By the Blood of the Lamb
| They overcame
him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did
not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Rev. 12:11, NIV. |
The way our blood
fights the body's enemies offers a wonderful object lesson in how Christ's
blood enables us to overcome sin. Every day we encounter hundreds of germs
that could make us sick or even kill us. Yet usually we are unaware of
them.
What happens inside the body
when it is invaded by these tiny enemies? As soon as the body detects an
invading object, or pathogen, the body makes what is known as antibodies.
They are protein molecules in the blood that fight the pathogen. The next
time the same pathogen invades the body, special types of cells known as
memory cells detect the infectious agent and quickly act to help the body
form the exact antibodies needed to fight the enemy.
At birth a baby receives
antibodies from its mother through the placenta and her milk. For the first
few months of life the baby actually has resistance to or immunity from
the diseases its mother has had even though the child hasn't had the diseases
itself. The baby is safe from every pathogen the mother has successfully
battled.
In the same way, when we
are born again by faith in Jesus Christ we receive power to overcome all
sin. Jesus was exposed to all sin for us, so we may overcome through faith
in Him. The Bible tells us: "For we do not have a high priest who is unable
to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted
in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin" (Heb. 4:15, NIV).
Jesus took on every sin for
us. Imagine if a mother could allow herself to be exposed to every physical
disease in the world in order to pass on immunity to her children! Even
the most loving mother has never done that. Yet Jesus risked it all so
that we could overcome!
| Help me to trust You, Lord Jesus, and
the power of Your blood to forgive my past sins and give me the ability
to overcome current temptations. |
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