“But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:” (1Peter 1:19)
While we can learn so much about the precious blood of Christ in just this one verse, the context in which it’s written gives us so much more. “Forasmuch as ye know that ye 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,” (1Peter 1:18-20)
I keep repeating that in God’s realm, the past, present and future are all known at the same time. The Lamb of God was known and foreseen before the earth was formed. He has been and is now manifest. The Old Testament is evidence of this. Throughout Jewish history, we see glimpses that point to the Lamb. The sacrifices even before the Law of killing a spotless and perfect innocent creature point to the sacrifice of the innocent spotless Lamb for the guilty.
The power of the blood to protect and to declare guiltless is shown to us at the first Passover, when death was pronounced and executed on those not covered by the blood on the doorposts and lintel. Death passed over and didn’t stop where the blood was. There was protection where the blood was. This is an important detail. All were guilty of sin and deserved death, both Israelite and Egyptian. Death for sin makes no distinction. Death didn’t pass over the Israelites because they were Israelites, but because they were covered by the blood. The blood justified and declared them not guilty but cleansed, so death passed them over.
The same is true of the blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus. We are guilty without the blood. We deserve death. But when we accept God’s gift of mercy through the blood sacrifice of Jesus, we are covered. We are declared cleansed, purified and guiltless. Death passes over.
The Jews celebrate that time of mercy each year at Passover. After death passed over, the Israelites were set free from the bondage they had been in for 400 years. (Genesis 15:13) When we receive God’s gift of mercy through the blood of the Lamb, we are set free from the bondage of sin.
Jesus established this new covenant between God and man. “And He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is My blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” (Matthew 26:27-28; Mark 14:24) We remember and celebrate our freedom from bondage just as the Jews do at Passover, at communion or the Lord’s supper in our services.
Now man always has to place restrictions because we are intelligent beings and things have to make sense to us. So when there are no set rules, man establishes rules that were not instituted by God, but by man. The only requirement Jesus gave was to do it in remembrance of Him. “And He took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22:19) Then Paul was given more revelation concerning the Lord’s supper. “For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, ...” (1Corinthians 11:23)
There was a problem during the Lord’s supper in the Corithian church in that they would eat it not to remember the Lord but to eat. And so, the first ones ate it all up leaving none for the others. (1 Corinthians 11:20-22) Paul teaches them that the Lord’s supper is not a meal to satisfy the flesh, but a holy remembrance. And He reiterates the words of Jesus at the Last Supper. (1 Corinthians 11:24-26) Before we partake of the Lord’s Supper, we are always told to examine ourselves so that we don’t take it unworthily. While many times we are told to focus on our sin, Paul tells us to focus on the sacrifice for our sin. Not doing so is taking it unworthily. “For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till He come. Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.” (1Corinthians 11:26-31) Partaking of the Lord’s Supper without considering the sacrifice of the Lord for our sin is taking it unworthily. These are the only restrictions that should exist. Any more than this is man conceived.
The Lord’s Supper is the remembrance of the body of Christ that was wounded, bruised and which died in our place. And it’s a remembrance of the shed blood of Jesus which cleanses us, purifies us from our sin, declares us not guilty and protects us from the death of our sin.
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