"Nothing But the Blood". To un-Christianized ears, given its title this 19th century song might well be thought to have been penned by Count Dracula as opposed to a preacher and hymn writer. Nevertheless, it was Robert Lowry, a Baptist minister, who wrote about blood with such candor and reverence. Not just blood in general, of course, but the blood of Jesus; blood -- as Jesus himself said before his imminent death -- which would be poured out for the forgiveness of sins.
The relationship between blood and forgiveness is difficult to understand for Christian and non-Christian alike. But whatever else can be said, the Christian knows that the death of Jesus was necessary if we were to receive life. All authority on earth belongs to a crucified Messiah. Moreover, all authority belongs to him precisely because he was crucified. It was the shed blood of Jesus that made him who he is today, as the hymn in Philippians 2 implicitly professes.
"Nothing But The Blood" focuses on some of the effects of the cross: cleansing from sin and peace with God. It may be overly romantic in its portrayal of Christ's blood, but it gets the message of Hebrews 9:22 across loud and clear: without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.
I mention all of this because I recorded a "contemporary" version of the song in question (and in a week when I criticized contemporary Christian worship music!). I won't lie: my version is extremely Hillsong-ish, but for two notable differences: my vocals are unpolished, and I do not possess model good looks. Rest assured that this song is being sung by a man of the people; not someone who could have been either a worship leader or the face of Abercrombie. But for better or worse, many of the other Hillsong staples are on show in this piece: quiet/loud/quiet, synth, and a reverb-heavy guitar solo to mention three.
The inspiration to record this song came after a joint Sunday service with a church in Galway. We ended the meeting by breaking bread with one another as "Nothing But the Blood" was played. As I watched two grown men hug (where else can you see such things but at church...or a football match), it struck me that the blood of Jesus is a unifying thing; nobody needs it more than you, nobody needs it less than you. We are united in our need to die with Christ, and so we should be united in our being raised with him.
The relationship between blood and forgiveness is difficult to understand for Christian and non-Christian alike. But whatever else can be said, the Christian knows that the death of Jesus was necessary if we were to receive life. All authority on earth belongs to a crucified Messiah. Moreover, all authority belongs to him precisely because he was crucified. It was the shed blood of Jesus that made him who he is today, as the hymn in Philippians 2 implicitly professes.
"Nothing But The Blood" focuses on some of the effects of the cross: cleansing from sin and peace with God. It may be overly romantic in its portrayal of Christ's blood, but it gets the message of Hebrews 9:22 across loud and clear: without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.
I mention all of this because I recorded a "contemporary" version of the song in question (and in a week when I criticized contemporary Christian worship music!). I won't lie: my version is extremely Hillsong-ish, but for two notable differences: my vocals are unpolished, and I do not possess model good looks. Rest assured that this song is being sung by a man of the people; not someone who could have been either a worship leader or the face of Abercrombie. But for better or worse, many of the other Hillsong staples are on show in this piece: quiet/loud/quiet, synth, and a reverb-heavy guitar solo to mention three.
The inspiration to record this song came after a joint Sunday service with a church in Galway. We ended the meeting by breaking bread with one another as "Nothing But the Blood" was played. As I watched two grown men hug (where else can you see such things but at church...or a football match), it struck me that the blood of Jesus is a unifying thing; nobody needs it more than you, nobody needs it less than you. We are united in our need to die with Christ, and so we should be united in our being raised with him.
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