“…knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold… but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”
1 Peter 1:18-19
Precious
My mother has a number of antiques in her home, mostly family heirlooms that she will pass to me some day. Some of them have been restored, and some are just as she received them. These things are precious to her in the sense that she cherishes them. She would rescue them in a fire, because she prizes them for sentimental reasons. She knows that one day these things will decay and fall apart (although probably not in her lifetime or even mine.)
But when Peter uses the word precious in today’s Scripture, he means something entirely different. A commodity in short supply is said to be precious. Rare. It can’t be readily replicated or reproduced, which makes it extremely valuable and costly. It is highly esteemed.
This is an apt description of Christ’s blood: precious. Rare. It is one-and-only—so rare that nothing else like it exists; it hasn’t existed before, and it can’t be reproduced. It is uniquely able to save. No other blood can save. No other blood can atone for our sins. No other blood can cover our corruption and redeem us. Only the blood of one Man, the very Son of God, was without blemish or spot. This blood never existed outside of Christ; no one else’s blood has the ability and power that His has.
Silver and gold will disintegrate—our riches can’t save us. Our bodies will return to the dust of the earth—our friends, family, and counselors can’t save us. All the stuff that seems so valuable to us will pass away in some manner, some time, no matter how closely we guard it. Things that pass away, corruptible things, cannot save us.
Only the rare, unique, spotless, blameless, perfect, precious blood of Christ redeems. Give thanks to our God and Father for giving us His Son! And give thanks to Jesus Christ, for His willing obedience in shedding His blood for us.
“Father, thank You for loving us and giving us Your willing and obedient Son, Jesus, that we might be saved. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
Amen!
I saw a picture of a perfect pure white lamb without blemish recently and instantly saw an image of our perfect Jesus in my mind. How much it hurt God to see his perfect son dying on the cross.
I know how much I suffered when my son died. Jesus died for us. My son died for selfish reasons, alcohol. There was no purpose in his death, no reason.
Precious, beautiful Jesus. Thank you for the devotion. It brought tears, thinking about HIM and the sacrifice. And for who? Us.