The Blood
– a universal transport medium
The blood (Latin sanguis, Greek haima) is the great transport medium of the body. While circulating, this liquid 1 performs several important functions:
Respiration
The blood carries oxygen from the lungs to all body tissues for them to utilise. At the same time carbon dioxide is carried from the tissues back to the lungs where it is exhaled. This vital function is mainly performed by the red blood cells.
Nourishment
The cells of the body continually require energy and raw materials, and the blood plays an all-important part by transporting nutrients to the individual cells of the body. The products resulting from the digestion of food are absorbed by the blood from the gut (mainly the small intestine). The length of the small intestine is between five and seven metres, and its total surface area exceeds that of the lungs. If one were to iron out all its protuberances, its area would be larger than a tennis court. Nutrients, dissolved in water, are collected by the blood from the small intestine and carried to the liver along the portal vein (vena portae). Consisting of a patchwork of about 100,000 hexagonal pieces called lobules (hepatic lobule, Greek hepar = liver), the liver is the largest internal organ. The basic metabolism of the body takes place in the liver. Employing unique and wonderful processes, the cells of the lobules chemically convert sugar, fats, proteins, and other nutrients. The products are either stored, re-used, or released. About 30 per cent of the blood leaving the heart passes through the liver, and from there the nutrients are distributed throughout the body.
The blood plays another important role in nutrition: Superfluous nutrients are stored in certain “depots” and transported to active cells when required.
1 Measures of volume: Many types of volume are mentioned in this chapter, and the following conversion table may be useful in this respect:
1 cubic metre = 1 m3 = 1000 dm3 = 1000 l
1 cubic decimetre = 1 dm3 = 1 litre
1 cubic centimetre = 1 cm3 = 1000 mm3 =
1 millilitre 1 cubic millimetre = 1 mm3 = 109 μm3
1 cubic micrometre = 1 μm3 = 1 thousand millionth of a mm3
1 litre = 1 l = 1 dm3 = 1000 cm3 = 1000 ml = 100 cl
1 centilitre = 1 cl = 10 ml
1 millilitre = 1 ml = 1 cm3 = 1000 μl
1 microlitre = 1 μl = 1 mm3
Excretory function
The end products of cellular metabolism diffuse into the interstitial spaces between the cells and from there to the blood. These chemicals are then filtered out by the excretory organs, mainly the kidneys. (Excretion = the removal or elimination of metabolic products (excreta) which cannot be used by the body, like urine and sweat; in contrast, the process of secretion produces substances which the body needs.)
The control of concentrations
The cells of the body can only function optimally when the prevailing internal conditions are within certain limits (eg. the concentration of dissolved substances should be constant, as well as the temperature and the acid-base ratio). Certain organs continually monitor these blood values and correct them when necessary. The composition of the intercellular liquids is kept in equilibrium by interchanges with the blood.
Temperature control
At the normal temperature of the body, 37 °C, all processes function optimally. The organs generate heat, but the main component of the blood, water, has a high specific heat value, so that the heat capacity of blood is also high. Furthermore, since the blood flows continually, the transfer of heat is much faster than in the case of a non-moving liquid. On the one hand, the blood absorbs any excess heat, which is then dissipated over the surface of the body and through the lungs. On the other hand, circulation of the blood ensures that all parts of the body receive the necessary heat.
Transportation of hormones
The blood also conveys the body’s own chemicals, which are collected from their points of origin or their places of storage. Various hormones (Greek horman = drive, excite) are secreted by the endocrine glands (Greek éndon = inside, krinein = separate, excrete). Many vital processes are controlled by special substances in the blood, known as hormones. They are produced in certain tissues or glands, taken up by the blood, and transported to other specific tissues or organs, often located at considerable distances. There they perform functions vital to the organism, although they appear only in minute quantities in the blood.
Some hormones are:
Adrenalin – secreted when the sympathetic nerves are excited, causing blood vessels to contract.
Renin and angiotensin – control of blood pressure.
Histamine – plays an important role in antigen/ antibody reactions.
Somatotropin – growth hormone
Insulin – controls the processing of the glucose absorbed in the intestine, as well as that synthesised by the body itself.
Male and female sexual hormones.
Cortisone – controls (among other things) the immune response.
Thyroid hormones – control heat and metabolism.
Defence
The leucocytes (white blood cells) and certain chemicals (antibodies) protect the body against toxins and intruding micro-organisms.
Coagulation
Blood coagulation affords a vitally important protection against loss of blood; it also repairs damaged blood vessels.
