You can take a look at the lyrics here.

Here is another song that many people will love to listen to over and over again…even though some aspects of it seem biblically problematic.

What’s on our Hearts

I get it. The song “Plead the Blood” connects with our hearts. Chris Davenport, Brandon Lake, and Cody Carnes express our desires, fears, and longings to the Lord.

The song is a plea for the well-being of “my children,” “my family,” “my future,” and “my body.” And in the midst of a crazy world (yikes!), it’s also a plea for “our schools” and “our cities” (too bad for the rural towns… ha ha… you will have to write your own songs).

I care about these things too. And, frankly, I believe God will receive the song as a prayer for these things, even if there might be some theological issues in the song. But that doesn’t mean we should overlook these issues.

But There’s so Much Good!

To complicate things, the song plays a dirty little trick (I’m exaggerating) by adding in some lyrics from an old hymn. This will move the hearts of those who have been around the church for decades, and perhaps convince them of the song’s worth.

The song includes lyrics from “Nothing But the Blood of Jesus.”

I recognize and celebrate that we “who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:13). Praise the Lord! And the hymn speaks of the blood of Jesus just like the Bible does—within the context of our salvation. That is, Jesus’ blood washes “away my sin,” “makes me whole again,” atones for our sin, and, therefore, give me “hope and peace” for “my future.”

These aspects of the old hymn and the new “Plead the Blood” song are great.

Similar to the old hymn, “Plead the Blood,” correctly recognizes that in Christ’s blood, “my freedom’s been purchased in full” (verse 3). Good work, Chris Davenport, Brandon Lake, and Cody Carnes! (I think maybe just Davenport wrote the song.)

At Least They’re Not Applying the Blood

Another thing that the song “Plead the Blood” has going for it is that it isn’t trying to “apply the blood” of Jesus. As I’ve written previously, the Bible doesn’t teach that we can do anything with the blood of Jesus, like “apply” it. Instead, it is only God who does anything with the blood of Jesus. So it is wishful thinking to suggest we can “apply the blood” of Jesus.

And at least the song “Plead the Blood” doesn’t go there.

Good Pleading?

This might surprise you, but the idea of “pleading the blood” of Jesus is no where in the Bible. Not even in the King James Version … or The Passion Translation.

Nevertheless, “pleading the blood” could be okay at times. Unlike applying the blood, pleading the blood doesn’t necessarily suggest that we are attempting to do something with Jesus’ blood.

In addition, it could make biblical sense to “plead the blood” if we speak of the blood of Jesus in the context of our salvation, like the Bible does. For example, we might say something like, “I am not condemned. I plead the blood of Jesus, which has saved me.”

Missing Key to Spiritual Warfare?

If we don’t plead the blood of Jesus, are we missing out of one of the most important weapons of spiritual warfare? Are we giving up some spiritual power that we should take hold of?

No.

As I said above, the Bible never—not ever—speaks of pleading the blood of Jesus.

And what about Ephesians 6? It teaches us about the “whole armor of God.” And yet it does not mention Jesus’ blood in spiritual warfare. Perhaps Paul forgot to mention it in that chapter.

Don’t we Overcome by the Blood of the Lamb?

Revelation 12:11 reads, “And they overcame him [Satan] because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.”

Yes, the verse mentions Jesus’ blood. But, like the rest of the Bible, it does not suggest we should plead the blood.

Actually, if you look at the context of this verse, you will see that it has nothing to do with the way we pray or what we say about Jesus’ blood. Instead, it teaches that “they overcame” because of what Christ had already done on the cross, not because of how they prayed about Jesus’ blood.

So, what’s the problem?

1. Well, one problem is that the song goes beyond what the promises of scripture.

As I said above, one could make the case that we could plead the blood for our salvation, since that’s what Jesus’ blood does. But one can not make the same case for pleading the blood regarding other things, like protection, since the Bible no where—never—promises that Jesus’ blood protects our children, our cities, etc.

BUT, we can of course pray for God to protect these things!

So, what does it matter?

2. The lyrics of the song imply that if we say the right words, namely “plead the blood,” then certain things will happen. Not that they might happen, but that they will happen. This seems to imply that there is something special about pleading the blood. It seems that “pleading the blood” is more spiritually effective than other types of prayers. (…Do you think that?)

I understand that not everyone who “pleads the blood” thinks this way. Great! BUT, this is what this specific song implies. It’s very present in verse one and two.

The opening words of the song state that we can “draw a boundary” that will protect us from “the thief and his plans” and will cause him to “turnaround” when we “plead the blood.”

When we plead the blood, the song claims, “the enemy can’t take my family.”

Pleading the blood, it seems, is always effective. It makes things happen!

Even if it is unintentional, the song strikes me as having a hint of prosperity theology, but covered in more familiar and Christianeze—that is, if we use the right words and “plead the blood,” everything will go well.

Prayer Trusts in God

Unfortunately, the Christian life is not that certain. No matter what we claim, decree, declare—or plead—stuff happens. Life doesn’t go as we pray or desire. And it isn’t because we aren’t saying the right things.

Unlike such practices, when we pray, we trust in God. We certainly ask for what we want, and at times we might even plead for what we want. But, in the end, prayers are requests of God, not demands. And when we pray, we trust that God will do what is best. And when things don’t go as we pray, we trust that God will continue to be with us, giving us the strength and comfort we need to carry on.

Maybe the Song is Okay…? 

I’m not in a rush to sing this song, as moving as it is.

At the same time, I do see hints in the song that “pleading the blood” still involves trust in God and a recognition that it won’t always go as we plead.

For example, those who sing the bridge plead the blood not only over their family, but even “over our schools and over our cities.” And they can’t seriously think that one instance of pleading is automatically going to bring safety and protection to every city or school they have in mind as they are singing. Does that mean pleading the blood isn’t always effective?

Also, if pleading the blood is always effective, then I don’t think we would need to “claim it over and over again,” as the bridge claims.

Perhaps, in the end, “pleading the blood” in the song is just another way to pray. Perhaps the song is only expressing hope or a desire that God will act in the way that we plead. And surely all of our prayers should involve placing our hope in God.

Perhaps every time the song says “I plead the blood,” we could simply replace it with the words, “I pray for.” If this is the case, then I have many questions and am confused by the meaning of verses 1-2, since they contradict what I am saying here. If my “perhaps” is correct, then the opening verses shouldn’t speak with such certainty. They should, instead, be more honest—honest with ourselves, and honest with God, while still rightfully placing our hope and trust in God.

And the song certainly shouldn’t make it seem like we need to (or should) plead the blood to do these things. Because the practice of pleading the blood isn’t in the Bible. But praying is.

(If you are frustrated by my blog post, please remember that it is about a specific song, so it might not apply to you.)

Click here to comment on this post, but before you accuse me of being unspiritual, please pause and ask God if there might actually be some truth to what you have read above.

You might also be interested in these posts:

• There is Power in the Tongue, but Not for Declarations and Decrees
• 10 Bible Verses You Can Legitimately Declare Over Your Life
• Stop “Applying the Blood of Jesus”…Because You Can’t

Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit 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.

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