The Precious Power of the Blood: Five Benefits Christ Purchased for You

There is power, power, miraculous power...
In the precious blood of the Lamb.

Happy memories come to me when I hear these words. We used to sing them in church when I was young, jumping up and down. The best church songs in the South were accompanied by dancing. And my father seemed to love the song called «Strength in the Blood.» I knew he would sing it louder than any other, and I always followed his example. I think the whole congregation sang with a special fervor, although I could not always hear it over our raised voices.

Christians of all denominations and faiths acknowledge that there is indeed power in the blood of Jesus. Souls formed by the Word and the Spirit intuitively sense this. But have you ever wondered how exactly this happens? Is the blood of Jesus magical? If there is power in His blood, how can this reality be explained? What truths lie deep within when we celebrate this miraculous power?

What does blood do?

The New Testament book of Hebrews bridges the gap between the Old Testament sacrificial system and the one-time sacrifice of Jesus (Heb. 9:7, 12). In the Bible, blood represents life (Gen. 9:4), and its shedding symbolizes death (Lev. 17:11, 14; Deut. 12:23). Since the just penalty for sin against God is death (Rom. 6:23), the sacrifices of animals and the shedding of their blood temporarily replaced this requirement for sinners. However, the high priest had to offer sacrifices every year (Heb. 9:7, 25), for «it is not possible for the blood of bulls and of goats to take sins away» (Heb. 10:4). The repeated sacrifices merely postponed the payment for sin until God’s fullness of time. The time had come for the final payment of the price.

Christians believe and rejoice that this time of reckoning has come in Christ and under the terms of the new covenant. Jesus voluntarily «offered himself» (Heb. 9:14), «once for all» by shedding «his own blood» (Heb. 9:12). This ended the temporary Old Testament order and established the «everlasting covenant,» known to us as the new covenant.

The Epistle to the Hebrews emphasizes the specific benefits that Christians receive through the Blood of Jesus (Heb. 10:19; 13:12). However, the apostle Paul especially glorifies the manifold grace that comes to us through that Blood. In fact, every divine grace that is made available to us through Christ is connected with His blood. Paul specifically emphasizes this connection five times, pointing to the specific blessings that Christ has obtained for us by His death.

Atonement: To turn away God's righteous wrath

Romans 3:25 says that Jesus is the one «whom God set forth as a propitiation by his blood, through faith.» Because God is just, the sins of his people become a great obstacle. In his goodness and mercy, he chose to love us, but in his justice he cannot simply «sweep under the rug» our sins, which are acts of cosmic betrayal against him. In his love, God finds a way to satisfy the demands of justice and to show his mercy at the same time.

God Himself, in the person of His Son Jesus Christ, takes on human flesh and blood to become a sacrifice for sinful humans. He takes upon Himself the righteous wrath of God and pays for our sins by His death so that we may live. Thus, His blood, which symbolizes the voluntary giving of life in place of those who deserve death, propitiates God’s righteous wrath, establishes Divine justice, and opens the door of His mercy to all who believe.

Justification: To ensure God's full acceptance

Romans 5:9 says: «Much more then, having now been justified by his blood.» «Justified» is a legal term. The prosecution and defense present their evidence, and then a judge or jury makes a decision: acquit or convict. The accused is either found guilty or found to be in a right relationship with the law​—that is, justified.

The reason for the justification of those who unite themselves to Jesus Christ by faith is His sacrificial and substitutionary death. Jesus willingly shed His blood, not for His own sins (He was sinless), but for ours. His shedding of blood to cover our sins made it possible for us to share in His righteousness, uniting us to Him through faith. Without His Blood, our sinfulness would remain unjustified. We would not be able to stand with Him at the final judgment and receive with Him the recognition of His Father: «Righteous.».

Redemption: To Purchase Our True Freedom

Ephesians 1:7 says, «In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.» Redemption means the restoration or release of someone who is in bondage. Because of our sins, we have all been (or remain) in spiritual captivity. Breaking God’s law means we deserve His righteous wrath. But in Christ, through the shedding of His blood, which provided forgiveness of our sins, we receive freedom from condemnation and the power of Satan.

As Colossians 2:13-14 says, Jesus «forgave us all our trespasses, having canceled the written code that was against us, which was against us.» Through His sacrifice on the cross, He «disarmed the rulers and authorities, and made a show of them, triumphing over them in Himself» (Col. 2:15). The demons’ main weapon against us was unforgivable sin, but when Jesus shed His blood to forgive our sins, He freed us from spiritual slavery. He redeemed us from Satan’s power and from the debts that were against us.

Reconciliation: to restore our best relationships

These precious themes are closely intertwined. We have already considered the importance of forgiveness, but Ephesians 2:13 brings it into sharp focus: «But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.» At the heart of this «nearness» is the restoration of human connection to God. On a personal level, it is the creation in Christ of a personal access to God and a relationship with Him that we, born in sin, could not achieve on our own. On a universal level, it is the restoration of the relationship with God for which we were originally created.

Our sin and rebellion have separated us from Him. In the Old Testament, God in His grace drew near to His covenant people, Israel. But now, in the New Testament, He draws near to all who accept His Son in faith, regardless of ethnicity or background. The phrase «made nigh by the blood of Christ» symbolizes the essence of what each of these divine gifts does for us through the blood of Jesus: It brings us to God.

Perhaps there is no better summary of all that we have considered regarding the power of Jesus« blood than the words of 1 Peter 3:18: »For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring you to God.”.

Atonement: Reconciliation with God Himself

Finally, the God-centered purpose of the blood of Jesus Christ is confirmed by its ability to reconcile God to His people. In Christ, God reconciles «to reconcile all things to Himself through Him, through the blood of His cross» (Col. 1:19-20). The shedding of His blood on the cross has been mentioned many times, but here the apostle Paul clearly emphasizes that it is «through the blood of His cross» that peace is established between God and man. Peace is achieved through the cross, an instrument of terrible torture and death.

Jesus did not shed His blood by accident. It was not an accidental or tragic death, although it was by its nature horrific. It was a conscious and voluntary decision. He was unjustly executed, and His blood was deliberately shed by sinful men, but He also shed it Himself, as the holy God-man. His life was taken, but He gave it up willingly.

Through His sacrifice, Jesus took upon Himself the righteous wrath of God, secured our legal acceptance, purchased our freedom, restored our most important relationship with God, and granted us peace with Him. Just as Paul says elsewhere, He «purchased with His own blood» the Church, which He loves and cares for (Acts 20:28).

Precious Blood

Following the theme of blood in the epistles of the Apostle Paul, we begin to realize the ocean of grace that opens in the last line of the familiar refrain: «There is power, power, miraculous power in the precious blood of the Lamb.» And indeed, it is precious.

This concept of the preciousness of Jesus' blood comes from the apostle Peter: "You were redeemed from your futile way of life handed down to you by tradition from your fathers, not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot" (1 Peter 1:18-19).

In these words, Peter emphasizes that Christ's sacrifice is priceless, for it redeemed us not for material things that disappear, but for something much more important—His holy blood.

When we sing about His blood, we are not simply repeating familiar lines, but emphasizing all the riches it represents. By adding the word «precious» to the last line, we are not simply enriching the rhythm of the song. We are testifying that the blood of Christ is truly priceless to us. Infinitely valuable. Because Christ himself, and God himself in him, are precious to us.

The blood of Christ, more precious than all earthly treasures, answers our deepest spiritual needs and longings. It does not just temporarily cover our sins, but does so finally and forever.