The precious blood of Christ

“For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from your fathers, not with perishable things like silver or gold but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb.” – 1 Peter 1:18-19

1 Peter is one of the places of God’s Word I’m slowly sitting in at the moment. And as I’ve been trying to memorise it and came to this passage, I must admit that my heart struggled for many days to sing with how precious the blood of Christ is. I know it should have. But it didn’t

Peter’s writing, as one of the main apostles to the Jews, is saturated in the Old Testament and so eventually I went and spent time reading some of the OT passages that speak about the blood sacrifice of a lamb.

Here’s some of the passages and thoughts that began better to stir my heart:

• Exodus 12:5 – Jesus is the Lamb kept and then slaughtered in darkness so that God’s judgment against our false gods can Pass-over over those trusting in his blood.

• Leviticus 4:32 – Jesus is the Lamb slaughtered for the unintentional sins of the common people, so that atonement can be made for our sins and we can be forgiven.

• Isaiah 53:7 – Jesus is the Lamb who was led to the slaughter, innocent but struck down for his people’s rebellion, carrying their iniquities, so that we can be justified before God.

• John 1:29 – Jesus is the one that as John sees him he says: ‘Behold the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world.’

These verses (and why not read the whole chapter they are in?) finally began to soften my heart to see more the preciousness of Jesus’ blood. And I pray the same happens for you. ‘He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was revealed in these last times FOR YOU.’ (1 Peter 1:20)

Grace and peace

Ryan,

Campus Director, Howard College