Q. What do you think of people “pleading the blood of Jesus” when they pray for someone else?
I’ve heard of people “pleading the blood of Jesus” in their prayers. But I don’t see this practice described or taught anywhere in the Bible. In fact, the Bible teaches that the blood of Jesus actually pleads for us. The book of Hebrews says that Jesus is “the mediator of a new covenant” and that his “sprinkled blood speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.” In other words, Jesus intercedes for us, and the merits of his blood shed on the cross help make that intercession even more effective. So I think that in prayer, rather than “pleading the blood of Jesus” for ourselves or others, we might tell God that we are trusting in Jesus’ intercession and in the better, more gracious word that his shed blood speaks on our behalf.
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Author: Christopher R Smith
The Rev. Dr. Christopher R. Smith is an an ordained minister, a writer, and a biblical scholar. He was active in parish and student ministry for twenty-five years. He was a consulting editor to the International Bible Society (now Biblica) for The Books of the Bible, an edition of the New International Version (NIV) that presents the biblical books according to their natural literary outlines, without chapters and verses. His Understanding the Books of the Bible study guide series is keyed to this format. He was also a consultant to Tyndale House for the Immerse Bible, an edition of the New Living Translation (NLT) that similarly presents the Scriptures in their natural literary forms, without chapters and verses or section headings.
He has a B.A. from Harvard in English and American Literature and Language, a Master of Arts in Theological Studies from Gordon-Conwell, and a Ph.D. in the History of Christian Life and Thought, with a minor concentration in Bible, from Boston College, in the joint program with Andover Newton Theological School.
View all posts by Christopher R Smith
Good Question 