The Blood Series

The topic today is a bit controversial because it is something we do not like to talk about simply because it is uncomfortable. We rather not bother with the elephant in the room. Somehow I feel it is necessary to address this issue and here it is out in the open.

5. It Judges

People often forget that the blood of Christ can judge us. Man is so comfortable with speaking about a loving and forgiving God that people fail to see what happens when the salvation of God is rejected. As believers we need to understand the penalty that is deemed worthy to those who sin (turn away / apostatize) after receiving the knowledge of truth. For such there remains no more chance of redemption since they did not regard the value of the Blood of the new covenant, which I briefly mentioned as the second unforgivable sin when we were talking about the value of the Blood.

                                         For a believer the Blood of Christ judges a little bit differently. In 1 Cor 11:27-30, believers are encouraged to take part in the Holy Communion keeping in mind it’s sanctity and reverence. The Bible clearly emphasizes what happens to those who do not. The Bible says that they bring about judgement upon themselves because they did not discern the Lord’s body.

                                        The judgement pronounced here is temporal and not eternal. It is to serve as a warning or deterrent to others who might otherwise take the Holy Communion lightly. Believers need to understand the significance of the sacrifice made upon the cross and how the Lord instituted the Holy Communion as a memorial to His sacrifice, which was for our deliverance. If apostasy by a believer has no forgiveness because he/she has counted the Blood of Christ as a common thing and trampled it underfoot, imagine what happens to the people who take Communion without discerning the Body and Blood of Christ many times in their lives. Are we excused by any chance? Weakness of the body, sickness and even death is stated as being the punishments that befall such when judged by God.

                                       The Bible clearly states in Is 53: 4-6 and 1 Pt 2:24 that “By His stripes we have been healed,” yet there are so many who are sick in the church, WHY? In a lot of cases, believers die of sickness, which in turn causes a lot of people of the household of faith itself to question God. Not to forget the world also sees this as a chance to undermine the faith, by challenging the very word of God and those who follow it. The question that begs to be asked is whether this is because of not taking the communion in a worthy manner. Is our irreverence to the Body and Blood of Christ one of the causes of the biggest ill that plagues the church? Truth be told neither I nor any preacher, teacher or pastor can say that this is THE reason. I am by no means saying that there couldn't be other reasons…of course there can be. However, since we are on this topic it is a point that I personally would consider looking into, seeing the patterns within the Bible itself. There so many examples in the Old Testament where the people of God are punished for their sins. The sin of the sons of Korah, King David’s census, Moses’s sin etc.… are perfect examples. A lot of people deny that God judges His people today and the most common reason touted for people not being punished today is because we are in the period of Grace. The teaching gives the impression that there is no judgement for the believer and because of this teaching the possibility of the said sin is not considered, not even by a long shot. One New Testament example incident that I’d like to point out is the sin of Ananias and Sapphira, who died on the spot as punishment for lying to the Holy Spirit of God. Jesus also warns us about how much we need to be careful not to offend others esp. those who are small (children, new believers). The Apostle Paul also speaks about not causing other to stumble by what we eat, because their faith is weaker.

                                The word says that if we judge ourselves we would not be judged by God, meaning God does not want to judge us but He will if we won’t. So, if 1 Cor 11:29-30 is taken to be literal then then answer is YES, sickness and death from sickness may and can be a product of our own malpractice. The passage is a strict warning to every believer, to be careful when taking the Holy Communion. This judgement exists because we are not to be judged with the world, which will be sent to eternal hell fire after Judgement.

                               I believe the judgements mentioned in 1 Cor 11:27-28 are stages rather than singular events. First comes weakness, then comes sickness and if still one remains unrepentant; death. Each one paves the way for the next. The time taken from one to the other is uncertain but I believe in the filling up of the measure of sin, which is what brings about the edict of the judgement of God. For example: God speaks of the completion of the sin of the Amorites as a precursor to the deliverance of Israel from Egypt in Genesis 15:16. As we read we find that Israel was given the land because God wanted to dispossess the land from the Canaanites because of their sin. Mind you, I strongly believe that even if one reaches the final stage the moment repentance happens the power of God will restore that one. Why I say this...if God forgave Ahab when he repented and relented from punishing him in  1 Kings 21:28-29 or the City of Nineveh at the preaching of Jonah how much more the one who has accepted Jesus as their personal Saviour.

                               People are not aware of this warning because they are not taught about it. If then the accountability squarely lies on the shoulders of those that teach the word of God. People tend to follow what everyone else is doing and in doing so the act without knowing its significance it then becomes something we do as a part of Church culture/ tradition. The only mention of this warning that I personally ever hear, is right before the actual Communion service itself and in so many times of hearing it we get used to it. Since this particular sin is not taught or expounded upon, no one recognizes or considers these punishments to be a result of partaking the Lord’s Table in an unworthy manner.

                               On one hand the Bible says that we have been healed by the stripes of Jesus and on the other hand we see so many of our brothers and sisters’ sick, dying or are already dead. Wouldn't the sufferings (not death) of Christ then seem futile? Did He endure the Roman scourge for nothing? I believe everything that the Lord went through was for my good and well-being. Our irresponsibility and irreverence should not be used to tout our Lord as incapable of keeping us healthy, nor should it be used by scoffers and God haters to mock Him and question His sovereignty. It is therefore my prayer that all who read this will make sure that they take part in the Holy Communion in a worthy manner. We are created to be His praise and that is what we shall be. Amen.