“Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.”
(Romans 5:9 ESV)

As a child I suffered from frequent nosebleeds.  They would come on spontaneously and last quite a while.  Recently I haven’t had much of a problem with nosebleeds, but these cold and dry Iowa winters are working against me.

Yesterday morning, as I was reading through the Psalms over a cup of coffee at the cofee shop, it happened.  Without warning my nose started to bleed, so I quickly went to the restroom and got the bleeding to stop and cleaned myself up.  But when I returned to my table, I saw the damage was done. 

There, on the 73rd Psalm, right next to :

Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

sat a scarlet drop of blood, soaking into the page.  I did my best to clean it up, but my Bible is now permanently stained with blood.

I thought to myself, I can’t use this Bible anymore.  It’s got blood on it. I certainly can’t let anyone else see or use it, its stained forever.  The beautiful white pages with their gold edges are marred.  From now on I will have a vivid reminder of that morning, and how that one drop of blood has changed the entire book.

It didn’t take long for me to realize what a perfect picture this was.  My Bible was already stained by blood, not by mine, but by the blood of the lamb.  Having just re-read Leviticus and Numbers, which establish the provisions for the sacrifices for atonement, there is blood on every page.  It is impossible to overstate the tragic consequences of sin and the terrible price that must be paid for our redemption and forgiveness.  Every sacrifice creates within us a longing for that one sufficient sacrifice that would completely atone for our sins, the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  It is by His blood that we are justified (Rom 5:9), in His blood we have redemption (Eph 1:7), with His blood that we are purified (Heb 9:13; 1 John 1:7), and by His blood that we have been set free (Rev 1:5).

I knew a Pastor once who refused to sing any songs in church that mentioned the blood of Jesus, and wouldn’t read any passage in worship that mentioned it either.  It is just too gory, he said.  When you think about it, there’s not a lot left:  His blood is on every page; and I will praise Him for it!

What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
O! Precious is the flow that makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know; nothing but the blood of Jesus.

SDG