The easiest way to understand the Bible is to first look at its basic worldview. No other religion, philosophy or mindset speaks to the kinds of concepts we find in this Book. Although there are many, let’s look at five to help in understanding the necessity of blood in the salvation process.
1. The Creation
God created the universe with one thing in mind, and that was for a people who would live, rule and reign with Him throughout eternity. To make this viable, He created mankind similar to Himself in “image and likeness”—not in the fashion of a god like Himself, but in such a way that we could communicate and identify on His level. We were also meant to relate to Him on the basis of His nature—love. Our inability to understand this plan is one of the reasons for the Bible. It is the revelation of God’s intent for humanity and how we can properly respond. It also spells out in detail why our world is in its present condition.
2. The Fall
The account in Genesis 1-3 tells of the circumstances with our first parents, Adam and Eve, that led to a division between God and them. In their choice to violate the conditions of the garden, they also chose to question God’s sovereignty, His rights and His love. This left God without choice but to remove them from the garden and let them go on their way in stubbornness and rebellion—and the kids they soon raised became you and me.
3. The Redemption
God is still in love with what He created, and His plan is still intact. Because of that, He has offered to redeem our race by buying us out of the mess we are in. The redemption payment makes up for damage done. No one has to tell us of the condition of this world; we see it everywhere. But the damage is so extensive and the price so high to pay for it that we could never pay it ourselves, no matter what we did or how hard we tried. That is what hopelessness is about—being created for a purpose for which sin so completely has destroyed our part, making it impossible to fulfill. Today we know what it is like to feel unfulfilled, usually without even knowing why.
4. The Hope
“That at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Eph. 2:12-13). The blood of Jesus so eradicated sin that it was reckoned to the believer in Christ as if it never happened. That is what gives us hope, for if Christ had not died in our place, sin would have stood between us and God forever, and there would never be any hope for fulfilling God’s original plan for our lives.
5. Eternity
Our reconciliation to God completes His plan for a companion to rule with Him. The reason we are again with Him as the people of God is because of Calvary’s blood. God’s original plan, which was to provide a wife for the Son, a bride for the Lamb, is still on His mind, and He intends see it come to pass in this great multitude we call the church—the redeemed, made up of those who choose to come back to God by the only means available in view of Adam’s sin.
Ray Beeson is the founder of Overcomer Ministries, a teaching ministry with a special emphasis on spiritual warfare and prayer. He is the author of numerous books, including his latest, Signed in His Blood, which releases March 4.
