INNOCENT BLOOD
A doctrine has been floating around for a number of years called “Innocent Blood”. This doctrine promotes that Jesus Christ did not have human blood, but the “blood” of God. It is also stated that this blood made Jesus physically God and therefore, by conclusion, He was not a human being. Because Jesus’ blood was of God, it was the only way He could have “innocent blood” in order to be a perfect atonement for sin.
Other facets of this teaching:
* All members related by His blood. The life of each member depends solely on His blood We are blood relatives to Adam, who sinned. Christ gives us new life (blood).
* After victory over sin, Jesus makes us “immune” from it.
* The child’s blood comes from its father Its mother’s blood is not transferred The mother provides only the flesh, not the blood.
* If our Lord Jesus, who is to occupy David’s throne (Luke 1:32-33), had been begotten by Mary’s husband Joseph, who was of the line of Jeconiah (Matthew 1:12,16), it would have contradicted this divine prediction [no kingly descendents]. Christ’s dynastic right to the throne came, through his foster father Joseph, from Jeconiah, but the physical descent of Jesus from David came through Mary, whose genealogy is traced to David through Nathan rather than through Solomon (cp. Luke 3:31 with Matthew 1:17).
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Let’s look at the basic statements of “Innocent Blood” – my comments in brown, follow the statements in black:
* All members related by His blood. The life of each member depends solely on His blood We are blood relatives to Adam, who sinned. Christ gives us new life (blood).
The blood of Christ was shed for sin as He bore our sins – taking them upon Himself. The shed blood, in and of itself, does not propitiate for sin. Sin is birthed in the heart [mind, soul] not in the blood.
Matthew 15:18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. 19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: 20 These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashed hands defiles not a man.
It is fact that Jesus was sinless, incapable of sin, not that the blood itself had properties to cleanse from sin, or that sin can be washed physically out of the blood. Jesus is God and therefore, incapable of sin. If the blood itself had properties to cleanse from sin, we would all have to be physically dipped in the shed blood of Christ in order to be sanctified and forgiven from sin every time we sin – and God would have to transfuse into us brand new blood. As God does not have blood – He is a Spirit, a “Heavenly blood” is impossible.
John 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
What the NT tells us is that we are born again or given new life, spiritually, by the Holy Spirit. We are changed, transformed, renewed into the image of Christ – we have the mind of Christ, we are lead by the Holy Spirit, we are born again of Spirit. It is not physical change, but a spiritual one. We do not have new “blood”.
* After victory over sin, Jesus makes us “immune” from it.
Overcoming by the blood of the Lamb is not overcoming all sin. We are in the flesh and will continue to sin until we die. Immunity of the blood is against disease, not sin. We overcome by being faithful to God; being led by the Holy Spirit; by resisting temptation; by a continual regeneration of our spirits to be like Christ. This is an ongoing process and one that we fail at continually. By the grace of God, are we His workmanship and perfected by Him.
1 John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
* The child’s blood comes from its father Its mother’s blood is not transferred. The mother provides only the flesh, not the blood.
Blood is made in the bones of the body. Blood type comes from both mother and father. This is basic biology 101.
From Wikipedia:
“Blood is a specialized bodily fluid that delivers necessary substances to the body’s cells — such as nutrients and oxygen — and transports waste products away from those same cells.
Blood is considered a specialized form of connective tissue, given its origin in the bones and the presence of potential molecular fibers in the form of fibrinogen.
Blood performs many important functions within the body including:
* Supply of oxygen to tissues (bound to hemoglobin, which is carried in red cells)
* Supply of nutrients such as glucose, amino acids, and fatty acids (dissolved in the blood or bound to plasma proteins (e.g., blood lipids)
* Removal of waste such as carbon dioxide, urea, and lactic acid
* Immunological functions, including circulation of white blood cells, and detection of foreign material by antibodies
* Coagulation, which is one part of the body’s self-repair mechanism
* Messenger functions, including the transport of hormones and the signaling of tissue damage
* Regulation of body pH (the normal pH of blood is in the range of 7.35 – 7.45)[2] (covering only 0.1 pH unit)
* Regulation of core body temperature
* Hydraulic functions [Blood flow to help lift, move, expand]”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood
From another article:
Bone marrow is the spongy tissue in the cavities of the bones. It is the blood cell ‘factory’. Healthy bone marrow releases blood cells into the blood stream when they are mature and when required. The different blood cells made inside bone marrow are:
* Red blood cells that carry oxygen around the body
* White blood cells that make up the body’s immune system
* Platelets which are needed for clotting.
