19/06/2026
WHAT THE BLOOD OF JESUS REALLY IS AND WHY BELIEVERS DO NOT NEED TO PLEAD THE BLOOD OF JESUS EVERY TIME
Among many Christians, few expressions are as common as, "I plead the blood of Jesus." It is said before travelling, before sleeping, before entering a difficult situation, and sometimes repeatedly throughout the day. While the intention behind this declaration is often sincere, a desire for God's protection and intervention, it raises an important theological question: Is the repeated pleading of the blood of Jesus a biblical practice? More importantly, what exactly is the blood of Jesus according to Scripture?
To understand this subject properly, believers must move beyond religious slogans and examine the testimony of Scripture.
The Bible teaches that blood represents life. This principle was established long before Christ came into the world. In Leviticus 17:11, God declared:
"For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls."
The Hebrew word translated as "life" is nephesh, referring to the living soul or life-force of a creature. The blood was not magical in itself; it represented the life that had been given. Without life, blood has no significance. Therefore, whenever blood was shed under the Old Covenant, a life had been offered.
This truth becomes even clearer in verse 14:
"For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof."
Blood, therefore, was God's ordained symbol of life poured out in sacrifice.
When we arrive at the New Testament, the blood of Jesus must be understood through this framework. The blood of Christ is not a mystical substance detached from His person. It represents the giving of His life in sacrificial death for humanity.
Jesus Himself said in John 10:11,
"I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep."
Notice that He did not merely say He would spill blood. He gave His life.
Again, in Mark 10:45, Christ declared:
"For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many."
The emphasis throughout Scripture is that Jesus offered Himself completely. His blood signifies His life voluntarily surrendered to satisfy divine justice and reconcile sinners to God.
The writer of Hebrews repeatedly stresses this reality. Hebrews 9:12 states:
"Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us."
Notice the phrase "once." Christ's sacrificial work is not ongoing. It is complete. Eternal redemption has already been obtained.
Hebrews 9:26 further explains:
"...but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself."
The sacrifice was Himself. The blood points to the self-giving life of the Son of God.
This understanding guards believers from reducing the blood of Jesus to a spiritual formula or incantation. The power of the blood is not found in merely repeating the phrase, "I plead the blood." The power lies in the finished work of Christ, who lived obediently, died sacrificially, rose victoriously, and now intercedes as our High Priest.
Many believers sincerely ask, "If the blood is powerful, why should we not plead it all the time?"
The answer lies in understanding our covenant position.
Under the Old Testament, sacrifices had to be continually offered because they could never permanently remove sin. Hebrews 10:1–4 teaches that the blood of bulls and goats could not truly take away sins. They served as reminders that a better sacrifice was coming.
However, Hebrews 10:10 declares:
"By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."
Verse 14 adds:
"For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified."
The phrase "once for all" fundamentally changes the believer's relationship with God. Christians do not repeatedly apply Christ's sacrifice because God Himself has already accepted it eternally.
The New Testament never instructs believers to continually plead the blood of Jesus in prayer as though God needs to be persuaded to honour Christ's sacrifice again and again.
Instead, believers are told to draw near confidently.
Hebrews 10:19–22 says:
"Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus..."
The blood grants access. It establishes confidence. It gives assurance. It is not a desperate plea from frightened children trying to convince God to protect them. It is the basis upon which accepted sons and daughters approach their Father.
Likewise, Romans 5:1 states:
"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."
Notice the present reality. We have peace. We are justified. The verdict has already been rendered.
Even when Scripture speaks about spiritual warfare, the emphasis remains on faith in Christ's accomplished victory rather than repetitive pleading. Revelation 12:11 declares:
"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony..."
This verse does not depict believers continually begging for protection through verbal formulas. Rather, they overcome because they stand upon the objective reality of Christ's sacrificial death and boldly testify to the truth of what He accomplished.
This distinction is important.
There is nothing inherently sinful about saying, "I plead the blood of Jesus," if by that phrase a believer simply expresses trust in Christ's finished work. The problem arises when the expression becomes superstitious, used as a charm against danger, repeated out of fear, or treated as though the mere utterance of the words possesses automatic spiritual power.
Biblical faith does not trust formulas; it trusts Christ.
The believer's security rests not in how often certain phrases are repeated but in the person and work of Jesus. His blood speaks continually before the Father. Hebrews 12:24 says believers have come to:
"...Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel."
Abel's blood cried out for justice. Christ's blood proclaims mercy, forgiveness, reconciliation, and peace. It continues to speak because the risen Christ lives forever.
Therefore, Christians do not live anxiously trying to reactivate the efficacy of Calvary through constant pleading. They live from the confidence that the sacrifice has already been accepted. They have been redeemed, justified, reconciled, sanctified, and granted access to God through the once-for-all offering of Jesus Christ.
The blood of Jesus is precious because it represents the very life of the sinless Son of God poured out in love for sinners. Through that life given, believers have forgiveness of sins, peace with God, victory over Satan, and bold access to the throne of grace.
Rather than constantly pleading the blood out of fear, Christians are called to rest in what the blood has already accomplished. Faith does not repeatedly ask Christ to die again. Faith confidently declares that He died once, rose again, and that His finished work is sufficient forever.
The greatest honour believers can give to the blood of Jesus is not merely to speak about it often, but to trust completely in the perfect redemption it has already secured.
Clear???
Blessed Forever!!!
- Chris Hans Osei, 2026
