The Old Testament lays the foundation of justification by substitutionary atonement: blood must be shed to atone for our souls. (Le 17:11) There’s never been any other way to take care of our sin problem: something or someone must take our place.
Yet it’s clear that animals are an insufficient sacrifice for human sin (He 10:4); a sacrifice of sufficient worth must be presented for our souls. Jesus Christ is that perfect sacrifice (Jn 1:29); God makes Christ to be sin for us that we might be made perfectly righteous in Him (2Co 5:21); His blood is what eternally justifies us before God, makes us perfectly righteous in His sight. (Ro 5:9) Nothing else even gets close, but God is perfectly satisfied with the sacrifice of Christ on our behalf. (Is 53:11) Jesus Christ: He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. (1Jn 2:2)
So, being now justified by Christ’s blood, we are saved from wrath through Him. (Ro 5:9). This positions us to overcome the enemy (Re 12:11a), delivering us from the penalty of sin: death. (Ro 6:23)
The blood of Christ not only secures our justification, redeeming us — buying us back to God after we sold ourselves into the slavery of sin — through Christ’s sacrificial atonement for us on the altar of God, forgiving all our sins (Ep 1:7), it’s also sprinkled upon us (1Pe 1:2), as animal blood was sprinkled upon Israel (He 9:19-21), to sanctify us (He 10:29) and set us apart from this world so we can safely draw near to Him. (He 10:22) His blood purges our consciences of dead works so we may serve God. (He 9:14) Christ thereby effects and secures our sanctification (1Co 1:30), which results in us having a practical testimony, a righteous message or word emanating from our lives, which proves out our justification. (Re 12:11b)
Christ shed His blood to atone for our souls, securing our justification and sanctification. Yet some would take it upon themselves to try and apply His blood upon their houses, pets, furniture and cars, or upon an atmosphere, or setting — as if this would deter evil spirits from being able to access material things or invade our living spaces. This treats the blood of Jesus as an amulet or a charm, like an incantation or a magic spell in reverse. Is this an appropriate application of the precious blood of the Son of God?
I see no instance in scripture of anyone using the blood of atonement and sanctification in this manner, and no indication that evil spirits might be afraid to come near the blood of Christ. The entire nature of spiritual warfare is based upon entirely different principles, which are totally unrelated to such techniques.
God never tells us to resist and overcome the devil by pleading the blood of Christ; He teaches us to resist and overcome the enemy by believing and acting in truth. (2Ti 2:25-26) To the degree that lies have a home in our minds and hearts we’re in bondage (Jn 8:32); lies lead to sin, and sin enslaves. (34)
Inevitably, one will claim that pleading the blood works in their experience: it produces the results they want. This may be true on occasion, but this doesn’t justify the technique. Witchcraft works. (Ac 8:11) Why wouldn’t the enemy entice with superficial results if he can deceive us into demeaning and abusing the blood of Christ?
Trust in such devices may indeed be just one more way the enemy gains ground to steal, kill and destroy. We must be very careful, staying true to scripture and walking in truth. In spiritual things, the ends do not justify the means.
The precious blood of Christ has secured our redemption (1Pe 1:18-19) and brought us near to God. (Ep 2:13) Let’s be exceedingly thankful for this priceless gift, and reverent and sober in how we treat it.
Some may might cite applying the blood of the Passover lamb to the lintel and doorposts of Israeli homes in Egypt as a counterexample.
Ex 12:7 – And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.
13 – And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.
This application of blood did not protect one from Satan, but from God Himself. I see no indication in the text that the enemy had any particular response to this either way. Further, this was a very specific instance; it has never been applicable either before or since.
In direct encounters with demonic forces, I believe we must prayerfully discern the will and word of God, and command the enemy as God directs. There are no magic formulas or techniques which may replace holiness and faith in spiritual warfare.
Trust in such devices as “pleading the blood of Christ” to ward off evil spirits smacks of the kinds of incantations and formulas that characterize witchcraft. It is no surprise that the term “Pentecostal witchcraft” is often used to describe such behavior. In my experience, I think this is a reasonable way to understand what is happening. I do not think these techniques are of God, in my experience, even if the superficial results seem positive at first.
When Paul explicitly details out all of our spiritual armor in Ephesians 6, he doesn’t mention the blood of Christ.
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.
