why do I need to wash in the water of the word?

 

TWO PROCESSES - THE FACTUAL AND THE ACTUAL

 

We are really dealing with two realities in the Christian life – who Christ has made us through his blood, and where we are in the process of working out that reality in our day to day life.  Let us look again at Hebrews 10:14 which explains this process really well.  

Hebrews 10:14 For by a single offering (blood) he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified (water).

 

We can also put it like this:

Hebrews 10:14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time (factual condition) those who are being sanctified (actual condition).

 

The writer states that Jesus “has perfected for all time” - which is a finished process achieved by the blood. Those who have been perfected are then declared as “those who are being made holy” which is a continuing process of washing in the water. So we ‘are perfect’ and are ‘being made holy’. We may also see this in terms of the factual and the actual. What the blood has done on my behalf in declaring me perfect and righteous is factual. It has been done. Where I am in the process of becoming all his blood has declared me to be is the actual.

If we go back to the Passover event we see the same principle was in operation. When God saw the perfect blood of Jesus on the door posts He passed by - those in the house were credited with the perfection of the blood even though they themselves were not perfect. Our position of imputed perfection is a reality – it is factual. However there is another reality which is that I, who am not reflecting my perfection at the moment, am now in the process of being made holy through the work of God’s word and his Spirit. My imputed position of righteousness has afforded me the opportunity of entering into a relationship with the living God and receiving the fullness of the Holy Spirit so that I can become all that his grace has already imputed me with. So there are really two processes that have occurred. The one process of Jesus blood shed on my behalf which has made me righteous (factual), which then allows me access to the second process which is me becoming everything he has already credited me with (actual). Just as access to the Brazen altar where his blood is shed for me qualifies me or allows me access to the water of the Brazen Laver. The fact that I am righteous in Gods sight (factual) affords me the opportunity to become (actually) all his righteousness desires me to be.

So we are in a process of transformation, being transformed into the image we have already been credited with – the image of Christ.    

2 Corint 3:18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.

 

Jesus himself differentiated between these two processes in John 13 when he took water to wash his disciple’s feet.

 John 13:4 - He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a basin (Brazen Laver) and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” 8 Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” 9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” 10 Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet,  but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, “Not all of you are clean.”

 

Jesus, who is himself the word of God, washes the disciple’s feet. He starts by pouring water into a basin. This is a picture of the Brazen Laver in the Tabernacle which was the basin of water for washing. Jesus then proceeds to wash the disciples feet (sanctification). The important thing to notice here is that it is Jesus who washes the feet – the disciples do not wash their own feet. Jesus never told the disciples to wash their own feet – to cleanse themselves. So why do we try to wash our own feet, to cleanse ourselves, as if we can impress God by how much we can clean ourselves up. Is God impressed with our efforts to clean ourselves? In Verse 8 Jesus says ‘if I do not wash you, you have no part with me’. Sanctification has nothing to do with me cleaning myself – it has everything to do with Jesus cleaning me, washing me with the water of his word.

We see in this account that as Jesus goes to wash the feet of Simon Peter, he objects, and Jesus declares that unless he allows Jesus (the word) to wash his feet he has no part in him. Jesus displays here the purpose of the water in the Brazen Laver as well as its importance. One who has had the blood shed on his behalf at the altar of sacrifice cannot then bypass the washing in the water of the Brazen Laver. Having partaken of the blood of atonement and been declared righteous does not mean that one can then forgo the process of sanctification – of being washed and transformed day by day into the image of Christ.

One must partake of all the components of the blood – blood, water and oxygen, for a complete salvation. Jesus says that if you do not partake of the washing with the water – you have no part of me. To have partaken of the blood of atonement is not enough, washing is required.

Having been told that he had to partake in the washing Peter then as usual takes it too far and declares that Jesus must wash all of him – must completely cleanse him. He does not realise it but he is asking Jesus to reapply the blood – to cleanse him again. Jesus then affirms that someone who has bathed (washed in the blood) does not need to bath again but only needs to wash his feet (in the water of the word). The feet here referring to our daily walk here in this life. We have all walked a different path, some on roads dustier that others, but one thing is certain, we have all picked up dust along the way which we are in need of washing. We have all experienced hurts and been the source of hurt to others, we have all experienced many pains and been the source of pain for others, and we all carry scars and have been responsible for scarring others. We are all in need of washing, of forgiveness, of repentance, of reform. Washing can be a painful process at times, but we cannot bypass this component of the blood – we must allow the work that he has begun in us to be completed. We must allow ourselves to be transformed and changed – washed into his image.

Certainly Jesus loves us just the way we are, but just as certainly he loves us too much to leave us the way we are.  Jesus paid the greatest price for our justification, let us not falter at paying the price of sanctification.  

This ministry of washing of feet Jesus then also tasks to his disciples telling them that they must also wash each other’s feet.   

John 13:12 When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? 13  You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.

