The Precious Blood of the Lamb of God

Lyall Johnston—March 8, 2025

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We're going to begin by reading what Paul had to say about this in 1-Cor. 2. Paul is addressing the Corinthian brethren says this, and if we just stop and think: Paul is also addressing us today, because this is the Word of God.

This is the Word that God gave to the Apostle Paul to give to the Corinthian Church, and to give to God's people and to mankind right up until the return of Jesus Christ; then even beyond that, the eternal Word of God!

So, here is God speaking to you and me through His Apostle Paul:

1-Corinthians 2:1: "And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with superiority of speech or wisdom, in proclaiming the testimony of God to you."

• What did he do?
• How did he come?
• How did he address the brethren?
• What subject was really on his mind to the Corinthians?

But this theme… Yes, is addressed to the Corinthians, but more than that, it's addressed to all people at all times today. It's addressing the Church and for those people to whom the Church is reaching out to.

"…when I came to you, did not come with superiority of speech or wisdom, in proclaiming the testimony of God…"—which also is known as the testimony of Jesus Christ!

• Who was Jesus Christ?
• Why did He have to come to the earth?
• What did He accomplish?
• What does that have to do with you and me today?

Verse 2: "For I decided…" Paul said, and he understood the Corinthian Church, which is no different probably from most of God's Churches alive today.

Verse 2: "For I decided not to know anything among you except… [two things he's mentioning here, and these two words are connected by the conjunction: and] …[#1]Jesus Christ and [#2]Him crucified.

So there are the two subjects Paul outlined right from the very beginning. He was going to preach nothing "…except Jesus Christ and Him crucified."

What is important about that word crucifixion? The crucifixion has to do with the most important subject that God declared, as we've heard much of recently, before the ages of time!

This is something that was in God's Plan before the creations of the heavens and the earth, the angels and mankind himself. God had mankind in His Plans right from the very beginning, from before the entirety of the creation!

So here, important subject, crucifixion really is relating to the blood of Jesus Christ. If He hadn't been crucified, there would have been no blood that would have covered the sins of all mankind.

Let's go back a chapter and see what Paul has to say about how the world accepts this particular teaching of the blood of Jesus Christ.

1-Corinthians 1:18: "For to those who are perishing, the preaching of the cross…"

Let's add that here, the blood of Jesus Christ, the precious blood as Peter calls it, of Jesus Christ!

Verse 18: "For to those who are perishing, the preaching of the cross… [or the blood of Christ] …is foolishness; but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.

Because the blood of Jesus Christ of the crucifixion is able to deliver you and me and all those who accept the blood of Christ.

But it has to be accepted by the conditions laid down by God the Father and Jesus Christ Himself, as They presented to us personally through Jesus and then through his apostles. Since that time, the Church is responsible for bringing this message not only to the Churches but also to all mankind! But that of course depends on how God opens up the doors for us to accomplish that.

Verse 19: "For it is written, 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will nullify the understanding of those who understand.'"

This of course is referring to those who get their knowledge from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. In other words, from:

• human philosophy
• human thinking
• human reasoning

apart from the very Word of God!

Verse 20: "Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age?…."

Oh, there are many disputers of this age that dispute this very subject.

"…Did not God make foolish the wisdom of this world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its own wisdom did not know God (vs 20-21).

Here's (in the Bible) all the knowledge from the Tree of Life! All the knowledge that man is able to accomplish:

• doesn't lead him to God
• doesn't lead him to the effects of the blood that was poured out for mankind

Verse 21: "For since in the wisdom of God the world through its own wisdom did not know God, it pleased God to save those who believe through the foolishness of preaching."

Paul is not saying that the preaching of the Truth is foolish, but it is to the wise of this world.

Verse 22: "For the Jews require a sign…"—don't they? They ask Jesus for a sign. 'Give us a sign to show us that You're the Messiah. He only gave them that one sign, didn't He? The sign of Jonah the Prophet, that He [Jesus] would be in the grave, in the tomb, in the earth for three days and three nights. He was exactly that long in the tomb.

Regardless of what the theology of the churches in the world this day tries to say contrary, to reduce it right down to just about half of that time; thus calling God a liar is really what they're doing. The great 'wisdom' of theology!

Of course, as we've mentioned before, one of the great definitions of wisdom, that's correction, the great definitions of theology is faith seeking understanding. What does the Scripture tell us?

The Scriptures tell us that all those who keep God's Commandments, those are the ones who have a good understanding. Mankind cannot come to that kind of understanding without the mind and Spirit of God, and without the Word of God. It's everything else that's foolishness, not the cross of Christ!