The armor is: Truth, Righteousness, the Preparation of the Gospel, Faith and Salvation.
The weapons of our warfare are: the Word of God and Prayer.
We activate this armor and weaponry in a life pattern of constant, holy communion with God.
When Christ resisted Satan in the wilderness, He set the example for us: “It is written.” Prayerfully quote scripture, in context, to proclaim the truth of God as it relates to each and every temptation or issue at hand, and then live by the truth. This is how we take up the Sword of the Spirit.
The weapons of our warfare are prayer and the sword of the Spirit, the verses of the Word of God: they are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of all lies and strongholds in those who obey the Word, casting down all false imaginations and every high thing, every lying claim that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and taking every thought we have captive and subject to the obedience of Christ.
2Co 10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
2Co 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.
This the basis of spiritual warfare: nothing more, nothing less.
This has nothing to do with incantations or formulas or special phrases or rituals or tricks or magic spells – such things are of the enemy, and how he works.
Ref pleading the blood. I have said that over myself as perhaps speaking God’s Word to myself to remind me or build myself up that I have the breast plate of righteousness or been made the Righteousness of God because I have been covered by His Blood, when I have been attacked spiritually… To help to remove doubt, fear and stand strong against the attack…
Awesome!! Yes, I see that as a perfect application of this principle: reminding ourselves of the fact that we are covered by the Blood of Yeshua and what all that implies.
Tim,
Interesting paragraph:
Christ shed His blood to atone for our souls, securing our justification and sanctification. Yet some would take it upon themselves to try and apply His blood upon their houses, pets, furniture and cars, or upon an atmosphere, or setting — as if this would deter evil spirits from being able to access material things or invade our living spaces. This treats the blood of Jesus as an amulet or a charm, like an incantation or a magic spell in reverse. Is this an appropriate application of the precious blood of the Son of God?
Question: In a prayer room a man or women “pleads” the Blood of Jesus over the prayers to take place. Would you see that as misplaced faith or even witchcraft. Another man or women in the prayer room acknowledges that we overcome by the Blood of the Lamb [revelation book of] and that the Blood of the Lamb is upon us, and we really are the righteousness of G-d in Christ Jesus. Would this person in the room be correct as you see it — and the other one simply in witchcraft [manipulation apart from the Word].
AND, yep a long question — does the Heart of the person come into any importance — not just the words, but the heart.
The sons of the priest who prayed IN the Name of Jesus, and the demons answered the men and then stripped them naked – And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?
And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
My point is that – if it is ONLY semantics — and I’m not against proper words — Jesus IS the Word — we should line up with Him, but if we don’t know Him, or to the degree we are not knowing Him, just having a form of godliness as the, well let me quote.
Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.
The FORM of the words did not help them, for they did not have relationship with Him. [opinion]
I am reminded that NOBODY has come to my House to be prayed for in the Name of Jesus during this pandemic. My walk has not been such that I would have wanted them here. Sadly. I might have a form of words — but the fruit of those words would be lacking.
This comment is Not meant to disagree with your musings, it is meant to request amplification.
stephen
Great question Stephen! Thank you!
In your example, I would tend to agree with your conclusion. I do think the woman is praying incorrectly, very ignorantly; this type of prayer reveals a very basic ignorance of the nature of God. Thinking God can’t hear something, anything, under any circumstance, even if it is inaudible/unspoken, this is broken at the very core. Or to think that God will or will not answer a prayer on any other basis than that it is good and according to His will, is also totally amiss. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”
If we define witchcraft as the craft or practice of using rituals and incantations to achieve spiritual objectives, then I would say it depends on what the woman is actually thinking/believing. If she believes saying a particular phrase aloud achieves a spiritual objective, then, yes, this is witchcraft by definition.
However, as you note, I understand that God looks on the heart and at the motive. If the woman is praying to exalt her self before the others present in the room, to exert her self-will in controlling the environment, God will be disgusted with this, independently of her ignorance. Yet if she is praying humbly with the intent to honor God, He may very well be moved by her ignorant/misguided prayer to quicken those present to pray according to His will and fill them with all peace and joy and power.
I would certainly rather pray with the humble, earnest believer despite their ignorance, than with the theologically correct and proud.
The vagabond Jews example is a fine one here: those who arrogantly attempt to harness spiritual power through ritual will eventually pay the price, in this life or the next.
