Should We Cover in the Blood?

Having understood the potency of the Blood of Jesus and the benefits we receive from it, one may wonder, “What now should I or can I do with the blood of Jesus?”

The answer is very simple:

1. Thank God for the Blood of Jesus. Thank God that Jesus went to the cross for you. Thank Him that Jesus died and shed His blood for you. Thank Him that you do not have to assemble once every year to sacrifice bulls and goats to be seen as clean or accepted by God. We have been accepted by the Father because of the blood of Jesus.

2. Stand and operate in the reality of what the Blood of Jesus does for you.

• The blood of Jesus sets you free. Stand in your liberty.

• The blood of Jesus takes away sin. Stand and live sinlessly.

• The blood of Jesus removes sickness. Operate in sound health

• The blood of Jesus gives us victory. Enjoy your victory.

• Etc.

Sound it as often as possible in the ears of the devil that you are saved, you are free, you are healed, you are victorious, you are an overcomer, you have eternal life, and your end is glorious by reason of the blood of Jesus.

This is what we do with the blood of Jesus.

Someone may ask, “What about applying the blood of Jesus?” We do not need to add to what has already been completed. In John 19:30, Jesus proclaimed, “It is finished!” He had completed the work. Like we learned in the previous posts, one of the reasons Jesus’ blood is superior is because it cleanses sins and gives us victory once and for all – permanently. Unlike the blood of bulls and goats, Jesus’ blood does not need to be applied ever again. Jesus did it. He completed it. It is done. Hallelujah!!!

So, should we cover in the blood?

The practice of covering in the blood of Jesus is so rampart in Pentecostal circles that one would think it was gotten straight out of the Bible.

Some years ago, I wondered about this practice and sought to know how it came about. I didn’t find it in the Bible and so I checked online. A little digging got me to find out that it has been a practice within Pentecostalism that has just continued to be passed down and unquestioned.

As a Bible student and teacher, I have learned or should I say “decided” that whatever I teach, preach or practice as a believer has to based off of the word of God. I live by the word of God. Even Jesus lived based off “what is written”. “And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God… And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve” – Luke 4:4, 8.

If it is not scriptural, whether it is good or bad or whether works for people or not, I have personally chosen not to do, teach or encourage it. The explanation of Scripture is found by the Spirit and by the coherency of Scriptures - 1 John 5:7-8; John10:35; Psalm119:89. “Coherency” means there is no contradiction in the Bible. But all Scripture agrees on it. Everything we do as believers has to be based off the word of God.

So, this question, “Should we cover in the blood?”, I will not categorically respond with a “yes” or a “no”; but I do hope that you can make a decision about it as a believer as you read the rest of this post.

That said, I will use the following five points to state my stance on this practice.

1. WE ARE NOT COVERED IN THE BLOOD OF JESUS. WE HAVE BEEN WASHED / CLEANSED BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS.

The blood of Jesus does not cover our sin. In covering of sin, there is a possibility of remembrance of that sin (Hebrews 10:1-3). When you cover something, it is still there; just not conspicuous anymore. For example, you buy a beautiful couch cover to cover an old couch. The old couch is still there, but has just been covered with something beautiful to hide the oldness. The day the couch cover is removed, the old couch will be revealed as the same old couch.

This is why the High Priest (as seen in Leviticus 16) has to go every year to atone for the sins of the people with the blood of bulls and goats – Leviticus 16:34.

Hebrews 10:4 tells that the blood of bulls and goats could not take away sin. It could only cover it. Only the blood of Jesus could wash away sin. His blood washes, cleanses, puts away sins.

So, rather than say, “I am covered in the blood of Jesus”, I’d say instead, “I am cleansed by the blood of Jesus.” Cleansing is more powerful than covering; and that is what Jesus did for us. John 1:29, says, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” He did not just cover; He took it away forever.

More references: 1 John 1:7, 1 John 1:9, John 1:29, Revelation 7:14, 1 Corinthians 6:11.

2. THE CLEANSING WAS DONE ONCE AND FOR ALL

Oh! scripture is super duper clear on this one. Between Hebrews 9:12 and Hebrews 10:14, it is mentioned six times that the blood of Jesus cleanses once for all. (Hebrews 9:12, 26, 28; Hebrews 10:10, 12, 14).