Verse 21: "For since in the wisdom of God the world through its own wisdom did not know God, it pleased God to save those who believe through the foolishness of preaching." That's what we're doing! Foolishness is as it is regarded by this world!

Verse 22: "For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom… [as we see in the example of Paul on Mars Hill] …but we proclaim Christ crucified…." (vs 22-23). Yes, the death of Christ!

More than just the statement that the death of Christ, it has to do with the pouring out and the shedding of His blood, as we will see a little later.

"…To the Jews it is a cause of offense…"—as it did right back to the days when Jesus walked the face of the earth!

He was an offense to the Jews because their theology, their teaching, had very little to do with the Word of God and Jesus had to correct them in so many points. But here He was, the Son of God, and what did they do to Him? They crucified Him! They weren't interested in his teachings.

Verse 23: "But we proclaim Christ crucified. To the Jews it is a cause of offense, and to the Greeks it is foolishness; but to those who are called —both Jews and Greeks—Christ is God's power and God's wisdom" (vs 23-24).

So, that is all wrapped up in the blood of Jesus Christ.

Verse 25: "Because the foolishness of God…"

Does God have any foolishness? Paul is using a 'figure' here to make a point.

Verse 25: "Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men."

Now as we said before, we can go right back to where it says in Titus that all this was set in place by God before the ages of time.

Let's just have a look at something in Genesis, which is the book of beginnings. We want to start looking for the basis, the foundation of many of the doctrines of the Scriptures.

We need to go back to Genesis where God first gave those teachings. We find there:

• Gen. 2—the Sabbath Day
• Gen. 1—in the beginning God

First it's mentioning God, then it mentions all those events that happened right up until the time when God recreated the surface of the earth and placed man on the earth and told him, 'Of this tree you will not eat the fruit thereof.'

That was the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, which mankind is eating off today very, very prolifically. That's why we're in the troubles we are in.

But when we come to Gen. 3, Gen. 2 is the Sabbath. So, in the beginning, Gen. 1:1, God is the Creator of the heavens and the earth. Gen. 2—He gave us the creation to show us that it is He Who created all things. Then in Gen. 3 also shows us how mankind sinned and needed redemption! That redemption that was already planned before the ages of time!

So, we come down to v 15, this well-known verse, but let's just read it. Even the theologians and the Biblical scholars in the world today understand this is a reference to the crucifixion.

For us in the Body of Christ, we know this is a reference to the Passover on the 14th of the 1st month of God's calendar, the Calculated Hebrew Calendar.

But for us also, the crucifixion reflects the shed blood of the Lamb of God, the shed precious blood of the Lamb of God for the salvation of many. In other words, for all those who will come to that place where they actually believe that the blood of Christ was shed for their sins, those who come to a deep repentance.

We begin with the repentance that God grants us when he calls us, but that is a process that begins from the day that God grant us that repentance until the day we draw our last breath. We are repenting every day as Jesus instructed us to do (Matt. 6). That's a very, very important factor.

Genesis 3:15—God says, "I will put enmity between you…"—addressing Satan because he had tempted Eve and she sinned. Adam sinned, he was not deceived, but he went along with his wife. There's a lot of teaching in that, as well.

Verse 15: "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He will bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel."

A reference to the resurrection, but also a reference to the fact that Jesus Christ is going to be the One Who removes Satan from having an influence over humanity.

He is going to be put a place of outer darkness where he can no longer influence mankind. That's a very important statement, And it's based on the crucifixion and the Passover. It has to do with a shared blood.

What I'm wanting to emphasize is the importance of the blood along with that being a part of the crucifixion, but also the beatings that Christ had coming up to the actual crucifixion where He had lost a lot of blood because of the wounding of the Roman scourging to the point where it says His body was marred beyond recognition.

Now let's have a look at another Scripture. This time we want to turn across to Heb. 9, because there's a very important statement there; I know that many of us are familiar with this, but perhaps people listening in who are not familiar with this.

The book of Hebrews is absolutely an incredible book, because right back in the beginning—Heb. 5—Paul says that he talks about Jesus Christ, that the whole of the beginning of Hebrews builds up to Christ and His work and God's Plan for mankind and what He is doing.

But the members of the Corinthians, and we have to be careful that we don't become like them, these members/brethren who had become dull of hearing.

