Stop “Applying the Blood of Jesus”…Because You Can’t

Andrew K. Gabriel — Tue, 29 May 2018 05:06:17 +0000

Some pray, “I apply the blood of Jesus over my family,” or “I apply the blood of Jesus over my marriage,” or “I apply the blood of Jesus over my car.”

I’m sure some Christian somewhere has even tried to apply the blood of Jesus over their cat. I don’t like cats.

If you aren’t familiar with prayers where people “apply the blood,” you might want to check out this video (see especially the very beginning and from the 4 minute mark).

Such prayers (are they really prayers?) can sound very pious. They can sound very spiritual. Who wouldn’t want the best for their family, their marriage, or even their car?

But, you will not find such prayers in the Bible. Why?

Because you can’t apply the blood of Jesus over your life . . . or anything else.

Two More Problems with Applying the Blood

Those who are consistently “applying the blood of Jesus” in their prayers can make others feel like their prayers aren’t good enough. Such prayers seem to imply that prayer is a technique that needs to be learned.

Crucially, simple prayers are just as effective as flowery “spiritual” sounding prayers where someone tries to pray the “right” way. Consider the tax collector who simply prays, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner” (Luke 18:13). If God graciously responds to such simple prayers for mercy, surely God will be just as gracious in responding to our other simple prayers.

“God help my marriage!” is just as good . . . actually it’s better than “I apply the blood over my marriage.” The former puts us in a place of trust in the sovereignty and grace of God.

By contrast, in the “I apply the blood” prayers the person making such declarations seems to be trying to take control—trying to take sovereignty—over the situation. It’s as though now that they are doing their spiritual duty of applying Jesus blood, God should now be obliged to do what they are asking . . . or at least God is now more obliged than if they had prayed a simple prayer of request.

Jesus’ Ordinary Blood (Yet Another Problem)

Jesus’ blood was not special. Jesus was fully God, but let’s not forget that he was also fully human. He, therefore, had fully human blood, just like yours and mine. Its chemistry was no different than yours and mine.

This means that Jesus’ blood is not some sort of magical spiritual fairy dust that you can apply over your life by reciting the correct incantation. That sounds like Christian magic to me. But I’m pretty sure that’s not a thing. Or at least it shouldn’t be.

“	Jesus’ blood is not some sort of magical spiritual fairy dust that you can apply over your life by reciting the correct incantation.

Where Does “Apply the Blood” Come From?

“Applying the blood” is primarily an allusion back to the Old Testament when Moses was trying to liberate the people Israel from their Egyptian oppressors.

In the tenth plague before the Exodus, God told each Israelite household to slaughter a lamb, eat its meat, and to apply “some of the [lamb’s] blood . . . on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses” where they ate (Exodus 12:7). Those who obeyed were protected from the tenth plague (for more info, read Exodus 12-13).

In the New Testament Paul once refers to Jesus Christ as “our Passover lamb” (1 Corinthians 5:7). As a result, similar to how the Israelites literally applied blood of a lamb to the doorposts of their houses, some people suppose that we now need to “apply the blood of Jesus” to various aspects of our lives. Sometimes it is for some sort of protection (like the original Passover), but at other times the practice is used as a general means to get what one wants.

God Applies the Blood of the Sacrifice

Of course we can’t literally apply the blood of Jesus since he died so long ago. But the Bible also never instructs us to metaphorically or spiritually apply the blood of Jesus over our lives. The same is true regarding the practice of “pleading the blood of Jesus.” And, to emphasize the point, the Bible never gives us any examples of anyone in the Bible doing this either.

“	The Bible never instructs us to metaphorically or spiritually apply the blood of Jesus over our lives.

Instead, what the Bible gives us is a picture of God applying (metaphorically) the blood of Jesus to our lives (for example, Hebrews 12:24 and 1 Peter 1:2). But even this is not primarily a reference to the Passover.

In addition to speaking of Jesus as the Passover Lamb, the New Testament also refers to Jesus as a sacrifice, particularly one that makes atonement for our sins (Romans 3:25 and Hebrews 9:26-28). This is a reference back to the sacrifices that took place in the tabernacle and (later) the temple under the old covenant.

When the New Testament speaks of the “blood of Christ” or the “blood of the Lamb,” it primarily has in mind the saving work of Jesus as the atoning sacrifice.

The Precious Blood of Jesus

When the Bible speaks of Jesus’ blood and its value, it is short hand for referring to the salvation that comes through the death of Christ. (The same is true of when the Bible speaks of the power of “the cross”).

Biblical references to Jesus’ blood are, as I noted, allusions to how Jesus fulfills various Old Testament sacrifices—he was killed, his blood was shed, and God (metaphorically) applies his blood to us, with the result that we are forgiven of our sins.

When the New Testament speaks of Jesus blood it is also an allusion to how Jesus establishes a new covenant between God and humanity. As Jesus said regarding himself, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28, compare Exodus 24:8).

Recognizing this, one can rightfully say that Jesus blood is precious. And his blood IS POWERFUL. It

Frees us from sin (Revelation 1:5),
Justifies us (Romans 5:9),
Redeems us (Ephesians 1:7, 1 Peter 1:18-19),
Gives us confidence to approach God (Ephesians 2:13, Hebrews 10:19), and
Cleanses us and makes us holy (Hebrews 9:22 and 13:12, 1 John 1:7).

(Can I hear an AMEN!?)

But, Jesus blood is not something that we can apply over our lives or anything else. And yet, I’m sure God is gracious enough to hear the prayers of those who try to.

Leave a comment below by clicking here.

P.S. I’ve mentioned this in the comments below: I think that pleading the blood is less of a problem that trying to “apply” the blood, given that the latter suggests that we actually do something with Jesus’ blood. At the same time, we don’t find anyone “applying” or “pleading” the blood of Jesus in the Bible.

You might also be interested in these posts:

Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit (forthcoming) as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College and Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter.