“The fallen nature’s demand to see in the ‘natural,’ what Jesus said in the Spirit, led to his death by Roman crucifixion.”

Greetings,

This is part two in a series investigating two epic events in Christ’s life, his perfection, occurring before his ministry, and, Calvary, at the end of his ministry.

What I’m sharing fills the void created by creeds and traditions; revealing Christ’s personal journey, and how it’s separate and distinct from his ministry, and, Calvary.

You must start fresh with Scripture, setting aside creeds and traditions, if you want the fullness of the Gospel; one not altered by 1700 years of enshrined extra biblical beliefs.

It took over a millennium and a half for the Reformation to be birthed, and it came about through great struggle.

And another four hundred years for Pentecost to return.

The power of creeds and traditions are formidable, they are not to be underestimated.

If you’re familiar with the power of “agreements” (judgments), and the like, and the power they have in an individual’s life, how much more the power of corporate beliefs stretching over centuries spread like yeast in dough.

If you want to go on to maturity, then the rudimentary principles of Christ is the place to start.

And they can only be found in Scripture.

If you desire to know when the New Testament began, what Christ did to usher in the New Testament, how the Father accomplished the perfection of his Son for the atonement for our sins, then you have everything you need in Scripture.

You do not need anything outside of Scripture.

No other is skilled like the Lord in revealing his Word “about himself,” to those who hunger and thirst after him.

He’ll lead you line upon line, here a little and there a little, into the principles of Christ, and on to maturity.

It’s his promise of the grace to come.

He’s the master teacher.

He’ll father you, just like he was fathered into the deep things of the Spirit.

Creeds and traditions will take you nowhere but into confusion, keeping the lover of your soul at arms-length.

Don’t you think God wants us to know the full story of our Savior, the Messiah, the one for whom creation was spoken into existence?

Creeds and traditions will give you a blurred picture of Christ at best.

The greatest artist of all, wants us to see the greatest story of all.

With creeds and traditions, it’s like looking at a famous sculpture or painting and much of it is missing.

Or, like picking up a famous novel and finding someone has removed much of the beginning story, mystified how it all began.

Creeds and traditions bypass the profound, deep, heart felt story of Christ, “his journey,” what he endured and overcame in being made perfect.

And instead, focus on the rage of sinners against the Holy One of God.

Bottom line, the great weight and body of Scriptures we’ve all been taught to see as pointing to Calvary, instead, describe and testify of Christ’s personal journey, becoming our Lord and Savior before his ministry.

****

Commentaries, translations, and writings invariably start from the precepts expressed in creeds and traditions in “interpreting” Scriptures about Christ.

Creeds and traditions have been enshrined “institutionalized,” so long they’ve established a “presence” separate and elevated from Scripture.

There are commentators who admit certain Scriptures must mean something different than what they say, because what they say conflict with “historic Christianity’s,” creeds and traditions.

And many of those are critical in understanding the fullness of Christ’s story.

Creeds and traditions relegate Christ to ministry and Calvary, bypassing the most important part of his journey, his perfection, before his presentation to John.

Going on to Maturity, Knowing and Being Known

This series does not diminish the importance of Calvary – the extension of additional grace Jesus gave to the people of Israel.

But the focus of this series is to investigate the Scripture, the great weight and body of writing in the New Testament about Christ, his journey before ministry and the events surrounding Calvary.

Our eyes belong on Jesus, and him only.

He is the source of our life, hope, and dreams.

I hope this series inspires a greater interest in the things of God; a greater understanding of the person of Christ.

After all, the heart of the Gospel is to make us into the likeness of Christ, from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18), the journey the Scripture says he pioneered.

In-kind produces in-kind, the law of creation God established at the beginning.

“The tree of life (Christ) grafting others into him to produce like kind fruit in their seasons!”

We are more like Christ – the journey of learning obedience through suffering, dying to sin, to walk in new life – than unlike him.

And his mission is to even make us more like him in the remaining time our life permits.

Creeds and traditions have made him unapproachable, not fully human, i.e., having no need to be healed and restored from wounds and brokenness passed to him from his human ancestry.

In spite of the clear teaching of Scripture.

I hope you see through this series how similar we are to our Savior in our need to be healed and restored, the path he pioneered for you and me.

Jesus is the source of our faith, and nothing else.

Calvary does not come close to matching what the “Father” accomplished in him as our atoning sacrifice.

Calvary was made possible because of Christ’s previous perfection, and not vice versa.

And yes, Jesus lived by faith (e.g., see Romans 3:22 and Galatians 3:22 in an interlinear).

(If he did not walk by grace through faith, then, why did he suffer to learn obedience, and, what did he pioneer? But, the Scripture does say he walked by faith.)

Calvary gave the people of Israel a second chance, not the nation, but the people.

We, 21^st-century Christians, need the Lord more than ever as we face an ever – increasing hostility to Christianity.

And in that need, we need deep healing and restoration.

Without healing and restoration, we’ll miss the likeness of Christ Jesus desires.

People are tired of words and claims.

People are tired of the commercialization of Christ. 

People want to tangibly experience the fullness of the Gospel – to experience actual fruitful change in their lives from the living waters of Christ.

To know him, and to be known of him.

You may wonder, why is the understanding of Christ’s personal journey so important?

Because the enemy knows if he can keep you and me from Christ’s epic event, his journey, and keep our eyes focused on his ministry and Calvary, then he has a good shot at keeping you and me from our epic event, the one he pioneered.

Jesus did not pioneer Calvary for you and me!

And he did not pioneer ministry either, but the revelation of grace in healing and restoration, the heart and gospel of the New Testament, the promised grace to come.

The enemy knows if he can take the teeth out of the Gospel, make it all about Calvary, and not the fight for healing and restoration, then he’s won the battle without a battle even being fought.

And then he only has to contend with the wildfires of the Holy Spirit’s activity, instead of the firestorm “birthed” if the body of Christ as a whole moved into the deep things of God.

And you may wonder, if the Scripture is so clear about Christ’s personal journey, a separate and distinct journey, becoming the sacrifice for you and me, why does Christendom at large believe and teach otherwise?

I’ve covered this a number of times, but very briefly, when the creeds were formulated 1700 years ago, they became the official doctrines of the Church.

And with that came great risk to anyone who believed differently.

Everything pertaining to Christ was generally lumped and forced one way or another upon Calvary, because the journey of Tabernacles, the third feast in the New Covenant, was long lost and forgotten.

And with that, creeds and traditions became the substitute for deep intimacy with Christ, and the means to measure whether someone was in the faith.

Creeds and traditions institutionalized the belief generational wounds did not pass to Christ through his human ancestry in clear contradiction to Scripture.

They were developed by man and not by the Lord.

The Lord does not need creeds and traditions to have relationship with us, on the contrary, they’re a distraction at least, and an obstacle at best, because they were developed to fill a vacuum only Jesus can fill.

That the only temptations he had to resist were from without, violating the laws of creation “in-kind,” and, again, the clear teaching of Scripture, making him something he was not.

Plainly, the understanding of Christ, the deep work of grace, and the Scriptures, were compromised to fit into a package for defining Christianity outside of intimacy and relationship.

Creating the means by which to “judge” another by a system of unwritten rules and officially accepted beliefs, instead of the fruit of the Spirit and being born again, spirit filled, pursuing God, sound familiar?

Having lost the knowledge of the deep healing and restoration work the promised grace to come was to provide, men developed what only seems rational to the natural mind, a package of doctrines to define Christ and relationship with him in the absence of Jesus.

Understanding Christ’s personal journey, how distinct and separate it was from his ministry and Calvary, will bring you closer to the Lord.

Because his journey is our journey, and in that, the relationship he so lovingly desires for us to have and share with him.

You do not know someone by creeds and traditions, statements of faith, doctrines, but by the uniting of hearts in a shared and common journey.

It is in journey, connection, experience, we truly begin “to know” and “be known” of the Lord.

And in that we share sufferings with him, and he with us.

We’re two millenniums into the story of Christ.

We have the Reformation and return of Pentecost in our rearview mirror.

We’re in the heart of Tabernacles, many at different stages, with the completion of the “Gospel’s” pilgrimage looming on the horizon.

Sharing New Insight

This post has new information on the story of Christ, so if you’re interested in his story, this one is for you.

Lord willing, in future posts, I’ll cover a vast range of subjects explaining puzzling, interesting, and frequently misunderstood Scriptures pointed by commentators and translators to Calvary that are, instead, about Christ’s perfection.

Including explanation of the Scriptures Jesus said about “fulfilling prophecy” before and after his death.

Bottom line, by the time this series is over, I hope you’ll see the Scriptures clearly expound Christ as our Savior, not events, not his crucifixion, but him, and him alone.

(See, “Topics Covered in Future Posts” at the very end for some of what I hope to cover in future posts.)

There are many, many Scriptures about his perfection, becoming our Savior.

And there are a number of Scriptures, particularly in the Gospels, about Calvary, as we all know.

And there are a number of Scriptures that speak about both his perfection and Calvary in the same passage.

I promise you this will be an interesting series.

You’ll find out Christ was not following a script, but a real-world struggle for life and death, ultimately deciding, though he didn’t have to, to go above and beyond “exceedingly,” permitting his death in one last effort to win some to the kingdom.

These posts will open up doors to the Scriptures you didn’t know were there.

After all, we’re living in the age of Philadelphia, the “open door” to the deep things of God.

As I’ve mentioned a number of times, not many in Christendom are aware of his personal story.

I met some who are, but not many, at least publicly.

And honestly, unless the Lord moves in a really profound way, I think it will stay thus to the end.

Why?

Because there’s a great apostasy in the end – times, even at the door.

Jesus, Paul, Peter, etc., faced the hardship of over a millennium (from the time of the Judges to the time of Christ) of firmly entrenched traditions; I don’t see the bride being an exception to that challenge.

Especially in light of the foreknowledge in the Scriptures of the Great Falling Away in the last season of the Church (2 Thessalonians 2:3, Revelation 12:4), and, the rejection and persecution of the bride by the Church (Revelation 3:9), etc.

*** PREFACE ***

There are two epic events in Christ’s life, the first occurred before his ministry: called his “dying to sin, raised to walk in newness of life,” mortality taking on immortality, his first glorification, “resurrection.”

The writings of Romans and Hebrews cover this in much detail and depth, as well as sections in other letters.

1 Corinthians 15 opens with the second epic event in his life, Calvary, and then quickly transitions to the first epic event, his perfection before ministry, being “…raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” (NIV, 15:20, italicized and bold are mine)

Fallen asleep refers to the mortality Christ was born into, his humanity; and being raised from the dead, is the healing and restoration of all things in him, the first fruit of the promised grace to come “made perfect,” entering eternal life this side of heaven.

I’m saving the detail for later, but the same theme, the same epic event, of Christ being made perfect, before his ministry, redeeming everything Adam lost, plus more, is repeated in Ephesians 1 (raised from the dead), Philippians 2 (exalted, a name above all names), Colossians 1 (firstborn), and elsewhere, etc.

These descriptions, and testimony, are not about Calvary, but about Christ’s perfection, who he became before he was presented to John at the river Jordan.

Each word and phrase in the passages just mentioned describe the same epic journey, but show a different aspect and position Christ apprehended while being fathered by God into the perfect one.

Important

Because Christ completed his journey without sin, and this is important to understand, “without sin,” redeeming the effects of the curse passed to him through his human ancestry, i.e., the Spirit of grace in Christ prevailing and overcoming the deeds of the flesh, he, by grace through faith, fulfilled the heart of the Law:

• making his flesh one with the spiritual laws of God, i.e., destroying the barriers to holiness and righteousness passed to him from his human ancestral line (the effects of transgressions and iniquities of his generations),
• by overcoming the deeds of the flesh, i.e., learning obedience through the suffering and discomfort of redeeming wounds and brokenness passed to him, through the Father’s healing and restoration of him,
• and, being healed and restored to the fullness Adam lost, and beyond, doing the will of God from the heart, Christ was made perfect “resurrected, made alive in spirit,” becoming our substitute for sin,
• a living, breathing, substitute for sin in flesh and blood!

 

Truly, the New Covenant is a better covenant, a living covenant, Christ being a living testimony of his death to sin, “the testator of a New Covenant.”

And by the way, the journey of healing and restoration, is recorded as being wounded and pierced in Isaiah 53, the “cure,” for what Isaiah 1 shows.

The cure for what Isaiah saw in Chapter 1 is not accomplished by brutalizing or killing the body, that’s what the pagans do, but by healing and restoring the soul and spirit; the cure he was anointed to speak found in Chapter 53.

I’ve written earlier in other posts how wounding and piercing of wounds and brokenness in the “inner man” is no different than, likened to, the wounding and piercing for healing and restoration of wounds in the body.

That’s how David and the prophets expressed deep matters of the heart and being touched by God.

Using strong terms to describe the deep and secret work of God in the inner man.

If you have an infection or other sickness in the body, you may need to “wound” or “pierce” the infection or sickness in order for it to be made vulnerable, exposed, cleansed, healed, and restored.

Even a commentator noted wounding and piercing has such a broad range of meanings and applications, the terms can mean any number of things.

Isaiah 53 captures both Christ’s personal journey, through verse 6, with Calvary beginning in verse 7.

And in the Hebrew, verse 9 (Isaiah 53) speaks of deaths – plural.

Creeds and traditions blind us to the truth of Scripture – Christ was born with wounds and brokenness from his human ancestry requiring healing and restoration.

You do not heal or redeem generational iniquities and transgressions by beating the body!

They’re healed by the deep work of the Spirit of grace upon the inner man, requiring the wounding and piercing of deep wounds and brokenness in bringing healing and restoration to the soul and spirit, and the body.

Wounding and piercing means bringing an “end” to desires wanting to destroy you and me, the enmity in the flesh passed to everyone born after the fall, born of woman, including Christ. (Ephesians 2:14-15, see an interlinear.) 

Again, it’s not referring to wounding and piercing the body, but bringing to an end that, which left unhealed, will destroy someone.

Christ pioneered what it was like to be healed and restored from the enmity in his flesh, as the Scripture points out in Ephesians 2 (see literal Greek), and he did this without sin, becoming our substitute.

Christ’s personal journey was not a walk in the park. He was fully human in every way, just as it says in Hebrews.

But a life and death struggle with things inside he had to overcome in his healing and restoration journey, designed by the Father, to restore mankind, Christ being the first fruit.

As James, says, you can have lust and not sin.

Christ inherited things he overcame before they trapped him in sin, tempted in all points as you and me without sin.

And in regards to Calvary, Jesus did not die at Calvary for the punishment of our sins, or as a replacement for you and me, having already been perfected, having the New Testament in his blood, but died at Calvary in one last attempt for some to come to repentance who would otherwise be lost if he had chosen to fight.

Bottom line, Jesus had no reason to die at Calvary other than to continue to extend grace to the uttermost, “over and beyond” what was necessary, as described in 1 Corinthians 15:3 (the Greek word used for him dying for us is not the typical “for” but, over, beyond, exceedingly).

You do not want to miss my next post.

I will explain what wounding and piercing means in more detail, setting you free from believing the cure for our sin, our salvation, came from brutalizing Christ’s body at Calvary.

The Scriptures do not teach that.

I will explain why this understanding is important for those who want to be in the bride.

Please don’t get me wrong, lacks in understanding of one’s salvation will not keep one from the bride.

But it certainly helps to understand as much as we can, bringing the Scriptures together, removing barriers, allowing the Lord to advance his kingdom in us, and in others, he brings our way.

And, importantly, you’ll better understand the deep work of grace in your life, and be less prone to misinterpret the moving of the Holy Spirit when God begins a deep work in you.

****

Very briefly, “resurrection” refers to him overcoming the enmity of the flesh he inherited, entering eternal life this side of heaven; “raised from the dead” further describes taking on immortality, eternal life.

“Exalted” shows his position in God, having all authority; passing through the heavens mentioned in Hebrews (Christ coming from heaven mentioned in John).

A “name above all names” refers to his union with the “Father,” having his father’s name, the power and authority that goes with it.

The “firstborn” refers to all creation centered in him, either pointing to him, or coming from him, i.e., everything created and directed toward his coming, and at his coming, everything being conformed, made, into his likeness.

And his “perfection” refers to his substitution for our sins, overcoming sin without sinning; healed and restored from the effects of sin passed to him from his human ancestry, our substitute.

A better covenant, Christ being the only one to do the will of God from the heart, becoming our High Priest and mediator.

Once you understand these events did not occur at Calvary, but before his ministry, Christ’s claims about himself make sense, like being the resurrection, etc.

And importantly, he did not come to die a Roman crucifixion, as we’ve been taught, but to call Israel into deep intimacy with the Father and himself by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The sections of Scripture referred to above, and many more, describe and testify of Christ’s personal journey “dying to sin, raised to walk in new life;” the baptism he pioneered of putting the deeds of the body to death for you and me.

This chapter of his life, his perfection, resurrection, glorification, etc., occurred before his presentation to John at the river Jordan.

Jesus completed all three feasts of the Old Covenant perfectly, before his ministry, the only one to do so, being fathered by God, “…the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being…” (NIV, Hebrews 1:3, bold and italicized are mine)

His ministry to Israel was an invitation to come into the three feasts with him, they refused, and now his eyes are upon us.

These various descriptions are the “glory” the three witnessed on the Mount, the “first of two” glorifications mentioned in John 12.

If Israel had accepted their Messiah, Calvary would have been unnecessary, the process of bringing in the Millennium would have begun right then and there.

His second glorification, “resurrection (again),” occurred at the end of his ministry, after his death at Calvary.

Important

Christ’s death at Calvary was not necessary for the atonement of our sins, he had already atoned for mankind’s sin in his first glorification, “perfection,” “resurrection.” (Romans 6:10, Hebrews 5:7-10, and many more references)

Remember, Christ was the NT in flesh and blood, a living sacrifice, clearly saying that a number of times, announcing and demonstrating who he was through signs, wonders, miracles, and teaching.

Calvary did provide the people of Israel more time to find forgiveness (Matthew 26:28) and come to repentance, as on the day of Pentecost.

How many times did he say come to me to find life, I am the resurrection, etc.?

He was already the lamb substitute walking in flesh and blood (John 1:29).

The New Covenant is a better covenant, not requiring the physical death of anything!

But, a deeper and more intimate relationship; putting to death sin by grace through faith; vulnerable to God for healing and restoration, the greatest price one can pay this sign of heaven.

Jesus wasn’t “any less or any more” “Jesus” “before or after Calvary.” 

Peter acknowledges the two glorifications of Christ on the day of Pentecost, in substance, saying, the resurrection David foresaw (Psalm 16) Christ fulfilled, mortality taking on immortality, entering eternal life without dying.

Peter said, it’s “that Jesus” you killed, “the resurrected Christ,” the one who fulfilled all the prophets spoke of the grace to come – “that Jesus” God raised from the dead!

Creeds and Traditions

All in all, most writings, no matter the source, whether it’s creeds, traditions, commentaries, translations, etc., erroneously combine these two separate and distinct events as one.

They’ve been nicely packaged into one event, all pointing to Calvary.

The underlying premise being anytime “death” or “wounded” or “sacrifice” or “blood” or “resurrection” or “raised,” etc., are mentioned in the Scriptures, in reference to Christ, most assume it must be referring to Calvary.

Because, what else could it possibly be referring, since, as creeds and traditions teach, Christ was inherently perfect, having no flesh issues, just needing to grow and mature.

But those assumptions contradict the Scriptures about his journey, being fully human, having enmity in his flesh, tempted in every way we’re tempted; the need to put sin to death, as our pioneer and pattern.

The assumption Christ was inherently perfect, not “made perfect” as the Scriptures teach, has been one of the obstacles to understanding the personal story and journey of Christ.

The great weight and body of Scriptures describing and testifying of Christ’s long journey of learning obedience, dying to sin, being made perfect, are all pointed to Calvary. 

And in turn, the obstacles to understanding the journey Christ, present obstacles to Christians in entering into the deep things of God Christ pioneered for them.

Which is critically important for those alive in the age of Philadelphia.

Regardless of what creeds and traditions teach, the Scripture is clear, Christ’s first glorification occurred before ministry, his second, at Calvary.

His first glorification (which the three were privileged to experience of the Mount) ushered in the New Testament before his ministry.

The second, after Calvary, confirmed everything he said about himself.

And, their need to be saved from the horrible sin they committed against him and God in their rejection and killing of him.

The first coming to fulfillment on the completion of his personal journey before ministry, “ushered into the eternal realm,” the heavenly Holy of Holies, which prepared him for union with the Father; pioneering the path for those who would call on his name; launching him (after his baptism and testing), into ministry.

The second coming to fulfillment not in the heavenly, but in the valley of rejection and death.

A death he tried with all his heart to avoid, sharing his resurrection glory with Israel for over three years.

Hoping against hope they would come to the Messiah they had long hoped and prayed.

****

Students of Scripture know you cannot take one or two Scriptures and draw broad conclusions.

There’s common threads “themes,” running throughout Scripture.

Once the Lord connects you with one, revelation will follow.

And then, over time, he’ll connect various tributaries feeding that particular theme, increasing insight and revelation as the territory expands.

Ultimately, you’ll get the “lay of the land,” the intimacy and discovery the Lord wants to share with you.

We’ll never get to the end of understanding the kingdom of God; it’s a continual process of growth and revelation in the knowledge of Christ.

Creeds and traditions imprison the “heart and spirit” of men and women from discovering more of the Lord; the progressive revelation he wants to share with each successive generation, advancing the kingdom of God until he has a bride. 

Creeds and traditions artificially connect one’s identity and destiny to the power of extra biblical agreements; many suffering the absence of a living, breathing, deep, and intimate relationship with Christ.

They are at best a false sense of security, and at worse a deceptive state of affairs.

At the end of the day, in times of shaking, creeds and traditions will be found wanting.

The Word of God is in harmony with itself having central themes running throughout Scripture.

If the Lord is with you, you don’t have to worry about going down a dead end, over a waterfall, or rapids too difficult to navigate.

He’ll lead you one step at a time through, around, and over obstacles separating you from greater intimacy with him.

The Lord knows how and just when to connect us to various streams, the particular Word of truth, his Spirit, at just the right time.

The most important theme in this series is we grow in intimacy with the Lord, and the knowledge there’s a lot more to Christ than advertised.

So much so, a battle is raging in the heavens to keep God’s sons and daughters trapped in the empty way of life handed down through the generations.

The body of Christ is on the threshold of another great move of God; many are presently experiencing deep moves of healing and restoration in their personal lives in preparation for the one to come.

By the time this series is done, Lord willing, you’ll have a comprehensive understanding of the journey of Christ; his personal journey of healing and restoration before ministry, and how, it was separate and distinct from Calvary.

And the journey he’s calling every son and daughter into, those who desire Christ.

You’ll see our salvation rests unequivocally in Christ, not in events.

But in Jesus, and Jesus alone, before, during, and after Calvary.

Though Calvary was an epic event, Christ going “above and beyond” (1 Corinthians 15:3, see the Greek), his perfection was the most epic, ushering him to the right hand of the Father, a name above every name.

That Calvary (though it gave the people of Israel a second chance) is subservient to the glory of Christ’s perfection, becoming the source of salvation (Hebrews 5:9), ushering Christ into three years of ministry.

Important

Creeds and traditions handed Calvary to us in a nicely wrapped package, requiring little from us, and much from Christ.

Christ’s perfection required much of him, and, requires much from us.

The feast of Tabernacles, the age of Philadelphia, third and final feast, required much of Jesus, and is will require much of his bride before this age comes to a close.

What we’ve been taught understates and diminishes the impact of Israel’s refusal to believe and accept their Messiah, what Calvary depicted.

Israel had at their fingertips the New Testament in flesh and blood for over three years, and yet did not discern the moving of God’s Holy Spirit in the Son of Man in signs, wonders, and miracles.

It finally came down to kill or be killed for their Savior.

As the Greek says in 1 Corinthians 15:3, regarding Calvary, he went over and above, exceedingly, in what he was required to do, so that some would have one more chance of finding forgiveness.

Speculating, Christ may have had some thoughts like this as his journey got closer to Calvary:

 “You couldn’t come to forgiveness with me alive and present. So maybe, you can come to forgiveness when I display your sin on the righteousness of my holy body (re: Matthew 26:28.)”

“Maybe when you see the results of your sin on my body, and hear about my resurrection, and feel again the tug of my Spirit upon your heart, you’ll respond, and come to me like I hoped all along.”

****

Finally, creeds and traditions, commentaries, etc., direct most anything having to do with “resurrection” to pertaining after physical death.

While the heart, purpose, theme, and intent of the Gospel is for men and women to apprehend the fullness of what Christ purchased, “resurrection life,” this side of heaven.

That is the great body of what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15 and elsewhere.

Yes, that’s right.

As we receive healing and restoration, we are being changed from glory to glory, into the likeness of Christ, moving toward what the Scriptures promise, changed from death to life – raised to walk in newness of life.

Enoch, Moses, Elijah, and even David, experienced walking in newness of life this side of heaven.

So much so, Enoch, Moses, and Elijah, and probably others we don’t know about, were taken directly to heaven.

And many believe Paul and Peter were also because of their comments about knowing the time of their end.

Resurrection life is to be the normal life of God’s sons and daughters this side of heaven.

It’s the fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles, the Philadelphia church age, the bride of Christ.

I hope you can see why the enemy has worked overtime through creeds and traditions to keep the knowledge of resurrection life from the Church.

We don’t need resurrection life in heaven, we need it now, and that’s what Jesus purchased, not only for himself, but as the substitute for anyone who pursues him.

Creeds and traditions leave us in the realm of the Old Covenant; looking forward to the Messiah instead of Christ in us, the hope of glory now, this side of heaven.

As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15, in so many words, if all we have to hope for, is resurrection after physical death, then what’s the purpose of Christianity?

Because, Christianity is about healing and restoration now, the promised grace to come.

*** SECTION I ***

The Blood

Jesus diligently labored over three years to cultivate and inspire those around him to open the eyes of their heart to the Kingdom of God, the moving of the Spirit of God around them.

Christ approached teaching using natural terms to express spiritual truths.

There’s no other way, other than to use natural terms to describe the spiritual; dependent on the Spirit of God to give understanding.

Christ labored to draw hearts out of Old Covenant concepts into New Covenant understanding and discernment by showcasing the New Covenant in flesh and blood.

Christ unveiled his glory on the Mount to create hunger and desire in the three for what he had apprehended by grace through faith; completing and fulfilling the work of the promised grace to come.

The promised grace to come was not just for him, but, for those who would follow in his footsteps, under his care, love, and protection.

He was saying, “Look, touch, and feel, the Father and I have done it all in me, and I am food and drink for your life. Come, follow me, and partake of me.”

With the coming of the kingdom of God, the opening of the Holy of Holies by grace, comes the removing of the Old, and the planting of the New.

The Old was designed as a temporary means of connecting with the needs of the heart to be fathered, loved, and cared for, i.e., saved.

The Old was put in place until the fullness of time when the promised grace to come would be displayed and revealed.

The practices of the Old, e.g., animal sacrifices and the shedding and sprinkling of blood, symbolized the sacrifice of one’s deepest affections and possessions, for forgiveness of sins, in preparation for the coming of the New.

The Old symbolized a continual process of turning one’s heart toward God in thankfulness for his provisions and forgiveness, and away from the affections and possessions of this life.

The Old could not change the heart and mind into the likeness of God, but only point as a sign of one to come, who would fulfill all God has promised, starting with himself.

The New, unlike the Old, is designed by the grace of God, to redeem the fallen heart and mind into the likeness of God, through the mediation of Christ; the pioneer, forerunner, and perfecter of faith – the one who finished the race perfectly, without sin, becoming our Savior.

And in that process is the dying to sin; the deep healing and restoration by the grace of God; Christ being the first to partake.

John 6

Scholars, at least one of the references I use, place John 6 after The Great Galilean Ministry, about a year before Christ’s Roman crucifixion, shortly before he starts sharing specifically how he will be rejected and killed.

Thus, Christ realizes he doesn’t have a lot of time, he must make the best use of the remaining time he has available.

When Jesus talks about his blood, and there’s many references in John, it’s the most emotional, deep, intimate, and direct term used to represent life, as the Scripture says:

“For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.” (NIV, Leviticus 17:11)

Again, the most deep, intense, and intimate way, Christ could express the giving of his life – the sacrifices he made in being made perfect, fathered by God, becoming our Savior (Romans 6:10, Hebrews 5:7-10, etc.), fulfilling the promised grace to come – was by using the term “blood.”

You cannot get any more intimate than the term blood, because without it, there’s no life.

Blood evokes the strongest emotional response possible given its historic use in and out of Judaism.

That’s why Christ said things like, “…unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.” (NIV, John 6:53)

Jesus was not asking to be cannibalized!

It was the strongest possible way to explain under the New Covenant Christ had pioneered, life can only be found in him.

He was connecting the “Old” natural concepts about animal sacrifices, the eating of the animal, and the sprinkling of the blood, to “New” spiritual ones, showing grace had come in the person of him as promised by God.

And that, what they saw and knew about Old Covenant sacrifices, in the natural, was now held in front of them, in the spiritual; Christ literally confirming what John had said about him when he started ministry, the lamb of God.

But this sacrifice was living, breathing, one they could touch and handle, one familiar with their sufferings and weaknesses; because he pioneered the process of being made new, healed and restored, putting the old man to death to walk in new life (Romans 6, Hebrews 5, etc.)

Jesus was shattering Old Covenant concepts – animal sacrifices, sprinkling of blood, the Tabernacle in the wilderness and the Temple, and, all the traditions and practices of receiving atonement by the literal shedding of animal blood.

Those concepts were authored by God for then, that day, to point to a New and better covenant to come, one that would cleanse and heal the body, soul, and spirit.

“Then” has passed, and now, the promised grace to come, the Messiah in flesh and blood, their Savior, was standing before them, having fulfilled everything the Old Covenant pointed to.

In effect Jesus was saying, “Unless you allow the work of grace to cleanse and heal you of your sins, you’ll have no part of me.”

“Unless the Word of God becomes your source of food, and the Spirit your source of life, you’ll have no part of me.”

“Unless your affections, passions, and desires are cultivated, grow, and yearn for the things of God, you’ll have no part of me.”

“Unless you allow yourself to be known intimately in the secret and hidden places of your life, learning to deny yourself the cares and pleasures of this life, you’ll have no part of me.”

And, most importantly, underlying everything:

“Unless you allow me to show kindness and gentleness to the deep areas of pain, wounds, and brokenness in your life, like the Father did in me, ‘healing and restoring you to the design and purposes of God,’ you’ll have no part of me.”

****

Jesus was letting them know in no uncertain terms, everything in the Old Covenant pointed to him, he held the keys to eternal life, the man standing before them in flesh and blood they could touch, handle, and feel.

He had paid the price for sin in his perfection, by being the first and only to put sin to death, by grace through faith, fathered by God, without sinning!

Saying, “I am” your substitute for sin, life, health, prosperity, and blessing.

He used the most vivid and emotional terms possible to convey in the natural “his atonement for mankind’s sin.”

How else could he speak the things he spoke, and do the things he did, if God was not indeed walking in union with Christ, one with the Father, Immanuel, “God with us?”

Jesus was bringing together Old Covenant truths, the manna in the wilderness, Moses coming down from the mountain, the sacrificial offerings in the Tabernacle and the Temple, the sprinkling of blood, the eating of the sacrifice, the law forbidding the drinking of blood, plus much more, and pointing it all to him.

That he was the promised Messiah to come (the Father revealing that to Peter a short time later).

That the Father’s work of grace in Christ, through the sacrifice of his life to God, “doing the will of God from the heart”, made perfect, atoned for mankind’s sin – the true “blood” (life) sacrifice God desired from the beginning.

It took four millenniums for God to bring everything together, ready, for his Son’s journey to perfection, being fathered by God.

This is the Christ God presented to Israel as their Messiah and Savior.

Christ, the mediator of a new and better covenant, one based on grace through faith in the power of God to change men and women from their fallen state, to the image and likeness of the Father, in and through Christ. 

Jesus was saying in so many words, “The evidence of signs, wonders, miracles and teaching you’ve seen and witnessed should be evidence enough the Old is past, and the New has come, and has come in and through me.”

By referring to the eating of his flesh, Jesus was inviting those around him into the priesthood of the New Covenant; to be made priests unto God, just as the Old Covenant priests ate of the sacrifice, Christ was inviting them to do so as well.

And in that, he was inviting them to put their flesh to death; to be baptized into the baptism he was baptized with, to die to sin, and be made new in spirit.

And, by referring to the drinking of his blood, Jesus was inviting them into eternal life, “resurrection life,” this side of heaven – the fruit of the Spirit so evident in his life.

Everybody knew the drinking of blood was forbidden under the Old Covenant.

God prohibited the drinking of blood because it represents life, he did not want his people to think they could find life outside of him.

But now, with Christ’s presence among them, their Savior, eternal life in flesh and blood, Jesus could freely say, you need to drink my blood, the life of God in me!

Because, outside of me, there is no life, because, there is no other sacrifice than me.

Christ took their eyes off of the practices and life under the Old Covenant, placing them squarely on himself, the tree of life standing in their midst, saying don’t make the same mistake as Adam all over again.

Eat the fruit of this tree and drink its juices and you’ll have eternal life.

After being with Christ upwards of two years, Jesus knew it was time to start taking those who followed him deeper into his journey and the ways of the kingdom.

He had to begin to share more about himself, his journey, who he was, “his baptism,” in preparation of the rough days ahead and the days following his death.

By talking about eating his flesh and drinking his blood, Jesus was making the most stark and vivid contrast possible to capture their attention an epic shift in God’s relationship with mankind has occurred, through the sacrifice of his life, evidenced by what they’ve seen and witnessed.

Versus the lifeless form of rituals and sacrifices under the Old Covenant offering no hope of healing or restoration, only ongoing despair and drudgery from the weight of unhealed wounds and brokenness.

Jesus was hoping they would admit to themselves they did not understand the ways of God, but, could see the fruit of God in Christ, and choose, to accept by faith the grace before them, willingly submitting themselves to instruction unto obedience.

He was connecting their lives, their past, their present, and their future, to him and him alone.

He was connecting himself to them and they to him, that each might know the other in intimacy as a testimony of the work of God he had already displayed over the last two years.

He was saying, I am holiness, standing in the Most Holy Place, and if you come to me, I will make you holy.

And this in many ways is still the great struggle in the Church today:

To see the Fathers’ work of grace in Christ; perfecting him by grace through faith; becoming our Savior before his ministry,

Offering the same work of grace in the body, who in many ways, like Israel of Old, insists, on seeing the atoning work of Christ in the natural – a physical death – instead of the deep work of the Spirit of God putting the old man to death by grace.

Calvary is not the start of the New Covenant, but the tragic end of the life of the one who pioneered it, having the New Testament in his blood (Matthew 26:28).

A Little More Detail

It says in Hebrews “He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.” (NIV, Hebrews 9:12)

This passage, and all the surrounding passages, are not referring to Calvary, but, additional detail about Christ’s journey to perfection, becoming our Savior (Hebrews 5:7 – 10), having nothing to do with Calvary.

The book of Hebrews is the testimony of Christ’s journey to perfection.

Calvary was a response to who Christ was, the New Testament in flesh and blood, freely given to Israel over 3 years, not an event that added anything to, or took anything from Christ, for the sake of others, or himself.

Out of Calvary, Christ’s last gallant effort to save, Jesus hoped some would find forgiveness once they realized who they rejected, and what they had done to him.

His perfection had already atoned for sins before he started ministry, that’s why he was so hated, because of who he was, what he said about himself, and what he did.

Calvary is not the Most Holy Place, nor did Jesus “enter” Calvary by his own “blood:” the context and statement in Hebrews intimating deep intimacy in a free will offering of life in pursuit of God, and all God had for him, in becoming the man we know as our Savior and pioneer of the faith.

Calvary was kill or be killed, the result of his life long sacrifice and atoning work, not the place of sacrifice!

Calvary would not have happened had Christ not already been perfected, the New Testament in flesh and blood, turning the world upside down to the love of God.

Calvary (his resurrection) was a demonstration and confirmation of who Christ was, not, who Christ became.

Jesus entered the heavenly realm at his perfection, before his ministry, passing through the heavens (as it says in Hebrews), entering heaven by his own blood, the most intimate expression possible to express the cost and price Christ paid, in being made perfect, without sin.

Christ’s perfection ushered him into the heavenly realm, mortality taking on immortality, our sacrifice, having been made perfect without sin, there was no need to die.

This is who God presented to John at the river Jordan, and who walked in the midst of Israel for over three years.

When Jesus referred to coming down from heaven, he wasn’t talking about preexistence, but his “open door” to the heavenly realm in relationship with his Father, like what he shared with the three on the Mount.

He contrasted it with those who rejected him, saying they were from below, having a different father.

Christ’s Transfiguration on the Mount shows Christ had free access to the heavenly realm though he be walking on the dusty roads of Israel.

The Transfiguration was in effect saying, “I am the fulfillment of all that was promised in the Old, and as you can see in the signs, wonders, and miracles that follows, resurrection life is a much better covenant.”

“In fact, if you enter into this New Covenant with me, you will be raised to walk in new life as you put sin to death by grace through faith, just like I did.”

By speaking of his blood and his flesh, and all the other things Jesus said and did to explain who he was, including the Transfiguration, he was “not” saying, “You know how you sacrifice animals for forgiveness of sins, well, you need to sacrifice me, by killing me, for forgiveness under the New Covenant as well.”

That’s not a better covenant, but a worse covenant!

And it’s tragic this is what Christianity promotes, the killing of their Savior as the open door to salvation.

If that’s the case, being ridiculous, why did Christ try so long to convince them who he was, steering clear of their plans to harm him, and even more ridiculous, save himself years of heart ache and suffering by asking to be killed early!

Tragically, sadly, creeds and traditions fly right by the heart and intent of Christ’s words about himself, his mission, his person.

The struggle today is no different than at the time of Christ, to draw men and women out of the natural, into the spiritual, discerning by the Holy Spirit the intent and heart of the things of God.

The literal blood flowing in Christ’s body when he said those words was no different than anybody else’s, except, it did not carry any contamination from the fall, having been perfected.

Perfection, being raised from the dead, from “mortality” into eternal life, changed his body like Adam’s before the fall, but, obviously, it was not indestructible to those who wanted to do his body harm.

To repeat, Christ used the term “blood” to communicate the most intimate thing about him, that he, was the source of life, and that only life could be found in him.

The Bible writers understood this and used the term blood over and over again in the Scripture to represent the most intimate and complete sacrifice possible one can make in relationship to doing the will of God from the heart, submitting the entirety of their life to God.

In the Old Covenant, on the Day of Atonement, the High Priest would take the blood of the animal sacrifice, and walk through the Tabernacle or Temple, sprinkling the blood in all three sections, the Altar in the Outer Court, the Altar of Incense in the Inner Court, and over the Ark in the Most Holy Place.

You can read about this in Leviticus.

By the sprinkling of the blood throughout the Tabernacle or Temple, which is symbolic of our body, soul, and spirit, it was foretelling the time of the Messiah, how he would sacrifice the entirety of his being, body, soul, and spirit, to do the will of God from the heart without sin.

And that’s who was presented to Israel for over three years. 

Christ’s complete sacrifice to the Father, without sinning, crying with strong prayers as it says in Hebrews to complete the journey perfectly, was his living blood sacrifice, “alive,” satisfying the heart of God, what he always desired.

The perfect sacrifice did away with death, it did not introduce it again in a new and more deadly form.

That’s what man required, not the Father, nor Christ.

And with Christ’s perfection came what is normally ascribed to Calvary – exalted to the right hand of the Father, a name above every other name, becoming King, Lord, Savior, High Priest, and Prophet.

Some may have been taught, like me, the goat killed on the Day of Atonement pointed to Christ, and, the goat freed pointed to you and me.

On the contrary, because Christ sacrificed his life perfectly, without sin, there was no need for death, because his perfection stood in the place of you and me, satisfying the heart of God for those who accept Christ.

Again, the New Testament writers note the blood of Christ in a number of Scriptures, but you’ll find no note of Calvary, and no note of rejoicing about Calvary.

And you’ll find a couple of Scriptures where shed and shedding have been added to make it appear as Calvary, that are not present in the Greek.

Jesus made it clear at the outset, his use of the term blood was to depict a spiritual truth using the most emotional and connected word possible to the ushering in of the New and the removal of the Old.

Matthew 26:28

When Jesus spoke about the shedding of his blood for the forgiveness of sins in Matthew 26:28, he’s pointing to the depth and extent of the measures he’s taking for the saving of souls.

In that expression is the hope and prayer some would come to realize what he’s gone through, the loss of his life, for some to be saved in Israel, who would otherwise loose out, if he had chosen to fight.

And, to expose the extent and depth of darkness in the heart of men and women; who would agree to take the life of an innocent man, their Savior no less; hoping some might believe, repent, and receive forgiveness.

He had already made clear, much earlier, his flesh and blood referred to life; the Word and Spirit of God made flesh in the Son of Man; testified by the fruit of the Spirit in signs, wonders, miracles, and teachings.

In effect, Jesus was saying, “I’ve been with you for over three years, proven myself time and again through signs, wonders, and miracles, confirming who I am, the Messiah in flesh and blood, and yet, I am to be killed.”

“You can kill my body, but I am eternal life, and though you spill my blood, my physical life, the Spirit that raised me to resurrection life will raise me again, confirming everything I said about myself and the Father.”

“The glory you take for me, will be restored to me again.” (John 12:28)

When Christ said the New Testament was in his blood, he was not implying his literal blood held mystical powers, nor, was he implying the New Testament was literally in his blood.

The New Testament is more that his blood, it is him.

The person of Christ, is our Savior, not his flesh, not his blood, but Jesus Christ in his person and wholeness.

The Scripture warns of having idols between us and Christ.

Christ had already chastised them when they grumbled about eating his flesh and drinking his blood.

How did he respond, he said he was referring to life and Spirit.

To repeat, when Jesus said the New Testament is in my blood he was saying, “I am the New Testament in flesh and blood.”

“I am the New Covenant.”

“I am everything you will ever need.”

“I was made perfect, I have the keys to heaven and hell, and I am life and he that comes to me will find life.”

“I am the new birth, firstborn, first fruit, pioneer and author of salvation in flesh and blood – in your very presence.”

“Nothing will change that, whether I live, or I die at the hands of sinners, nothing changes who I am, I am the promised grace to come, your Messiah in flesh and blood.”

“My death to sin, raised to walk in new life (the life you’ve witnessed over three years), was the death of a ‘testator,’ passing from death to life without sin, mortality taking on immortality.”

In putting to death generational transgressions and iniquities, the enmity in his flesh, Christ was made alive in spirit, “raised from the dead”, perfected, becoming the source of salvation in flesh and blood.

How else could he raise the dead, forgive sins, save, and do what he did for over three years, if he was not the “… Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (NIV, Isaiah 9:6)

Again, the use of the term “blood” in the New Testament is the deepest connection that can be made in the natural between mankind and the Lord; his life, and the salvation he purchased for you and me in being made perfect.

The ransom price of dying to sin, made alive in spirit, is great, greater than the loss of physical life. 

Important

Every man and woman has the potential to offer a physical life in the quest to save another.

But only Christ, through the virgin birth, receiving the Spirit of grace at conception, could become the “blood” sacrifice for mankind’s separation from God (the offer of  life), by “dying to sin, being made alive in spirit,” completing the journey perfectly without sin.

Only Christ could do that!

And “blood” connects our thoughts, heart, and emotions to the story of Christ, his humanity, like no other.

(1 John 5, there are other key terms in Scripture, the Word (the “water”), and, the “Spirit.”)

****

The authors of Christendom’s creeds and many commentators, translators, and others through the centuries, have taken Christ’s words of shedding his blood literally as necessary for the forgiveness of sins; not discerning his separate journey of being made perfect, lumping everything about Christ in one package called Calvary.

In spite of Christ’s own teaching about his flesh and blood, and the hundreds of symbolic words and parables he spoke during his ministry to draw the “seed of Abraham” out of the natural into the spiritual truths of God.

Christ spent over three years inviting men and women into the Kingdom of God.

And the only way to do that was to use natural terms, giving the Holy Spirit the opportunity to reveal by the Spirit the truths of the Kingdom.

The Gospels are filled with symbolism, and yet creeds and traditions focus on his blood, and Calvary, as the epic event that ushered in salvation, contrary to Christ’s own teaching about his flesh and blood, and, contrary to the clear teaching of Scripture of Christ’s perfection and exaltation being the source of salvation.

The New Testament writers knew blood was symbolic of Christ’s life, and yet, creeds and traditions, over time, as in the days of Christ, won the day in promoting beliefs contrary to Scripture and the teaching of Jesus.

The effect of making Calvary the source of salvation makes Christ less than Christ before Calvary, because everything he did and said is now “conditioned” on the outcome of Calvary, and not the “person” of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Simply, creeds and traditions substitute Calvary, and blood, as the source of salvation, instead of the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The absence of intimacy with Christ always leads to another lover, whether it’s an addiction or whatever, there’s always a substitute waiting for the lack of intimacy. 

And creeds and traditions are part of that package.

It should be obvious to any impartial observer, the Christ who entered ministry lacked nothing, and was no less than the Christ who made one last gallant attempt to save souls by doing something he wasn’t required to do.

Living Life from the Heart, the “Blood” from Another Angle

Jesus labored to open the heart of his listeners to discern and understand the moving of God’s Spirit and the truths of God’s Word, anchored in grace and love, instead of living life from a mind ruled by a form of godliness and sin.

To that end, when Jesus talked about eating his flesh and drinking his blood, he said, “‘…they are full of the Spirit and life.’” (NIV, John 6:63)

He was equating his flesh and blood, what you could see on the outside, and what you could not see on the inside, as both necessary for life, i.e., equating himself with “life.”

He was saying, in effect, “The law, which is spiritual, which no man or woman can fulfill because of wounds and brokenness passed through the generations unrestrained by grace, I have fulfilled; destroying the barriers separating my flesh from doing the will of God from the heart.”

“My body, soul, and spirit, healed and restored from the effects of generational transgressions and iniquities in my human ancestry.”

“I have been raised from the dead (mortality), made alive in spirit, resurrection life.”

Simply, “I am life!”

“‘For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.’” (NIV, John 6:55)

So, when Jesus said I am shedding my blood for the forgiveness of sins, we know what he meant, i.e., the giving of his life:

• using the most intimate, emotional, deep, and pervasive word possible to express the extent to which he had apprehended eternal life, and how, he was willingly giving it up, for now, hoping some might find forgiveness when they realize how they’ve sinned against him and God.

 

Important

He’s allowing his life to be taken from him “publicly,” to demonstrate what had been done “privately” (dying to sin, to walk in new life), that they rejected.

They rejected life, so he’s going to “publicly” demonstrate he conquered death; what he said about himself was true, by shedding his life before them, being raised again.

And in the shedding of his life, they will see their secret sins publicly displayed on his body, but he, will be raised.

An object lesson having eternal consequences.

And their sin, now exposed for all to see, will “remain,” unless they repent and receive forgiveness.

Of course, Jesus was literally shedding his blood, but his words went far beyond the literal blood in his body to his indestructible life (Hebrews 7:16) he purchased, permitting him to live forever.

Again, Jesus used “blood” (Matthew 26:28) because it’s the strongest emotional and heartfelt connection made to life itself, and the strongest connection to the Old Covenant, showing he was their substitute.

But because of unbelief, Christ gave them one last Old Covenant sacrifice, the sign of Jonah, to confirm what he said about himself.

Jesus dealt with them where they were, stuck in Old Covenant thinking, terms and concepts their hearts could connect with, giving them additional grace that would in time be explained.

Since they would not receive their Messiah, “the promised grace to come” displayed in Christ for over three years, Christ gave them an Old Covenant sacrifice to help them into the New Covenant birth.

Where they could learn by the revelation of the Spirit the principles of Christ and the baptism he underwent; what he pioneered for those who would become his.

And finally, the shift from literal blood, i.e., the Old Covenant, to “life” in the New Covenant, is what is taught over and over again in Scripture – Romans 5:10, Romans 6:10, Hebrews 5:7 – 10, 2 Timothy 2:11, etc.

Blood is what flows through out the natural body, part of the sacrificial system under the Old Covenant.

But, in the New Covenant, it is the Holy Spirit flowing “residing,” “ministering,” throughout our body, one of the treasures of our spiritual inheritance in Christ.

*** SECTION II ***

His Blood or His Life?

We use the word “blood” all the time to represent life.

One young man said to another, when he was presented with something he thought was risky, in a made-for-TV movie I watched the other night, “If something happens to me, my blood will be on your head.”

Now, he was not talking literally, but symbolically, using the most intimate expression he could make regarding how concerned and at risk he felt because of his friend’s actions.

The use of the word blood denotes the extremes of life and death – the depth of risk and frailty we face in life.

And how the actions of others can so easily imperil our life.

And the use of the term “blood” captures that picture like no other.

It triggers the enormity of the risk of life itself in a fallen world.

In Christ’s case, the shedding, or laying aside his life, would spill out on all those who sought forgiveness.

In Matthew 26:28 Jesus says, his blood, the New Covenant, will be poured out for the forgiveness of sins.

After having just mentioned how the bread was his body.

And now he brings up “the blood.”

He’s making it unmistakably clear to them, the Messiah they’ve come to know, love, touch, handle, and feel, “is life,” and they will see that played out again, just like over the last 3 years, in the next few days.