http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcArticles.nsf/pages/Bone_marrow?OpenDocument
* If our Lord Jesus, who is to occupy David’s throne (Luke 1:32-33), had been begotten by Mary’s husband Joseph, who was of the line of Jeconiah (Matthew 1:12,16), it would have contradicted this divine prediction [no kingly descendents]. Christ’s dynastic right to the throne came, through his foster father Joseph, from Jeconiah, but the physical descent of Jesus from David came through Mary, whose genealogy is traced to David through Nathan rather than through Solomon (cp. Luke 3:31 with Matthew 1:17).
The earlier concept:
* So then, since the blood of Jesus came from the Father (making Him innocent), Jesus was PHYSICALLY (as well as spiritually) the Son of God.
Therein lies the contradiction …… either Jesus came from “divine blood” or from human blood. If Jesus came through the line of Mary, He fulfilled the OT prophecy of coming from David’s blood line. However; if Jesus’ blood is “God’s blood”, then we have a huge problem ….. Jesus cannot be the Messiah because He could not have fulfilled prophecy. Oopps … 
In Acts 20:28 it says:
Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. (Acts 20:28)
I’m confused here:
“The blood of Christ was shed for sin as He bore our sins – taking them upon Himself. The shed blood, in and of itself, does not propitiate for sin. Sin is birthed in the heart [mind, soul] not in the blood.”
Would you mind elaborating on that statement?
Hi Linda!
I am happy to clarify
Within the context of the article I was making a point that the actual blood is not “innocent”. The blood of Christ was shed for sin, but it is a symbolic representation of washing away sins. In other words, rather than the blood of animals [who are neither sinful or sinless] propitiated for sin under the old covenant – a repeated sacrifice], Jesus blood was shed because He was sinless and therefore His blood is the propitiation for all sin for all time under the New Covenant [this is a spiritual "reality" done through the physical manifestation - we live in fleshly sinful carnal bodies]. The blood itself does not have the ability to do anything – it’s just human blood, but God signified that Christ’s shed blood was the sacrifice for sin because He was sinless. The premise of “Innocent blood” is that Jesus had special blood from Heaven that was sinless, which is impossible. However, Jesus tells us that sin is birthed in the heart, not in the blood.
Hope that makes sense – if not, please contact me further!
In Christ,
sheep wrecked
Thanks for the response! Let me ponder it awhile. I had never heard of “Innocent Blood” before. Do you know who teaches this? Almost sounds like the teaching of John MacArthur.
A good idea would be to look up every instance of “blood” in the Scriptures and put all of it into context because Scripture will interpret Scripture.
“The premise of “Innocent blood” is that Jesus had special blood from Heaven that was sinless, which is impossible.”
I guess this is the statement that sums up this doctrine. The composition of the blood (in and of itself) of Christ would be the same as any other human. Since Christ is God and never ceased to be God, even in His humanity, the blood which He shed on Calvary was “perfect” and “sinless” because it came from Christ, the sinless Lamb of God. Would this be correct?
Off topic question: Where do I find the emoticons that some are using in their responses?
From what I have researched, Dr M R DeHaan had a major teaching on it. He was connected with Reformed Church of America [RCA] in Grand Rapids, Michigan and created/started the “Our Daily Bread” booklet that is found all over the states in various churches, restaurants and public places where free literature is displayed. I am not sure if he started this teaching, but it seems to be attached to him predominately on the internet.
Dr DeHaan passed away some years ago now.
I am familiar with Dr. M. R. DeHaan. At one time I had a copy of his book “The Chemistry of the Blood”. Are you familiar with that book? I think you can find it online. If that teaching on Innocent Blood is in that book, I probably missed it. I can’t remember what John MacArthur taught on the blood of Christ, but he was highly criticized about it.
No, I have not read that book. I will try to find it, though. Thanx for the info! I will respond here on what I find
Blessings in Christ,
sheep wrecked
sheepwreckedshearedandbobbed@yahoo.com
I found some excerpts from Dr. M.R. DeHaan’s book online. You are correct. Most of those teachings on Innocent Blood that you posted came from that book “Chemistry of the Blood”. Not sure if I can post a website here, so I will email the site to you, if that’s ok.