(A Book Review of The Precious Blood by Virginia H. Lane)
The Blood of Christ is precious because God sent his Son to be a sacrifice
for mankind. A friend loaned me a copy of
The Precious Blood: a
Study Guide. It took me a while to get into reading it. However,
when I did, I became enthused about the topic as presented by author and
speaker David Alsobrook.
Blood has been important to mankind since the beginning. God clothed
Adam and Eve with animal skins. Genesis 3:21 A sacrifice had to be
made to supply these skins. Father Abraham was accustomed to making
sacrifices. The children of Israel were required to kill a perfect
lamb just prior to the tenth plague. God had them slap the blood onto
the door posts of their houses. Exodus 12:7 Thus protection was provided
for the Hebrews when the Death Angel flew over the land of Egypt. These
situations were foreshadows of what was to come.
It becomes clear that there were many animal sacrifices in Old Testament
times. This practice of sacrifice continued into Christ's day and was
only discontinued with the temple was destroyed. Hebrews 9:22 tells
us that God requires that blood be shed for sin. "To be specific (and
we should be) it is the blood that makes the atonement (or covering) for
the sinner, not the death of the victim (which is to the means to that blood).
Christ came to this earth to redeem us from our sins. He died
an agonizing death.
So what does that mean for us? The study questions with answer key
at the end of each chapter help us to see ourselves and our role in relation
to the Death of Christ. Alsobrook discusses differences between the
Old Covenant and the New Covenant. This book was so interesting that
I have trouble putting it into words.
Even as I write this brief review, I am absorbing the reality of Christ's
Sacrifice. When referred to in scriptures, the blood of Jesus is often
preceded by a descriptive adjective in which an adjective could be used to
describe the nature and work of His blood. Some of these adjectives
are: justifying, redeeming, remitting, forgiving, washing and freeing, purging,
cleansing, sanctifying, reconciling, blotting and triumphing. Consider
these...I am awed to think that He died for me just so the meaning of these
adjectives could be applied to me.
An appendix at the end covers modern errors concerning the Blood of Christ.
I was particularly interested in the section concerning "pleading the
blood." This is a term that I have heard many times. While not
really understanding it, I considered the merit. Alsobrook gives examples
of why this practice (as it is often practiced) should not be done. However,
I also believe that he made it clear that the Blood is important and should
not be ignored. Our acceptance of Christ's sacrifice is what enables
us to be redeemed. Without it, there would be no Living Christ today.
The Precious Blood has been revised and expanded under a new title
Understanding the Blood of Christ. Copies can be purchased through
Amazon.
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The last page of
The Precious Blood gives information about David
Alsobrook and his ministry:
Although raised in a Christian home, David Alsobrook turned from the Lord
at an early age and went into karate, yoga, transcendental meditation and
drugs. He was gloriously saved in 1069 and filled with the Holy Spirit
in 1970. In February 1972, David Alsobrook answered the call of God
to go into an evangelistic and teaching ministry. He has written 23
books, of which almost three million copies have gone out from his ministry.
Sure Word Ministries, PO Box 2305, Brentwood, Tennessee 37024