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What Does it Mean to Be
Washed in the Blood
of the Lamb?
Throughout the Old and New Testaments, there are references to
washing, to blood, and to the blood of the Lamb. Most of these scriptures
point to the same things. These scriptures have been included below to
help you understand what this means.
 John 1:29 -- "The next day he saw Jesus coming to him,
and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the
world!" (NAS)
John 1:36 -- "...and he looked upon Jesus as He walked, and said, "Behold,
the Lamb of God!" (NAS)
Isaiah 53:6-7 -- "All of us like sheep have gone
astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the LORD has caused the
iniquity of us all to fall on Him. He was oppressed and He was
afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to
slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did
not open His mouth." (NAS)
Note: Isaiah 53 is prophecy
about the suffering of Jesus on the cross and how God caused our sins to fall
on Him -- He bore our sins on the cross.
Acts 8:32-36 -- "Now the passage of Scripture which he (the Ethiopian eunuch)
was reading was this: "He was led as a sheep to slaughter; and as a lamb
before its shearer is silent, so He does not open His mouth. In
humiliation His judgment was taken away; who shall relate His generation? For
His life is removed from the earth." And the eunuch answered Philip and
said, "Please tell me of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself, or
of someone else?" And Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this
Scripture he preached Jesus to him. And as they went along the
road they came to some water; and the eunuch said, "Look! Water! What prevents
me from being baptized?" (NAS)
1 Peter 1:18-19 -- "...knowing that you were not redeemed
with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life
inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb
unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ." (NAS)
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What is the Significance of the Lamb and the Lamb's Blood?
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Forgiveness of sins, saved from the wrath of God,
reconciled back to God:
John 1:29 -- "...he saw Jesus coming to him, and said,
"Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"
(NAS)
Hebrews 9:22 -- "And according to the Law, one may
almost say all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of
blood there is no forgiveness." (NAS)
Romans 5:8-10 -- "But God demonstrates His own love
toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be
saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were
enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son,
much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life."
(NAS)
Colossians 1:19-20 -- "For it was the Father's good
pleasure for all the fulness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile
all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross;
through Him, I say whether things on earth or things in heaven."
(NAS)
Hebrews 13:12 -- "Therefore Jesus also, that He might
sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate."
(NAS)
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Jesus was offered as a sacrifice one time for all,
He bore our sins on the cross, He paid the price for our sin:
Hebrews 9:27-28 -- "And inasmuch as it is appointed for
men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having
been offered once to bear the sins of many, shall appear a second time
for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him." (NAS)
1 Peter 2:21-25 -- "For you have been called for this
purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for
you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found
in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while
suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who
judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the
cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His
wounds you were healed. For you were continually straying like
sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your
souls." (NAS)
Revelation 1:5 -- "...and from Jesus Christ, the
faithful witness, the first-born of the dead, and the ruler of the kings
of the earth. To Him who loves us, and released us from our sins by His
blood..." (NAS)
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With His blood He purchased His church:
Acts 20:28 -- "Be on guard for yourselves and for all
the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood."
(NAS)
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With the shedding of Jesus' blood, we now have a New
Covenant with God (not like the law of Moses):
Hebrews 9:13-18 -- "For if the blood of goats and bulls
and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled, sanctify
for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ,
who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God,
cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
And for this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, in order
that since a death has taken place for the redemption of the
transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who
have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.
For where a covenant is, there must of necessity be the death of the one
who made it. For a covenant is valid only when men are dead, for it
is never in force while the one who made it lives. Therefore even
the first covenant was not inaugurated without blood." (NAS)
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Being "In Christ" or "In Him" to have
redemption...the forgiveness of sins:
Ephesians 1:7 -- "In Him we have redemption through
His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches
of His grace..." (NAS)
Ephesians 2:13 -- "But now in Christ Jesus you
who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ."
(NAS)
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How are the Lamb's Blood and Washing Connected?
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Those in the church were cleansed by the washing of water
with the word and the Spirit
Ephesians 5:25-27 -- "...just as Christ also loved
the church and gave Himself up for her; that He might sanctify her,
having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might
present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle
or any such thing; but that she should be holy and blameless."
(NAS)
Titus 3:5-7 -- "He saved us, not on the basis of deeds
which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the
washing of regeneration* and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured
out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that being justified by
His grace we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life."
(NAS)
* Note: regeneration means to be "born again"John 3:3-5 -- "Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly,
truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the
kingdom of God." Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he
is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born,
can he?" Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is
born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."
(NAS)
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New Testament examples of the
washing of water and the connection to Jesus' blood, His death and
forgiveness of sins:
Romans 6:3-7 -- "Or do you not know that all of us who
have been baptized* into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?
Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order
that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so
we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united
with {Him} in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall be also in the
likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified
with Him, that our body of sin might be done away with, that we should no
longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin." (NAS)
* From the Greek word
"baptizo"
meaning to immerse or dip.
Colossians 2:12 -- "...having been buried with Him in
baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the
working of God, who raised Him from the dead." (NAS)
Acts 22:16 -- "And now why do you delay? Arise, and be
baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name." (Instructions
given to Paul -- later to become an apostle -- after Jesus had appeared to
him on the road and after Paul had spent three days in prayer and fasting
--NAS)
Mark 16:15-16 -- "And He (Jesus) said to them, "Go into
all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who has
believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved
shall be condemned." (NAS)
Acts 2:38-41 -- "And Peter said to them, "Repent, and let
each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of
your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the
promise is for you and your children, and for all who are far off, as many
as the Lord our God shall call to Himself. And with many other words
he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, "Be saved from
this perverse generation! So then, those who had received his word
were baptized; and there were added that day about three thousand souls."
(NAS)
Acts 8:32-39 -- "Now the passage of Scripture which he
was reading was this: "He was led as a sheep to slaughter; and as a lamb
before its shearer is silent, so He does not open His mouth. In
humiliation His judgment was taken away; who shall relate His generation?
For His life is removed from the earth. And the eunuch answered Philip
and said, "Please tell me of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself, or
of someone else?" And Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this
Scripture he preached Jesus to him. And as they went along the road
they came to some water; and the eunuch said, "Look! Water! What prevents me
from being baptized?" And Philip said, "If you believe with all your
heart, you may." And he answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is
the Son of God." And he ordered the chariot to stop; and they both
went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch; and he baptized him.
And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched
Philip away; and the eunuch saw him no more, but went on his way rejoicing."
(NAS)
For other examples,
click here.
Isaiah 1:18 -- "Come now, and let us reason together," says the LORD,
"Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they
are red like crimson, they will be like wool." (NAS)
Galatians 3:27-29 -- "For all of you who were baptized into Christ have
clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek,
there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you
are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are
Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise." (NAS)
I John 1:7 -- "...but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the
light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son
cleanses us from all sin." (NAS)
What do you think? Is this what it means to be washed in the blood of
the Lamb?
Please study these scriptures carefully and decide for yourself.
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