• they weren't studying the Word
• they weren't perhaps praying in the way that they should
• they weren't drawing close to God the way that God desires for them to have, that intimacy of relationship

Paul said, 'Look, I've got much to say about Jesus Christ, Who is the High Priest, Son of the living God. But I can't do it because it's going to be difficult for me.' Not that he couldn't do it, but he said that it's going to be hard to do

• because you're dull of hearing
• because you're still ruminating over some of the basic doctrines

Paul gives the answer to what they really need to be doing. Once you've understood the basic doctrines, then you must be going on to perfection! That is a major key. The basic doctrines are just the beginning. From those, once we have those as a foundation, then we're going on to perfection!

As Peter wrote, 'Be you perfect, be you Holy,' God says, 'as I am Perfect, as I am Holy.' That is our calling to become Holy. That all begins with repentance and baptism. Itis based on the shed blood of Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 9:22: "Now, almost all things are purified with blood..."

He talks about the Old Covenant and he introduces the New Covenant he Old Covenant, which was done with the blood of bulls and goats and so forth. But under the New Covenant, it was different, But even under the Old Covenant, what it says here:

Verse 22: "Now, almost all things are purified with blood according to the priestly law… [which was the Old Covenant Law] …and without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins."

So, without the crucifixion, there was no blood of Christ, And without the blood of Christ, there's no resurrection, there's no salvation. Do we see:

• how important that blood is?
• how important it is that we understand what that blood has to do with our lives every day we draw in the breath of life?

What Paul also shows here in this chapter it is talking about the Old Covenant and the high priest going in once a year to present the blood before the Throne of God, which was represented in the Holy of Holies.

Verse 8: "The Holy Spirit signifying this… [in the Old Covenant] …that the way of the Holies… [into the very presence of God] … has not yet been made manifest, while the first tabernacle is still standing."

Of course, it was at that time when Paul was writing this, I think it was about 61A.D.  So, the Old Covenant was still being practiced by the Jews, but the New Covenant had already been introduced and now the blood of Christ was the basis of how Jesus Christ was able to build His Church. He continues to build His Church today with that very same blood.

Now, there's another very interesting part here in Corinthians, because it shows that the blood that was shared under the Old Covenant purified the flesh of the people of Israel through the actions of the high priest, but it was not able to cleanse the conscience!

I encourage you to read Heb. 9 because it shows that it is the shed blood of Christ that cleanses our conscience day-by-day. We exist under the umbrella, as it were, of the blood of Jesus Christ as we confess our sins.

Because we have faith in the blood of Christ, what does God do? God imputes His righteousness to us while we are going on to perfection!

Heb. 12 is an amazing chapter, something which we have to learn that to perfect us, God needs to correct us! But we have to be ready to accept the correction of God, regardless of how it comes to us. IF we put up a blockage and say:

God, I don't want Your correction. I don't want to worry. It doesn't matter where it comes from. I'm not going to accept it.

THEN our growth comes up against a stumbling block.

God corrects us because we are His children and He loves us and He's correcting us to change us so that we can put on the mind of Christ!

I encourage you again to read the whole book of Hebrews. Recently I've just gone over it so many times, because I find it's so filled with spiritual understanding and maturity that we all want to be a part of.

Hebrews 12:1: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great throng of witnesses… [referring to Heb. 11, chapter of faith] … let us lay aside every weight, and the sin that so easily entraps us… [that's why we pray for forgiveness of sin every day] …and let us run the race set before us with endurance."

Such an important word, such a vital word for each one of us as the sons and daughters of God the Father[transcriber's correction].

Verse 2: "Having our minds fixed on Jesus… [beginning with His blood shed to cover our sins so that we can go on to perfection] … the Beginner and Finisher of our faith; Who for the joy that lay ahead of Him…"

Do we have joy ahead of us because of what He did? what he accomplished? Yes!

"…endured the cross, although He despised the shame …" (v 2). It was nothing to Him in that sense, because he knew what lay ahead!

We go through many trials and troubles and we can keep that in mind.

"…and has sat down at the right hand of the Throne of God" (v 2).

We are also going to be able, through the resurrection, to appear before the very Throne of God.

Verse 3: "Now meditate deeply on Him Who endured such great hostility of sinners against Himself so that you do not become weary and faint in your minds."

And of course, this is very important as we approach the Passover season, which is very close to us now. I hope you find that interesting.

Again, the crucifixion of Christ is the shedding of His blood for the remission of our sins day-by-day until the day we die or until the day we're changed at Christ's return!

Scriptural References:

• 1-Corinthians 2:1-2
• 1-Corinthians 1:18-25
• Genesis 3:15
• Hebrews 9:22, 8
• Hebrews 12:1-3

Scriptures referenced, not quoted:

• Genesis 1:1; 2
• Matthew 6
• Hebrews 5; 11

LJ:bo/po
Transcribed: 3/12/25

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