Only this time, it will be him who is raised from the dead, “confirming” everything he did and said about himself.

And by drawing them into the eating of the bread, the symbol of his body, and the drinking of the wine, the symbol of his blood, he was going beyond just forgiveness of sins, to the more important matter of men and women being healed and restored from the brutality of sin.

Jesus was reaching into the hope to be made new, the blood symbolizing forgiveness, the bread symbolizing being made new.

The hope every man and woman who has been touched by the living God, is not just to be forgiven, but to be changed, transformed, made new.

And that’s the promise of the grace to come in Christ he was sharing at this most intimate time with them.

It goes beyond forgiveness, but to life itself, the fulness of life.

And you’ll notice the disciples did not murmur this time after he spoke about his flesh being food, and his blood being drink.

They had finally gotten it!

Christ came to save that which was lost, and not even in his rejection, offering the New Covenant to Israel for over three years, would he deviate from the plan and purposes God had placed in his heart.

Like I’ve said before, and the Scriptures teach, Christ was willing to make one last gallant effort to publicly display his righteousness, of his own volition, following the heart of his father, in the hope some might find forgiveness.

He chose not to take up arms, which would be righteous and not sinful, having already offered the New Covenant to them for over three years.

And in that truth, Christ could’ve taken up arms to resist (the Father sending him angels of war on his behalf), with the New Covenant intact “existing in him,” since his perfection (Romans 6:10, Hebrews 5:7-10, etc.).

And if Christ had taken up arms, the New Covenant would have been ushered into the nations of the world, just like it will be ushered into the nations of the world at his physical Second Coming, only Israel would not be the head but the tail.

And all the promises of Israel as the head of nations in the Millennium would have been nullified because of Christ’s righteous choice.

But Christ followed the heart of his Father, though, he could have chosen differently and not sinned.

In other words, Christ went through the trauma and the anguish of being killed, hoping some would be saved, who would otherwise be lost, had he chosen to fight.

And by the way, if you think or have been taught God does not change his mind, then read the story of Ahab and Hezekiah, both having their lives extended after they were told they would die.

Prophecy is not written in stone, as Paul exhorted Timothy to remember the prophecy spoken over him.

God will accomplish his will in the calendar he’s established, but a lot of choices one way or the other impact how our chapter ends.

Now more than ever, it is time to cleave to Christ, so we have the best possible outcome to our story!

Important

It is important, extremely important, to understand the symbolism associated with Christ’s blood, the New Covenant in him “a living Covenant,” that began in his “life.”

It did not begin with his physical death at Calvary, but began with his death to sin, being made perfect, before his ministry.

He was the New Covenant before he was physically killed; that’s why they killed him, because his righteousness convicted them of their sins!

The reason why this understanding is so important, the symbolism of what he said about his flesh and blood being food and drink, having the New Testament, is because the writers of the New Testament used this symbolism as well.

And in that, they evoked the strongest and most intimate connection possible with Christ by repeating the symbolism of his flesh and blood a number of times in the New Testament.

They connected his blood to his “death to sin, raised to walk in newness of life,” i.e., his personal journey to perfection, which had nothing to do with Calvary.

That’s why his death is repeated so many times in so many writings from so many different angles, like:

• dying to sin, raised to walk in new life, first fruit, firstborn, pioneer, forerunner, raised from the dead, sacrificing his own blood, entering heaven by his own blood, exalted to the right hand of the Father, a name above all names, etc.

 

All these different approaches explain Christ’s personal journey to perfection; overcoming the wounds and brokenness he inherited, left unhealed, would’ve resulted in his death, but having overcome, without sin, he was made perfect, becoming the pioneer of our salvation, our substitute.

Truly, the New Covenant is a better covenant, one God is pleased with, unlike the Old Covenant, the killing and spilling of blood, God was not pleased.

Once you see this understanding, you’ll begin to understand why the writers of the New Testament approached Christ’s perfection journey in different ways, some talking about the process, some writing about the results.

And you’ll notice in none of those instances are there references to his physical death, Calvary; nor any rejoicing that is surprisingly absent if our salvation depended upon Christ’s physical death.

Peter on the day of Pentecost did not thank his listeners that they killed Christ so he could be saved, instead, he said you killed him, and you need to repent.

The understanding of the symbolism of Christ’s blood is particularly important in reference to the many passages in Hebrews, and some in Romans, where theologians automatically point passages with the word blood to Calvary.

Creeds and traditions all but buried Christ’s personal journey to perfection, and having nothing else as a reference, what else could scholars do, especially, in light of the power and the fear surrounding creeds and traditions.

Again, the many references in Hebrews to Christ’s blood sacrifice, is not talking about Calvary, but his life, totally and completely given over to the Father to do his will, symbolized in the New Covenant as his blood sacrifice, which Christ referred to as Spirit and life.

What I’m sharing with you is Scriptural, in agreement with what Christ said about himself during his ministry, and about his blood and flesh again at the end of his ministry.

I will share in future posts what Christ’s perfection journey looked like, what it entailed, the deep healing and restoration he went through as described in the Scriptures.

But suffice it to say, it is not in Christ’s literal blood we are saved, but in his life.

I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but if you read Romans 5:10, right after talking about how we have been justified by Christ’s blood, it says, in so many words, we are saved by his life.

Creeds and traditions have taken the natural, his blood, and elevated it above the spiritual truth Christ was communicating.

His blood points you and me to the truth of his life, and not vice versa.

That’s why there’s so many references to sacrifice and blood in Hebrews, and a few other places, in order to show the depth of what Christ went through in being made perfect, the source of our salvation, and what he apprehended as a result of that journey “resurrection life.”

When Christ entered ministry, he was nothing less than King, Lord, Savior, High Priest, Prophet – the “…Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (NIV, Isaiah 9:6, italicized are mine)

Jesus did not become the person these words describe during his ministry, or, at Calvary, but before he was presented to John to be baptized.

Can you see the wonder of who Jesus Christ was, what the Father presented to Israel for over three years, and why there were such strong words spoken by Christ in parables and the woes over the rejection of him near the end of his ministry?

Before he began his ministry, he was given a name higher than the heavens, exalted and seated next to the Father, having the fullness of God, and yet he humbled himself walking in the dusty desert roads of Israel.

These events did not happen at Calvary, else, Christ could not have done the miracles and healings and wonders and said all the things he said about himself had he not been the fullness of the Messiah before, as well as after, Calvary.

Once we understand Christ used the most intimate word he could use for his life (blood), contrasting the insufficiency of the Old Covenant, and the superiority of the New (the presence of God in their midst), then the Scriptures about Christ’s blood sacrifice make sense.

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The New Testament is rife with symbolism.

It has to be because natural words are used to create and draw us into the spiritual things of God.

The Scripture even teaches the natural came first, followed by the spiritual.

For example, the fourth parable of Matthew Chapter 13 speaks of a woman kneading yeast into dough, the yeast becoming unidentifiable.

This parable corresponds with the fourth church age which is the height of false doctrine within the Church.

The Scripture teaches yeast is symbolic of false teaching, the traditions of men.

The woman is symbolic of the outward form of godliness in Christendom.

Jesus used natural terms to draw us beyond our natural eyes down into the eyes of our heart.

For example, in 1 John 1:7, John says, “…the blood of Jesus, his son, purifies us from all sin.” (NIV)

But in the preceding verses, John speaks about the “life” they witnessed and can testify to it.

John’s use of the word blood is not purposed to draw us into the natural, but to connect our hearts with the deep intimacy of Christ’s journey to perfection – “his total and complete sacrifice” for the will of God, the “all” of which Christ gave in his ministry, and, in going over and above what he needed to do at Calvary.

What he’s doing is getting as intimate as possible about Christ and about what he offered throughout his entire life, and, what he gave up at Calvary that was not required of him.

You cannot get any more intimate than blood.

Jesus knew the strong pull of idolatry that resided in the hearts of men and women as he walked through life.

He knew how the enemy would push people to idolize everything about him, except worship him, and him alone.

Christ is not wanting us to worship things about him, but to worship him – that our affections, desires, and passions would be toward him, and him alone.

He directs his passions and affections for us through the use of strong words, like blood.

Blood is a word used to direct you and me to the unconditional, passionate, and intimate love of God.

It is not to be a barrier, or held above God, or looked at as the source of our salvation, because our source is Jesus.

Christ mentioned flesh and blood so future generations would know he was the source of life, personally, and intimately, in every way possible, the the deepest expression he could make about who he was.