The scripture says “when he resumed his place” he said to them. After he was crucified Jesus “resumed” his place at the father’s right hand and he has now tasked the washing of each other’s feet to us his disciples. We are called to love enough to wash dirty feet – to love others no matter how dusty the road they have walked. John said it this way:    

1 John 4:20 If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For the person who does not love his brother he has seen cannot love the God he has not seen. 21 And we have this command from Him: The one who loves God must also love his brother.

 

How do we wash dirty feet? By declaring over Gods people their righteousness. By declaring their sins forgiven and their guilt washed away by the blood of Jesus. By declaring the truth of the cross – by washing them in the word of truth.

What do we need in order to wash feet – water and a container. The bible speaks of the word of God as water. What contains God’s word – the bible. The bible is a container for the water of God’s word. We use the bible – this container of water – to wash each other’s feet, to declare the word of God over each other. This is how we wash feet, by declaring each other righteous, holy, perfected, forgiven through the blood of Christ. We cleanse one another with the word of righteousness.

In this passage of scripture where Jesus washes the disciple’s feet we find the disciples referring to Jesus as “teacher” and Jesus referring to himself as “teacher”. Why is the title of teacher accentuated in this passage – I believe it is because Jesus is revealing the true mark of a “teacher” – one who washes others feet with the water of God’s word. A true teacher of God’s word will always leave the hearer feeling like their feet have just been washed clean, they will be rejuvenated and encouraged by the word of righteousness.

So then we have dealt with two of the physical components of blood – blood and water. Let us now turn to the third component, oxygen.

 

OXYGEN

The oxygen component in the physical blood represents the Spirit. You may wonder how this connection between oxygen and spirit is made so let us start in the beginning – in Genesis.

Gen 2:7 Then the LORD God formed the man out of the dust from the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.

   

From where does your blood acquire the oxygen needed to sustain your life – from your breath, the oxygen is in the breath you breathe. God breathed the breath of life into Adam and he became a living being. What was it that God breathed into Adam – surely it was oxygen, but it was also the spirit – the oxygen brought life to his physical body, but he was more than a physical being he also received a spirit and became a spiritual being – made in the image of God.

Genesis 2:7 and Mark 15:37 are really two bookends of the genealogy of sin and the genealogy of Adam. In Gen 2:7 God breathed the first breathe into first Adam.

 Gen 2:7 Then the LORD God formed the man out of the dust from the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.

 

In Mark 15:37 Jesus breathed the last breath of last Adam.

Mark 15:37 And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last.  

Jesus brought the genealogy of Adam, and Adams sin, to an end. Sin had reigned from first Adam until Christ (last Adam). With the last breath on the cross Jesus ended the dominion of sin and the rule of righteousness began. With the end of the genealogy of Adam a new creation was required and a new breath to bring new life. So God took from the side of Jesus, he took from the blood and water which flowed from his side, and formed the church, his new creation – created in the image and likeness of Christ. Then at Pentecost the breath of heaven descended again and as with Adam God breathed the breath of life into his new creation, the church, and she became a living being. The breath of life – oxygen – represents the spirit.

So oxygen represents the spirit. The oxygen component in the blood of Christ represents the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, as with oxygen, is primarily about life. The oxygen in your blood sustains your physical life and the Holy Spirit sustains your spiritual life – he sustains the life of every born again believer. The Holy Spirit is the breath of life – he is our oxygen.  

2 Corinth 3:6 who made us adequate to be servants of a new covenant not based on the letter but on the Spirit, for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

 

There are many within the body of Christ who have understood and grabbed hold of the wonderful spiritual truth contained in the first two components of the blood – the blood and the water, but failed to discern the third component of oxygen. They lay hold of the truth of atoning blood and washing with the word of God, but fail to discern the necessity of the third component – the Holy Spirit. They understand the wonderful first breath of life blown from heaven upon the believers at Pentecost, but fail to discern that this same breath is required to sustain the new spiritual birth of every believer. They attempt to sustain their spiritual lives with deoxygenated blood. This is like trying to sustain your physical life without breathing. When there is no oxygen in your blood, your cells and organs slowly die. Many of those churches who have failed to discern the Holy Spirit as a vital component of the blood have died a slow death over time.

The breath of heaven was not just for the first believers, it is for all believers. If the first believers who walked and talked with Jesus and lived under his teaching for a number of years could do nothing without the baptism in the Holy Spirit – how much more do we who have never seen and yet believe, require the Holy Spirit. We too require the breath from heaven – the baptism in the Holy Spirit. I use the word baptism here purposely as what happened at Pentecost was not the believers receiving the Holy Spirit – it was the believers being baptised and completely immersed in the power of the Holy Spirit.

This is why many churches seek to ignore this component of the blood – it requires the handing of control over to God. It opens the door for the Holy Spirit to take control – to display his power, to change and transform people’s lives, to incite laughing and crying, singing and dancing. He removes the structures of men and brings a freedom. In short the Holy Spirit cannot be contained and controlled by organised church structures, and so those who have loved their structure of worship more than the one they were supposed to worship have structured the Holy Spirit out of church life. They have made claims such as “the Holy Spirit was only for the early church” or “we have all received the Holy Spirit and do not need to be baptised in the Holy Spirit”.

