The Precious Blood Angeline Joyner

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I remember a hymn written by Robert Lowry which goes as, “What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus”.

Precious Blood

This hymn was just a usual monotonous poem to me until COVID – 19 arrived. Being born into a Christian family and raised up by Christian parents in a spiritual environment always pushes us to an illusion of believing that we are righteous by birth. Taking things for granted, we always consider “Salvation” to be our birthright. This year’s Good Friday and Easter weren’t the same for me. The national lockdown lent me ample time to actually figure out the significance of ‘the Precious Blood’, which was shed for me on the cross.

COVID19 – A GLOBAL PANDEMIC In this era of health emergency, we stand helpless as there are no specific antiviral drugs against this particular strain of virus. Numerous casualties are being reported daily. Medical experts and pharmaceutical companies are tirelessly working on bringing out a best possible remedy soon. Clinical trials and even human trials are happening in few countries.

CP THERAPY – A PROMISING TREATMENT MODALITY June 2020 There are numerous controversies of how to treat the novel Corona virus infection. Meanwhile, I came across an article, which threw light on something

called the ‘Convalescent Plasma Therapy’. Few labs in India and in other countries have come out with an idea of classic adaptive immunotherapy, wherein antibodies from blood of cured patients is used to treat critically ill COVID – 19 patients. By doing so, the neutralizing antibodies from the donor’s plasma helps to fight against the viral load in the critically ill recipient’s blood, thereby improving clinical symptoms and laboratory parameters. This technique isn’t new and has been used in the treatment of infections such as SARS and MERS previously and has yielded promising results. Soon I hope and pray, experts will be ready with a protocol for CP therapy to put an end to this global pandemic.

A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE TO CP THERAPY This ignited my thought process and hurray, it brought life into a verse which reads ‘and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin’ [1 John 1:7] just as similar to the blood, from the recovered patient, containing neutralizing antibodies which helps clear up the viral load in the critically ill patient. Yes, His blood has the power to cleanse me from all unrighteousness [1 John 1:9]. A sense of hope gripped my heart when I remembered the verse which says, ‘For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-yet he did not sin’ [Hebrews 4:15]. My eyes well up when I consider the cruel death, the death on the cross, my Beloved had to under go

because of my transgressions [Isaiah 53:5]. He knew no sin but was made sin so that I might become the righteousness of God [2 Corinthians 5:21]. I live because He died for me on the cross.

I am filled with a sense of gratitude to know someone I betrayed, someone I spat on, someone I slapped would die for me so that I might live. Because of the cross, • I am healed • I am free, my curse is lifted • I am redeemed and everything is paid in full • I am reconciled to God, my Father after ages of hurting Him • I have a hope of living eternally with my Beloved

What a privilege to know this God and to let Him rule your life forever!

Oh! Precious Is the Flow That Makes Me White As Snow; No Other Fount I Know Nothing but The Blood of Jesus!!!

Angeline Joyner V

June 2020