blood – La Vista Church of Christ

Drawing Near by the Blood of Christ

Jeffrey Hamilton — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 17:17:10 +0000

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by Brent Paschall

Draw Near to God

When I See the Blood

Jeffrey Hamilton — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 20:41:17 +0000

by Terry Wane Benton

The Israelites were instructed to be ready to travel because God was going to do one last plague upon Pharaoh and Egypt that would break Pharaoh down and cause him to release the Israelites from the bondage he held them in. It is recorded in Exodus 12 that “the Lord’s Passover” (Exodus 12:11) would involve killing a one year old lamb or goat, taking the blood of the lamb and dabbing the blood on the doorposts and lintel of their dwellings (Exodus 12:7), eating the lamb completely in their houses, the lamb roasted in fire (Exodus 12:8), letting nothing be left over till morning (Exodus 12:10), having belt and shoes and staff ready to be on the move (Exodus 12:11). That evening the Lord would pass over the land. If there were houses with no blood, that household would experience the death of their firstborn, and if blood were on the doorposts of the house, the Lord would pass over that house and no death would come to that household.

They were safe under the protective blood of the lamb. The Lord was doing this to depict the bigger plan to break the hold Satan has over us, create a means of release from bondage to sin, and create a means by which some are safe from death. In contrast, others would remain unprotected because they did not take the necessary steps to protect themselves and their household, namely, the actions mentioned above.

Paul draws the parallel to the greater redemptive plan and says, “Christ, our Passover, has been sacrificed for us” (I Corinthians 5:7). Have you eaten this Lamb? Have you consumed Him in your heart and mind? Completely? Have you applied the blood to the doorposts of your heart? This Lamb is the energy by which you will travel away from the bondage of sin. This Lamb will provide the protective blood by which you will be safe from spiritual and eternal death.

When God “sees the blood” (did you apply it?) He will pass over you. Your only safety from spiritual and eternal death (separation from God) is to have the blood of the Lamb (Jesus) properly applied to your life. You must be in ready mode to exit Satan’s domain of influence and hold; you must have the Lamb roasted and consumed. Perhaps the spiritual counterpart here is that you have within you, because you took it into your heart, the fire-tested Jesus, the blood-given Jesus, the blood-applied Jesus, the spiritual energy-giving Jesus, and this is the means of breaking Satan’s power over us.

We should note that safety was not a result of the Israelites doing some meritorious or deserving act. Some of the Egyptians may have lived a good moral life, perhaps equal in merit to any Israelite, but the difference was that the Israelites had the “blood of the lamb” applied to them, while the Egyptians did not. So, it is now! The difference between the Christian and non-Christian may not be that one was better in righteous merit than the other, but that one wanted to leave bondage, applied the blood of the lamb, and the other did not.

We “overcame” the rule of Satan and his hold on us “by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their (the apostle’s) testimony” and loving not our lives unto the death (Revelation 12:11). Without the blood of the Lamb (Jesus), death does not “pass over” us. Instead, it visits us with devastation!

How is it with you now? Will God see the blood covering your ways, your every move, and action in life? Are you protected from spiritual and eternal death? When God sees the blood, He will pass over us! We will not get the sentence of death! We will have the sentence of life eternal. Let’s consume the Lamb of God and apply His blood! That is our only hope!

Living Bread

Jeffrey Hamilton — Sat, 10 May 2025 22:24:58 +0000

by Terry Wane Benton

What did Jesus want us to get from His claim to be “the living bread” (John 6:51)? Bread feeds energy into the body and keeps us going a little further in our bodily journey. Yet this body will still die, and bread will not stop our death.

Jesus speaks of “living bread” because He is the supplier and the substance that will give eternal life to all who partake of Him as the energizer of our spirits. By faith, we drink into our hearts the faith-building knowledge of Jesus, who lives and keeps us from spiritually dying.

Jesus is like bread for our souls. We learn about Him and let our minds chew on His love and life, His power, and His great and precious promises, and this strengthens our conviction and determination to keep our commitment strong and move forward in our resolve. We keep living by faith because we keep eating from Jesus, our bread of life!

Eating His flesh is a metaphor for mentally and spiritually devouring the testimonial information about His time in the flesh, what He did and said. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John describe Jesus’ life, His goodness and kindness, His teaching, and miraculous confirmations. By reading or hearing them, we are eating His fleshly life and feeding our souls with conviction-building substance.

Drinking His blood is a metaphor for drinking into our minds what was accomplished for us through His blood. His blood purchased redemption, forgiveness, pardon, a cleared conscience, and peace within so that all is well with our souls before God. That gives us spiritual life. So, the two metaphors of eating His flesh and drinking His blood are merged in the metaphor of Jesus being the “living bread.” The spiritual substance God provides us to satisfy and uplift our souls and keep us spiritually alive! We must never neglect such living bread! It is your only hope for eternal life!

There Is Power in the Blood

Jeffrey Hamilton — Tue, 26 Nov 2024 16:53:02 +0000

by Terry Wane Benton

Wonder working power! What does the blood Jesus shed on the cross really do for me? It works wonders on a sin-condemning conscience. It says Jesus was willing to pay my debt on condition of repentance and confession to those already baptized into Christ (Acts 8:21-22; I John 1:7-9). It works wonders in knowing that I can live and die forgiven without the weight of all my sins mounting up on my conscience until I am eternally ruined. There is power in the blood to release me from my condemned state. There is power in the blood to give me a sense of real worth.

When others have treated me as worthless to them, I can always recognize that someone loved me enough to die for me. I must be worth something. There is power in the blood to give me a mission with hope. Formerly, I was just wandering aimlessly with no direction, mission, or hope. But Jesus' blood gave me a direction, purpose, mission, and fantastic hope of eternal life. There is power, power, wonder-working power, in the precious blood of the Lamb.

You can and should take advantage of that powerful resource available to all who will hear the gospel.

Why Blood?

Jeffrey Hamilton — Sun, 22 Sep 2024 17:21:40 +0000

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by Jeffrey W. Hamilton

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Text: Hebrews 9:15-22

I. Let’s look at Hebrews 9:22

A. Have you considered, “Why blood?”

1. If I wanted to clean something, blood is not the first thing that I would think of using. Blood stains are often difficult to remove.

B. How is it that remission of sin requires the shedding of blood.

C. What makes blood so important?

II. God gives us a hint as to the value of blood

A. Deuteronomy 12:23 - Life is in the blood

B. God connects life to the blood that flows in men and animals.

C. Herein then lies the importance of blood – it represents life.

III. Life, represented in blood, becomes the payment for sin

A. When we sin, we cut ourselves off from God - Isaiah 59:1-4

B. It is easy to imagine the murderer defiling himself with the blood of his victim, but God tells us that all sins are the equivalent of murder in His eyes.

1. The real victim in sins committed is the sinner - Romans 6:23.

2. When we sin, a precious soul has been murdered in God’s sight.

a. Yet it is not eternally lost.

b. It can be bought back or redeemed.

C. Since the creation, man has offered animals on altars.

1. The first instance recorded is the offering of lambs by Abel in Genesis 3.

D. Under the Law of Moses, numerous sacrifices were required.

1. God explains why in Leviticus 17:11

2. In other words, life is offered for life.

E. Despite all the animals sacrificed, the offerings were never enough - Hebrews 10:1-4

1. The writer argues that the requirement to repeatedly offer animal sacrifices proves that they did not remove sins.

2. Instead, all that blood shed continually reminded the worshipers of their sins.

F. There then remained the need for a permanent solution - Hebrews 10:10

1. Ephesians 1:7 - In Christ’s blood we have forgiveness

2. It wasn’t the blood of animals or even of sinful men. God offered the precious blood of His own Son - I Peter 1:18-19

G. Jesus’s sacrifice was not just for those who followed after Him. It also reached back through time - Hebrews 9:15

IV. I John 1:7 - The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin

A. Sin is viewed as filth, which is removed by the blood of the Son of God.

B. Back under the first covenant, items used in the service of God were sprinkled with blood to dedicate them to God - Hebrews 9:21-22

C. The word “sanctification” refers to something set apart to the service of God

1. What is sanctified is considered pure and holy

D. In describing Christian martyrs - Revelation 7:14

1. This is why another term for a Christian is “saint”. A saint has been sanctified by the blood of the Savior. He is set apart for service to God - I Peter 4:1-2

E. The blood of Christ is far more effective for cleaning the conscience and setting one apart from the world - Hebrews 9:13-14

V. Perhaps you noticed that in several of the verses that we have cited that covenants are also connected to the shedding of bloods.

A. Covenants are the predecessor of our modern-day contracts.

1. Covenants contained binding terms. They could be specific tasks to be accomplished, or on-going terms of a relationship.

2. Covenants also had witnesses, something permanent which testified to the existence of the covenant.

a. When men made covenants, they would setup a monument, such as was done between Jacob and Laban in Genesis 31:43-54.

b. The witness to the covenant God made with Noah was the rainbow - Genesis 9:12-15

c. The witness to the covenant God made to Abraham and his descendants was the circumcision of the foreskin - Genesis 17:11

3. The parties in a covenant would sit down to fellowship meal, to show their acceptance of one another. It showed that the covenant had settled any dispute and that they were now at peace.

4. But, important for our discussion, covenants were sealed by blood sacrifices.

B. Hebrews 9:18-20 - The covenant brought by Moses was sealed with blood

C. The new covenant was likewise established by shed blood.

1. Jesus, when establishing the memorial meal that we know as the Lord’s Supper - Matthew 26:28

2. Testaments (as in “Last Will and Testament”) come into effect with the death of the testator - Hebrews 9:16-17

3. Christ taught His new covenant while He walked this earth, but it could not go into effect until the lawgiver died

D. And in his death, Jesus purchased the church with his blood - Acts 20:28

E. When the church gathers to partake of the Lord’s Supper, it is eating the covenant meal showing our fellowship with one another and with God - I Corinthians 10:15-17

1. The reason the Lord’s Supper is some times called “communion” is in reference to Christians sharing the remembrance of our covenant formed by Christ’s death.

VI. We are prepared to walk the holy way prepared by Jesus because his blood cleansed us - Hebrews 10:19-22

A. In this passage we see the allusion to Moses sanctifying the tabernacle with sprinkled blood, but how does the washing of our bodies with pure water come into play?

B. Baptism is that washing - Romans 6:3-4

1. Baptism symbolizes Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection.

2. You could say that it is through baptism that we come into contact with the cleansing blood of Jesus.

C. This is why Ananias told Paul to wash away his sins in baptism - Acts 22:16.

1. It is not the water that cleanses, but the blood of Christ, contacted by us in the watery grave of baptism - I Peter 3:21

2. The power is not in the water, but in the blood. And the way to contact the blood is through humble obedience of baptism.

D. Recall also that Christ’s shed blood purchased the church.

1. We enter a relationship with Christ through baptism - Galatians 3:27-29

2. Hence we read that on the day of Pentecost - Acts 2:41, 47

VII. Have you entered into that relationship? Have you been cleansed and set apart to serve the Lord of Life?

Suggested song: Nothing But the Blood of Jesus

The Blood of Christ

Jeffrey Hamilton — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 00:10:39 +0000

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/The-Blood-of-Christ.mp3

by Jeffrey W. Hamilton

Text: I Peter 1:18-21

I. The blood of Christ is strongly connected with the concept of salvation from sin.

A. It has been in the plan of God that Christ should die for mankind

1. Isaiah 53:5 - He was wounded for our transgressions.

2. Zechariah 13:1 - A fountain opened for sin and uncleanness

3. God even used the enemies of Christ to make this point - John 11:49-52

4. Planned before the foundation of the world - I Peter 1:18-21

II. What Christ’s blood does for man

A. It takes care of man’s sins

1. It washes away sins

a. Sin makes a person defiled - Isaiah 1:16

(1) Not physically but spiritually - Titus 1:15

b. Christ’s blood cleanses us

(1) He washed our sins in his own blood - Revelation 1:5

(2) It makes us pure - Revelation 7:14

2. This is the idea of sanctification – being set apart as something holy

a. It was done under the Old Law - Hebrews 9:18-22

b. We were sanctified by Jesus’ blood - Hebrews 13:12

3. It cleanses us from sin - I John 1:7

a. Though sin stains the heart, we are made pure - Isaiah 1:18

4. It purges our conscience - Hebrews 9:13-14

5. It puts away sin - Hebrews 9:26

6. It forgives or remits sins

a. Sin incurs a debt toward God

b. Shedding of blood is necessary for forgiveness of sin - Hebrews 9:22

c. Jesus’ blood was shed for the remission of sin - Matthew 26:28

B. It restores our relationship with God - Colossians 1:20

1. Man’s sins put a barrier between man and God - Isaiah 59:1-2

2. Desire of the world, makes us enemies of God - James 4:4

3. Through Jesus we are reconciled to God - II Corinthians 5:18-21

4. We are reconciled by Jesus’ death - Romans 5:10-11

C. It justifies us - Romans 5:9

1. When we sin, we incur a death penalty. We stand condemned before God. - Proverbs 12:2

2. When we sin, we break God’s law - I John 3:4

3. There is no condemnation in Christ - Romans 8:1

D. It redeems man by purchasing him out of the slavery of sin - Colossians 1:13-14; Ephesians 1:7

1. That we should no longer be slaves of sin - Romans 6:6

2. Redeemed us from every lawless deed - Titus 2:13-14

3. Redeemed by the blood of Christ - I Peter 1:18-19

E. In the buying back of men from sin, Jesus’ blood purchased the church - Acts 20:28

III. The blood of Christ is a gift freely and universally given

A. It is a free gift - Romans 5:15-16

B. One act brings justification to all men - Romans 5:18; I Corinthians 15:22

C. He tasted death for everyone - Hebrews 2:9

D. Salvation has appeared to all men - Titus 2:11

E. Christ gave himself as a ransom for all - I Timothy 2:5-6

F. God wants everyone saved - I Timothy 2:3-4

1. He wants everyone to repent - II Peter 3:9

2. God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked - Ezekiel 18:23

3. Notice that these last two verses imply that while the gift is freely given and offered to all, all will not benefit from the gift.

IV. God’s gift to man was the shed blood of Christ, but how do we gain access to the gift?

A. Jesus’ blood was shed in his death - John 19:34

1. Baptism represents his death - Romans 6:3-4

B. Jesus’ blood washes away sin - Revelation 1:5

1. Baptism washes away sins - Acts 22:16

C. Jesus’ blood sanctifies us - Hebrews 13:12

1. We are sanctified and cleansed by the washing of water - Ephesians 5:25-27

2. A washing of regeneration - Titus 3:4-7

D. Jesus’ blood cleanses our conscience - Hebrews 9:13-14

1. Baptism saves as an answer of a good conscience toward God - I Peter 3:21

2. Baptism with faith saves - Mark 16:16

E. There is no condemnation in Christ - Romans 8:1

1. Baptism puts us in Christ - Galatians 3:26-27; Romans 6:3

V. So many object to baptism, claiming it is nothing more than a work

A. Actually faith, repentance, and confession are more properly works than baptism because they are things I must do. Baptism is something that must be done to me.

B. When people claim that man is not saved by his own works, such is true (Ephesians 2:8-9).

1. But when they then say that baptism is such a work, they are saying that baptism is a work of man.

2. We are to do the works of God - Ephesians 2:10

3. Hence, let us read Matthew 28:18-20 and let me borrow a question similar to one Jesus once asked, the baptism commanded by Jesus is it from God or from man?

a. If it is from man, then why is it commanded by Jesus?

b. If it is from God, then submitting to it is doing the work of God and not man.

C. Will you not do the work of God today?

Is eating balut or anchovies wrong?

Jeffrey Hamilton — Fri, 26 May 2023 13:53:41 +0000

Question:

Hello brother,

I read this post as part of my research and study: Was eating blood only wrong because it was associated with idolatry? We've also been teaching this in our local congregation, and I agree with everything that you wrote here.

As mentioned, I'm doing my research because I came across a question that I am not able to answer just yet. Here in the Philippines, we have a popular "dish" called Balut. It's a boiled, unhatched duck egg. I've always taught and stood that it is also forbidden because of the blood in it. Recently, I received a question: What about anchovies? In preparing those tiny fish for cooking, we don't bleed them one by one. Same with other similar animals. I understand this may be a strange question to you, brother, since we do have weird dishes here (we make patties out of those anchovies!) than what you have over there in the States.

I hope you will be able to shed some light on this for me from the Scriptures, I want to grow more in my knowledge and rightly divide the word of truth concerning items like these.

Answer:

Balut is made from a developing bird's egg. Since the embryo in the egg has a beating heart, even though it has not developed enough to live outside of the egg, it is still life with blood. The cooking process is no different than cooking a strangled animal -- the blood is not drained. "For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials: that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication; if you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well" (Acts 15:28-29).

With anchovies, it depends on how the fish is processed. Typically, they are gutted, and sometimes the heads are removed. Both would cause blood to drain.

How can we be of one blood if we have different blood types?