So let us distinguish clearly between receiving the Holy Spirit and being baptised in the Holy Spirit. Jesus gives a clear understanding of both and makes it clear that both are required by the believer. In John 20:19-22 we find Jesus appearing to his disciples after his resurrection from the dead. This is really a picture of salvation, when the believer first places his trust in the risen Christ. Romans 10:9 lays out the foundation of salvation as this: confessing with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believing in your heart that God has raised him from the dead.

Rom 10:9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

This is exactly the moment the disciples arrive at in John 20:19 as the risen Jesus appears before them for the first time, and they believe with their hearts that God has raised him from the dead. What does Jesus then do – he breathes on them and says “receive the Holy Spirit”.

John 20:19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews,  Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

So after their salvation event – after seeing the risen Christ and putting their faith in him – they “receive” the Holy Spirit. What physical manifestations or signs accompany this event?

 None.

Many of us can attest to the fact that when we first gave our lives to Christ and received the Holy Spirit there were no great physical manifestations – no fireworks. Just a deep sense of peace that passes understanding and unspeakable joy entering our hearts. What happens at salvation is primarily inside – inside our hearts and spirits as the Holy Spirit takes up residence in us. We know we have changed but we have no real understanding of in what way we have changed.

This then is starkly contrasted with the baptism in the Holy Spirit which occurs at Pentecost. Before Jesus ascends he informs the disciples that they are going to experience a further event – they who had “received” the spirit were also to be “baptised” in the spirit. So as to alleviate all confusion as to the fact that this was to be a baptism, a complete immersion in the Holy Spirit, he compares this event to come with John’s water baptism which was a complete immersion in water. He makes it clear that they were to be completely immersed in the Spirit.  

Acts 1:4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” 6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

 

As promised by Jesus this baptism occurs at Pentecost.

Acts 2:1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested  on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

 

Were there any physical manifestations or signs which accompanied this event – many! The believers began to speak in other tongues. Their behaviour changed to such an extent that some who saw them thought they were drunk. They began to preach and witness concerning Jesus – something they had been too scared to do only moments before. Is the baptism in the Spirit to be distinguished from receiving the Spirit? Certainly. Are both essential for the believer – definitely.

What we receive when we are baptised in the Holy Spirit can be summarised in one word – power. Jesus promised that when the Holy Spirit came on them they would receive power. Every outworking and manifestation of the spirit finds its origin in this – power.  The Holy Spirit is the source of power in the believer’s life – he provides the fruit, he provides the gifts, he provides the gift ministries.

As the Spirit is represented by oxygen it may interest you to know that the process through which your body produces energy requires oxygen. The body requires oxygen to produce energy. 80% of all our metabolic energy is produced through oxygen. The more oxygen we have available for our cells to use the more energy or power is produced. This truth is reflected in the spiritual where our energy is produced by the Holy Spirit. If the body of Christ is lacking in power we need do nothing other than a blood test – and we may find an oxygen deficiency – a lack of the Holy Spirit component in our blood.

Phil 3:21 He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of His glorious body, by the power (Greek energeia – energy) that enables Him to subject everything to Himself.

 

The Holy Spirit empowers us to live the new life graced to us through the blood of Christ.

The Holy Spirit is not only our power source he is also the Spirit of Righteousness – he convicts us of our righteousness in Christ. Just as we were at one time convicted of our sin by the law, now that we have received atonement through the blood of Christ and made righteous, the Holy Spirit now convicts us of our right standing with God. He convicts us of the fact that our sin is removed and that we have been justified by the blood of Christ.

2 Corinth 3:7 But if the ministry that produced death – carved in letters on stone tablets – came with glory, so that the Israelites could not keep their eyes fixed on the face of Moses because of the glory of his face (a glory which was made ineffective), 8 how much more glorious will the ministry of the Spirit be? 9 For if there was glory in the ministry that produced condemnation, how much more does the ministry that produces righteousness excel in glory!

Most importantly the Holy Spirit also convicts us of the fact that we are now children of God.

Gal 4:6 And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, who calls “Abba! Father!”

Rom 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery leading again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness to our spirit that we are God’s children.

The Holy Spirit then not an “add on” for the believer, not an optional extra on the salvation purchased for you at the cross. The Holy Spirit, the oxygen, is a vital component of the Blood of Christ, every bit as important as the blood of atonement and the water of sanctification. The believer who desires a complete salvation in Christ, who desires to be made whole, must partake of all the components of the blood of Jesus - the blood of atonement, the water of sanctification and the Spirit of righteousness. The blood, the water and the oxygen. If we lack any of these three components in our physical blood there will be serious health implications. In the same way if we lack any of these spiritual components of Christ’s blood there will be serious implications for our spiritual health. We will do well to do a blood test on ourselves and discern if we are lacking in any of these three components of the blood of Christ:

The blood of atonement

The water of sanctification

The Spirit of righteousness.