COVER US WITH YOUR PRECIOUS BLOOD: Using the "Blood of Jesus" in Prayer

-

Christians often mention the blood of Christ in prayer. When we pray for travel safety, we say, “Cover us with Your precious blood.” When someone is sick, we ask for “the blood of Jesus to heal.” Some even say, “We sprinkle the blood of Jesus” on a new car, a new house, or a newly opened business. For many years, I too have included references to the blood of Christ when leading prayer—partly because it sounds powerful. The idea behind this is that many believe the blood of Christ acts as a spiritual shield: protecting us from accidents, healing disease, preventing misfortune, or driving away evil spirits. As a result, we have developed the habit of calling on the “blood of Jesus” in prayer, asking God to “cover” us with it.

Today, let’s challenge that idea. This article is not meant to judge anyone’s sincerity—most of us (myself included) are earnest when we pray this way and “ask for the blood of Christ.” Yet there are some important clarifications we need to make.

First, what does “the blood of Christ” actually mean? In the New Testament, the writers never emphasize the literal blood of Jesus. They record it as part of the story (Luke 22:44; John 19:34), but they focus instead on what it signifies. Jesus told His followers to “eat His flesh and drink His blood” (John 6:53–57), a figurative call to believe in Him as the Bread of Life (vv. 50–51, 58). Other New Testament references to Christ’s blood consistently point to His death on the cross and its results for us—atonement (Acts 20:28; Rom. 3:25; 1 Pet. 1:2), the new covenant (1 Cor. 11:25), redemption (Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:14; 1 Pet. 1:19), justification (Rom. 5:9; Eph. 2:13; Col. 1:20), and victory (Rev. 12:11). Theologian Wayne Grudem explains it well: “The blood of Christ means His death in its saving aspects.” None of these passages ever connect the blood of Jesus with physical protection, healing, or material prosperity. Christ’s death does not guarantee those things, so His “blood,” which symbolizes that death, cannot promise them either. To avoid misplaced expectations, we need to be clear about this.

If Christ’s blood is not a guarantee of protection, healing, or prosperity, is it wrong for Christians to ask God for those blessings? 

Of course not! We would be dishonest to claim we don’t need them. Scripture commands us to present our requests to God (Phil. 4:6) and to pray continually (1 Thess. 5:17). Jesus did not die to ensure we receive every earthly comfort, but it is never wrong to bring our needs before Him. Let’s remember that our generous Father loves to give good things to those who ask (Matt. 7:11). If He has no reason to withhold something, we can trust He will provide. Our God is not stingy. Still, every time we pray, we should echo the heart of Jesus, who said to the Father, “Yet not my will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42). Stay Curious.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

THE LAMB OF GOD (Agnus Dei)

-
Image
  In the Bible, Jesus as the Lamb of God ( Latin , Agnus Dei ) is one of the most celebrated descriptions of Christ, for it reveals so much about Him as our Savior. π—Ÿπ—”π— π—• 𝗔𝗑𝗗 π—§π—›π—˜ π—’π—Ÿπ—— π—§π—˜π—¦π—§π—”π— π—˜π—‘π—§ In ancient times, the lamb was indispensable in Israel’s offerings. Priests offered it twice a day (Exodus 29:38–42). On the Sabbath, the number of young lambs doubled (Numbers 28:9). At the start of every month, more lambs were sacrificed (28:11). They were also offered during the entire Passover week (28:16, 19), and in other festivals (28:26–27; 29:1–2, 7–8, etc.). The lamb to be offered had to be perfect and without defect (Leviticus 22:24–25).  Since the lamb was consistently sacrificed as a victim, it came to symbolize innocence. That’s why the prophet Nathan used the parable of the ewe lamb in 2 Samuel 12:1–4 to convict David of his sin. Likewise, Isaiah portrayed the lamb as a picture of the Suffering Servant of the Lord —a prophecy pointing to the coming M...
Read more

THE HALL OF HERESIES: ADOPTIONISM

-
Image
Since then, Christ has remained the most controversial figure in history. Even when He was still on earth, people already had many different opinions about Him (Matt. 16:13–14). Just imagine—He was physically present, yet fake news about His identity was already spreading. How much more now that He has returned to heaven? Looking at history, so many misconceptions have emerged and misled many people. Today, we’re going to talk about Adoptionism—the idea that Christ was merely adopted by God and only became the Son of God. 𝗧𝗡𝗲 π—›π—Άπ˜€π˜π—Όπ—Ώπ˜† For many modern scholars, Monarchianism (from monarchia , meaning “one rule”) refers to certain beliefs from the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD that emphasized that there is only one ruling God, even in light of the Trinity. One heresy that came out of this view is called Dynamic Monarchianism , which claimed that God’s power (Greek: dynamis ) was merely given to Jesus—making Him divine only because of that power. This belief was influenced by earlier...
Read more

WHAT IS THE BOOK OF LIFE?

-
Image
In Rev. 20:15 , we read a very sobering statement:  “Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.”  On Judgment Day, when everyone stands before God to be judged, those whose names are not in the book of life will be punished. It’s terrifying to think that your name might not be registered in that book! You can lose your spot on a government aid list—but not on the list of the book of life!  But what exactly is the book of life ? And how did people in biblical times understand it? Book of Life in the Old Testament First, we should note that during biblical times, books were actually scrolls . The codex—the book format we use today—came much later. So, technically speaking, the “book of life” is a “scroll of life.” The Old Testament already presents ideas related to the book of life. In Exodus 32:32 , when Moses pleaded for the Israelites, he said to God: “If you will not forgive their sin, then erase me from the book yo...
Read more