And your point about people coming to us to pray for them is well spoken: we ought to be living such that those who are seeking God will be guided to us, seeing God in us for healing of both body and soul. Perhaps, in this case anyway, most of those who are earnestly seeking God also saw through the politics of this “plandemic” and realized the scare was largely driven by media hype, and so were unafraid of COVID.
Tim,
Interesting subject. As a young men, not knowing left from right, but in the field 🙂 of life. I often in walking about down, no car in those days, would stop at a half-way house for young adults, and have a bible study with anyone who wanted to.
Most of the people at the house would be classified as having limited IQ, and the half-way house just sought to allow them to function in life. Talking to one young lady once, she opined that she was going to visit family some distance away, but a certain man would always try to take advantage of her. Whether it is high IQ Mr. Gates or lower IQ folks — seems we all deal with our sexuality. I told her, not remembering the exact words — if the young man, R—- tries to bother you — tell him the Blood of Jesus covers you — and he should not act like that. Don’t recall the exact words.
When I saw her next, she was excite, R—- had indeed approached her — she had testified to being covered by the blood of Jesus and for him not to bother her — she said when she said that there was thunder and lightning. Co-incidence. HE is the GOD of coincidences. In retrospect, I would think her Faith was greater than mine. And the young man, she said, he got scaired and did not bother her.
I fell flat on my face at times — no if and or buts — but interesting what happens if you sometimes just “try”.
Perhaps some of your other readers would have a testimony or two to share!
stephen
WOW!! Wonderful story! Thanks for relating it. I think this was a perfect application of the blood of Christ, and so helpful.
PS – Covid – I had a friend who died from it, my wife had a cousin and son who came down with it, and Mika’s groomer had it twice bad. May not have been as bad as the hysteria of the press proclaimed; but I don’t think it was a fake disease. And no church where I live opened it’s doors to pray for people. Some proclaim the day of miracles is past and perhaps according to our faith it is? Just a thought.
I agree that COVID is real: one of my best friends came down with it, along with his entire family. Several I study with have had it, and half the messianic synagogue we attend in Dallas is suffering from it even now.
I also agree that we don’t generally see people turning to God for healing and help with COVID, or anything else. I agree that the cessationist theology is amiss, but I also think public miracles aren’t for the self-seeking; God seems to use them when basic truth is unavailable to the masses and needs to be highlighted. Such is not the case now … My opinion. 🙂
What I disagree with is that COVID is more deadly than the common flu, or that vaccines are the answer. If we check a little, the overall death rates haven’t changed much at all from 2019 to 2020, and now into 2021. So, this isn’t a pandemic by definition. And the vaccine isn’t actually a vaccine either – it’s experimental DNA therapy, and I think it’s designed to eventually do more harm than good in order to make big pharma some big profits. The fact that hydroxychloroquine is outlawed as a COVID treatment, in the face of abundant evidence that it works and is very safe, should tell us everything we need to know.
Corruption, power and profit comprise the only explanation/motivation I can see for all of the politicization, censorship, tyranny and propaganda we’ve witnessed. It’s pretty obvious, and it’s unparalleled. I encourage all to think for themselves and do their homework, not trust in government or mainstream media.
Tim,
Love of money always at play in the world!
Back to the Blood comments: Romans 3:24-25
Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood… the linking of the word faith with the term in his blood. I think that is powerful.
Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Spirit hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. Acts
Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus
Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
I’m not sure if we the church, point the finger at myself, honor the Blood as scripture honors it. It’s like the husband who tells his wife on their wedding day, I love you, and never says it again 🙂
As to healing — your answer is coherent and intelligently reasoned. I will point out that Jesus Healed IN public places, even in places of worship, even in houses. If I am wrong about it being for today more than we see it in the USA — then I am wrong. Def. something I ponder.
Your point about the media etc. well taken. Perhaps the Lord is prodding us to think about My Sheep HEAR my Voice, AND I know them, And they follow ME [Jesus]. In my own life He speaks to study the doctrine of suffering, and I wonder how long before I put pen to paper. Hot, Cold, Luke-warm? A question we all face.
Great news about the congregation you go to!!! That is def. HOT!! Not the dealing with sickness, but the Messianic component.
Even so, Come Lord Jesus!
Amen!