Jeffrey Hamilton — Tue, 14 Mar 2023 13:38:50 +0000

Question:

I have a question sir. According to Acts 17:26, He has made us from one blood. But nowadays why are there changes in our blood groups and genotypes?

Answer:

Each individual has two sets of genes. Depending on the combination of those genes, we have different features, such as the color tone of our skin. See How did the different races come about?

There are three basic blood genes: A, B, and O. If a person has both genes, then he has type AB. If he has the genes for A and A or A and O, he has type A blood. If he has the genes for B and B or B and O, he has type B blood. If he has the genes for O and O, then he has type O blood. If Adam's blood type contained two of the traits (such as A and O) and Eve's blood type contained a different combination of the two traits (such as B and O), then the mixing of all the blood types would lead to all the various blood types we have today. See ABO Blood and Human Origins.

People who have different blood types are able to marry and have children, just as people of different skin colors are able to marry and have children. These traits do not make people a different race (or "kind" in biblical language) from each other.

Over time, God's creation has been wearing down because of mankind's sins from the beginning. Mutations (bad sequences of genetic code) have crept into the population. These have caused various genetic diseases but they do not cause people to cease being people.

Does “abstain” mean we have the freedom to choose to follow or not?

Jeffrey Hamilton — Sat, 26 Dec 2020 18:44:17 +0000

Question:

Good day brother Jeffrey,

I need your help with this translation of Acts 15:20-29 because I do not have the knowledge to read this. I just came across one preacher who said the word "abstain" means to choose not to partake. We have the freedom to choose to follow or not, but I strongly believe that eating blood is a sin. I need your insight on this brother Jeffrey.

Thank you and God bless the La Vista Church of Christ.

Answer:

"But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil" (I Thessalonians 5:21-22).

By this preacher's argument, then there is no sin. It would be optional whether to avoid sin or not.

The Greek word apecho has a wide variety of meanings, but when used in the middle voice, such as in I Thessalonians 5:22 or in Acts 15:20,29, the word means to give up something or staying away from something. In English, "abstain" means to "restrain oneself from doing or enjoying something." Since we all have free will, it is always your choice to get involved in sin or to stay away from it. But with choice comes accountability. "But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to each person according to his deeds: to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation" (Romans 2:5-8).

"Abstain" is not permission to sin if you want to.

The church in Jerusalem wrote a letter to their brethren. While telling the brethren that they did not send out men to teach that the Gentiles had to follow the Law of Moses, they wanted to make it clear that it wasn't that they were living without any rules. "Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood" (Acts 15:19-20). They urged that three things be avoided that were a particular problem in Gentile society: idolatry, fornication, and the eating of blood.

I would hope that this preacher is not arguing that idolatry or fornication is optional (I Corinthians 6:9-10). If these things are intrinsically wrong, then so is the eating of blood.

Question:

Thank you so much for a very crystal clear explanation, brother Jeffrey. Ever since the Old Testament, the eating of blood has been forbidden, but he won't accept it. Deuteronomy 12:23 and in the Book of Leviticus say very clearly "do not eat blood." His argument is that Acts 15 is silent in saying "Do not eat blood" and now he is touching another topic regarding the silence of the Scripture. He doesn't understand the concept is there already and they are staying in their old practices of sin. I forgot to ask him if idolatry and fornication are optional or not in his opinion.

I will grasp this opportunity, brother Jeffrey, to ask for help regarding "Patriarchal age, Mosaical age, Christian age." Do you have a detailed study on this topic?

Again, thank you so much for your time and effort in helping me answering my questions. I'm praying that this preacher will not become a false teacher.

God bless you and your family.

Answer:

The closest I have is The Purpose of the Old Law.

Can Christians eat animals caught in a trap?

Jeffrey Hamilton — Sun, 02 Dec 2018 02:54:00 +0000

Question:

Please, sir, can Christians eat animals caught with a trap?

Answer:

There are no rules about how an animal is obtained. What is required is that the meat is processed such that blood is drained from the meat. "For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell" (Acts 15:28-29).

The Old Testament had details regarding how this was to be done. "Whatever man of the children of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell among you, who hunts and catches any animal or bird that may be eaten, he shall pour out its blood and cover it with dust; for it is the life of all flesh. Its blood sustains its life. Therefore I said to the children of Israel, 'You shall not eat the blood of any flesh, for the life of all flesh is its blood. Whoever eats it shall be cut off'" (Leviticus 17:13-14).

Response:

Thanks a lot, minister.