The sacrifice Jesus made was eternal. We do not have to “cover in the blood” everyday to believe it. Hebrews 7:26-27.

In fact, by thinking we must cover in the blood everyday, we inadvertently infer that the blood of Jesus is not only powerless, but that it is way way way less potent than the blood of bulls and goats. Because even the blood of bulls and goats was applied only once a year for the “cleansing” (more like covering) of the sins of the Israelites – Leviticus 16:34; Hebrews 9:7; Hebrews 10:2-3. It sure looks good to do the “covering in the blood”, but there is a reason Jesus said in John19:30, that “It is finished”. “Finished” here means – completed, to bring to a fullness and completion. Concerning sins, God in Jesus on the cross, finished all that He needed to do. The question is do we believe God? Practicing this “covering in the blood” displays a lack of faith in the finished work of Christ. – Hebrews 8:6.

3. YOU ARE NOT THE HIGH PRIEST

Again, as good Bible students and wise believers, we must be careful how we treat the sacred. From scriptures, we learn that on the Day of Atonement, ONLY the High Priest went into the Holy of Holies to make atonement with the blood of animals for His sins and the sins of others. No other person could go into the Holy of Holies to perform this sacrifice. Such act was responded to by death – Leviticus 16.

Looking into the New Testament, we learn that this practice was a shadow of what Christ would do – Hebrews 9:8-10. It goes further to tell us that Christ is our High Priest (Hebrews 9:11). It is He who takes His own blood into the Holy of Holies (not made with hands) to atone for the sin of mankind. It is only Christ that can cleanse sin. It is only Christ that can use His blood on our behalf.

So, you cannot say to someone, “I cover you in the blood of Jesus”. You do not have that authority. You are not the High Priest; and you cannot cover anyone, not even yourself, with the blood of Jesus. Only Jesus, the High Priest can, and He already did (even better). Hebrews 4:14-15, Hebrews 7:26-27.

4. THE BLOOD OF JESUS WAS SHED FOR HUMANS.

If people only covered themselves in the blood of Jesus, it could have been taken or seen as a lack of understand of biblical truths or an honest misalignment with scriptures. But what makes this practice so out-of-scriptures (to say it very nicely) is that people also cover objects in the blood of Jesus. God did not leave all of His glory to come to this degraded world to die and shed his blood to cover objects – cars, houses, money, day/week. The blood of Jesus was shed for the remission of sin of mankind – NOT for animals, and definitely not for objects. Matthew 26:28; Ephesians 1:7.

When we say we are covering objects with Christ’s blood, we take the sacred and make it commonplace.

I know someone is thinking, “What about the Israelites that put the blood of lambs on their doorposts to be protected from judgment?” – Exodus 12:3-4, 6-7, 12.

Now, it is correct that the shedding of the blood and putting on the doorpost was a shadow of the future shedding of Jesus’ blood. By putting the blood on the doorpost, the Israelites expressed their faith in God to protect them from the judgment that was going to come on the Egyptians. It was NOT about the doorpost. It was about the deliverance of Israel and all those who believed in the God of Israel – Exodus 12:38.

In the same light, the shedding of Jesus’ blood was for people. Through Christ’s sacrifice, by shedding His blood for us, we believe (have faith in God) for our deliverance from the judgment that we would have deserved because of sin. His blood is for people, not objects.

• 1 John1:7b (...the blood of His Son cleanses us...).

• Matthew 26:27-28 (...my blood of the covenant poured out for many [people] for the forgiveness of sins.).

• Acts 20:28 (… be shepherds of the church [people] of God, which He bought with His won blood).

• Hebrews 9:14 (… the blood of Christ … cleanses our [people's] consciences from acts that lead to death).
  

5. WE DO NOT SEE THE APOSTLES PRACTICE THIS ANYWHERE IN SCRIPTURES

When we say/do something, it is important to check how it aligns with practices in scriptures. Several things in the bible were done as examples for us. There is no where in the bible where we see any of the Apostles cover in the blood of Jesus. They did not need to (as we don’t need to as well). They understood that Christ shed His blood of mankind and it was a complete and finished work – once for all. It does not need to be re-done over and over again. So, if we don’t see that the Apostles did this, why do we?

I hope this enlightens you.

Nourish Your Spirit