Genesis 3:20-21 – “The man named his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all the living. 21 The Lord God made garments from skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.”
As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word of God today, the Blood and the Cross became my focus. The Law of First Mention was impressed upon my mind as I pondered those two things.
In Genesis 3:21, the first recorded sacrifice is mentioned. After man rebelled, God supplied an animal, shed its blood, and used its skin as a covering for their nakedness.
In the Law of First Mention, the first use of a word, phrase, or occurrence of an incident, we have the key to its exact meaning everywhere else in the Bible.
Applying this Law to Genesis 3:21, we discover it teaches three things:
- Salvation Must Be of the LORD.
- It Must Be by the Death of an Innocent Substitute.
- It Must Be by Blood.
Every acceptable sacrifice must meet those conditions. It must not be the work of man’s hands but come from God. Cain and Abel provide a clear example.
Salvation must be God’s gift. (John 3:16) Salvation must be by the death of an innocent sacrifice.
1 Peter 2:22-24 – “Who did not sin, neither was guile found in His mouth: who when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not; but committed Himself to Him that judges righteously: who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sin, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes we where healed.”
Salvation must be by blood.
1 Peter 1:18-20 – “Forasmuch as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.”
That stream is still flowing today and will be available for all eternity. The blood was necessary. The reason is rooted in the nature of God and the nature of sin. Since God is perfect and undeniably holy, sin can never be passed over without the satisfaction of divine justice by God. Since sin is rebellion against God, the highest being, only the greatest and highest price can be accepted as an atonement.
The broken law demanded eternal damnation, but God’s love and mercy planned a mercy seat to cover the sin. The blood was sprinkled on the Mercy Seat once each year to cover the broken law (sin). God said to Israel in their deliverance, “When I see the blood, I will pass over you.”
Removing the blood is to invite destruction. The blood is mentioned 700 times from Genesis to Revelation. God did not say When I see your goodness, works, morality, etc. He said, ‘When I see the blood, I will pass over you.’
The value of the blood of Jesus has been lost, disregarded, and disrespected today. The life of the flesh is in the blood, and the blood is God’s only purchase price for redemption.
We used to respect and value the blood of Jesus. We would plead the blood, meaning we asked God to cover us with the redeeming and impenetrable covering supernaturally. The blood of Jesus cleanses by removing the judgment for rebellion. It pays the price of divine justice and thereby removes the guilt. The blood is impenetrable from the outside. It is redemptive and protective.
I am awed by God’s love and willingness to pay the purchase price for my redemption. I am inspired to realize that as I live under the covering of the blood, I am cleansed, protected, and empowered to wage war from inside that protective shield. I am challenged to reverence the blood.
There is a foundation filled with blood drawn from Immanuel’s veins, and sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.
I John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to CLEANSE us from all unrighteousness.” Hallelujah, thank God for the Blood!
May today overflow with an awareness of God’s Love, Mercy, and Grace! Have a Wonderful Day!
Roy's Covenant Corner 