And because he knew what would come out of Calvary, that Calvary would substitute him for salvation in future times, because of the traditions of men, he wanted to make it clear in his ministry his flesh and blood referred to life.

His use of the word blood in connection with his upcoming death, the shedding of his blood, showed that even though they were rejecting him, and going to kill him, his life would continue, though they kill the body, he will continue to live.

It was his way of saying, “You are committing a horrible sin against me, the only righteous man to ever walk the earth, but I will forgive you of your trespasses and iniquities, by offering you forgiveness in repentance.”

“What you are doing in the courts of mankind, is unpardonable in the natural.”

“But I work outside the courts of mankind, offering forgiveness as your advocate, pending the humbling of your heart and the opening of your wounds for my grace and love.”

“I will be alive to continue to offer you forgiveness, you can kill my body, but you cannot kill me!”

I will cover specific verses on blood and sacrifice later in this series, but at least for now, you have a snapshot of how Christ’s story is a lot more “separate,” and full of journey, than we’ve all been led to believe.

The great weight and body of Scripture in the New Testament, outside of the Gospels (and much in the Psalms, and in some other Old Testament writings), is the story of Christ’s perfection journey in becoming our Savior.

Concluding Thoughts, the Blood

When you put this all together, what Jesus said about his flesh and blood in John 6 and at the Last Supper, here’s what you get:

Christ is directly linking his blood to spiritual life and spiritual drink, the promised grace to come the prophets of Old looked for in the New Covenant to come.

By saying the New Covenant is in my blood at the Last Supper, Jesus is saying, “I have paid the price for sin, by the perfect sacrifice of my life to the Father, shown in the life I’ve shared with you, of which you are eyewitnesses.”

Further, “I am mankind’s sacrifice, and if the people of Israel will not accept my sacrifice in “life,” maybe, they’ll accept my sacrifice in death.”

By linking blood, New Testament, spiritual life, and drink, Christ was saying, “I am your ‘lamb’ sacrifice standing right in front of you, your “covenant” and everything you need, if you will but turn to me.”

Israel refused Christ’s offer of a living sacrifice, “a better covenant,” demanding to see the living sacrifice put to death, blinded to the spiritual life of Christ before them over 3 years.

Jesus loved those to whom the Word of God was entrusted, so much, he was willing to give them one last sign, an Old Covenant sacrifice in the New Covenant dispensation.

Israel, not knowing they were offering up the New Covenant in flesh and blood, believing Christ to be a sinner, were actually exposing their sins and placing them on the righteous and holy body of Christ.

Because of Christ’s great love for them, he allowed the holiness of his resurrected body, soul, and spirit to receive their sins in spite of him having already paid the price for their sins in his perfection.

Like I said before, the holiness of Christ drew out of them the poison of sin in their lives that was killing them, being placed on the holiness of Christ.

Christ, a poultice, if only they would repent.

Trapped in darkness, the leadership of Israel did not know that now their sins were exposed, they would remain, unless found in repentance and forgiveness in the one they killed.

Christ was willing to reach some by giving them an Old Covenant sacrifice, with a New Covenant ending.

Christ knew what his ending would be, having already been raised from the dead in his perfection – the resurrection in flesh and blood – promised by the Father to be glorified again (John 12).

But Israel’s ending would not be the same as Christ’s, at least for the nation.

The nation of Israel would have to wait two millenniums, until the 20th century, to come back as a people group, and very likely, only another hundred years for the return of their Messiah.

Topics to be covered in future posts in this series

Here are some of the topics I hope to cover in the future, Lord willing, such as:

• What does “sacrificing,” his life once for all mean? Does that apply to his perfection or Calvary? (Hint: It may be more appropriate to say the Scripture teaches Christ sacrificed his life once for all, but offered his life again, willingly, to the point of either being killed or taking up arms.)
• What did Christ’s perfection journey look like?
• How is it the pattern for you and me?
• In being perfected, as it says in Hebrews, how do we know it included healing from the effects of generational sin passed to him through his human ancestry?
• How does resurrection from the dead, the life Christ claimed to possess, come about, and what does it look like for the bride in the end-times?
• How did Christianity get to the place where murder is deemed justified, “doing evil that good may come,” and ever more so, attributing the killing of Christ, indirectly, as the will of God in ushering in the New Covenant?
• And in that regard, what about the parable of a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand?
• What does “wounding” and “piercing” mean in Isaiah 53:5, how does that relate to Christ, and, what Isaiah recorded in Chapter 1 regarding wounds?
• What does Christ “emptying himself,” mean in Philippians?
• What’s the “setting” and “timing” of God presenting Christ as our sacrifice, demonstrating his love for us (Romans 5), versus Calvary?
• How do we know those events – Romans 5 and Calvary – are two different events separated by years?
• What does one act of obedience refer to and what does it mean?
• Why would Christ give the parables of the landowner, wedding banquet, and the seven woes shortly before his crucifixion, rebuking those who would kill him, if, Calvary was God’s plan for ushering in the New Covenant?
• Why does Stephen in Acts 7 call Christ’s killer’s murderers, when the understanding and teaching in Christianity is salvation began at Calvary?
• How does the Scripture contradict what is commonly taught today about Calvary?
• How could the New Covenant be a better covenant, the promised grace to come, if it starts with the killing of the only perfect man who ever lived, a “human sacrifice” if you will, that God abhorred in the Old Covenant?
• What is the difference between prophecy “future news today,” versus planning, designing, and ordaining prophecy to be fulfilled, a script?
• In other words, did Christ fulfill prophecy because it was a script, or, did he fulfill prophecy in the fulfillment of his mission, to offer salvation at all cost?
• Is there a contradiction between two commonly held beliefs: the Millennium would have begun had Israel accepted Christ, versus, Calvary was necessary for salvation?
• Romans (Chapter 6), speaks about Christ living a new life, a resurrection life, after dying to sin – if dying to sin occurred at Calvary, how did he live a new life after that?
• What is the meaning of John 12, Christ glorified a second time? And how does that connect to John 7, where the Scripture says the Holy Spirit had not yet been given, because Christ had not been glorified? And how do these passages connect with John 20 when Christ breathes on his disciples to receive the Holy Spirit?
• When was Christ “exalted to the right hand of the Father,” “bestowed with a name above all names,” and, “pass through the heavens,” at his perfection, or, after Calvary?
• What does it mean for Christ to shed his blood “…for many for the forgiveness of sins”? (NIV, Matthew 26:28)
• What were Christ’s options in Gethsemane, and, if he had chosen to fight, and not die, would not those who had been healed and saved continue to be so, confirming healing and salvation began before Calvary?
• In 2 Corinthians 5, what does it mean Christ became sin for you and me?
• In 1 Corinthians 15 what does it mean, Christ went exceedingly above and beyond what was necessary at Calvary, and, what is the subject matter of this chapter, is it Calvary, or resurrection from the dead – the promised grace to come in Christ first, i.e., dying to sin to walk in newness of life?
• What does the use of the term “dead ones” in Romans refer to in reference to Christ’s resurrection, “his perfection (healing and restoration),” or, Calvary?
• Christ offered healing, salvation, raising the dead, etc., before Calvary, testifying who he was, how does that contradict the traditional teaching of salvation occurring after Calvary?
• How could the New Covenant be a better covenant “the promise grace to come,” if it’s inaugurated by the killing of the only perfect person to ever live, as taught in creeds and traditions, when, even in the Old Covenant, a lesser covenant, God abhorred the sacrificing of children?
• If Calvary was necessary for our salvation, why is it not praised in Scripture, e.g., why did Peter on the day of Pentecost not give glory to Calvary, instead, saying you killed the Messiah and you need to repent?
• If killing the Messiah required repentance, surely, his life before Calvary would have been sufficient for salvation, would it not? (It is clear in Acts 2:36, Jesus was Lord and Christ before Calvary, as even Peter had testified during Christ’s ministry.)
• How did Calvary become the substitute as the beginning of the New Testament, when the Scripture clearly points to Christ as the source of our salvation?
• And I’ll be covering a lot of different terms, like, the Word made flesh, only begotten God, to those whom the Word of God came, different uses of shed and shedding, enmity in Christ’s flesh, baptism of Christ, two deaths of Isaiah 53:9, etc.
• And importantly, the number of references in Scripture about dying with him, to live with him, how it has nothing to do with Calvary, and everything to do with his perfection, Romans 6, 2 Timothy 2:11 – 12, etc.

 

Blessings, Drake

(NIV) Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.Zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblical, Inc.™