Obviously, the blood carries out vitally important functions. It is the raison d’être as well as the handmaiden of the circulatory system. It supplies each and every cell with fuel (obtained from the nutrients we ingest), with oxygen, with vitamins, with hormones, and with warmth. Metabolic products and excess heat are also carried away from every cell. Blood flows ceaselessly throughout our lifetime. It does not collect at specific points, but flows in a never-ending loop through the circulatory system. Filling and emptying itself every second with blood, the heart is the centre of this system.
Composition of the blood
Blood plasma (the liquid component) comprises 56 % of the blood, and solid particles (the blood corpuscles) make up the other 44 %. Three types of corpuscles can be distinguished:
– Red blood cells (= erythrocytes; Greek erythrós = red; kytos = hollowed, convex).
Quantity: 4.5 – 5 million per mm3 blood
– White blood corpuscles (leucocytes; Greek leukós = bright, shiny, white).
Quantity: 4,000 – 10,000 per mm3 blood Three types can be distinguished: lymphocytes (30 %), granulocytes (66 %), and monocytes (4 %)
– Platelets (thrombocytes; Greek thrómbos = coagulated blood) Quantity: 150,000 – 350,000 per mm3 blood
Red blood corpuscles
Did you know that every drop of blood contains 250 million red cells? During its average lifespan of 120 days each of these highly specialised cells performs an extremely important task: it absorbs oxygen 175,000 times, and discharges carbon dioxide the same number of times. Its diameter is close to one thousandth of a millimetre. If all 25 million 58 million erythrocytes contained in the 5 litres of a man’s blood were laid side by side, their total area would cover 3,800 square metres, more than half of a football field.
Human erythrocytes are circular disks, concave on both sides. Their greatest thickness at the edge is about 2 μm and the average diameter is 7.5 μm (normocyte). The central cross-sectional shape is like a dumb-bell, only 1 μm thick at the centre. This characteristic shape provides for the greatest diffusion area. It also optimally serves another purpose: They are easily distorted and are thus able to pass through narrow, curved capillaries. They can even pass through blood vessels with a smaller diameter than the average erythrocyte. Having a volume of 90 μm3, their biconcave disk shape has an area of 140 μm2, but if they were spherical, the area would have been only 97 μm2.
Erythrocytes do not have a cellular nucleus, so they are unable to divide and replicate. This means that all red blood cells have to be replaced at the end of their lifetime. This renewal, known as erythropoesis (Greek poesis = regeneration) takes place in the bone marrow. It should be noted that about 0.9 % of the total complement of 25 million million red blood corpuscles are renewed every 24 hours. The production rate is thus 160 million per minute, or 230,000 million per day. This amounts to 2.7 million per second – an astounding rate!
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| Neutrophilic granulocyte |
Monocyte |
Basophilic granulocyte |
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The various blood cells. The blood cells are produced in the red bone marrow from a common stem cell, the haemocytoblast, and are released into the surrounding blood after a certain maturation period. Except for the lymphocytes, which also reproduce in the lymphatic organs, all blood cells are produced in the red bone marrow throughout our lifetime.
One of the most important tasks of the blood is to transport the oxygen absorbed in the lungs to all organs and tissues, at the same time conveying the carbon dioxide (CO2) produced there back to the lungs. The erythrocytes are essentially responsible for this function of the blood. The red pigment hemoglobin (abbr. Hb) has the ability to absorb oxygen in the lung capillaries and subsequently release it in the capillaries of the body tissues. It is also able to bind some of the carbon dioxide produced by cellular metabolism and release it in the lungs. Hemoglobin thus plays a central role in the transportation of respiratory gases. It is a protein comprising 34 per cent of the wet weight of the erythrocytes, water being the most abundant component.
One cell contains 32 pg (1 picogram = 10-12 g) hemoglobin, comprising about 300 million molecules. This red pigment comprises about 95 % of the dry weight of erythrocytes. Interestingly, the 32 pg per cell in an adult organism is practically a universal constant for the animal kingdom. In terms of volume the quantity of Hb is about 140 g/l for adult women, and 160 g/l for men.
The body thus has a total quantity of between 700 and 960 grams of Hb available in its 5 to 6 litres of blood. The percentage of iron in hemoglobin is 0.334 %, so that 3 grams, or 70 %, of all the iron in the body is located in the hemoglobin.
Each of these Hb molecules is a complex protein, consisting of globin (Greek globus = sphere) which is connected to an iron-containing pigment component, heme (Greek haima = blood) by means of four polypeptide chains. Because of the four chains this protein is known as a tetrameric protein (Greek tetra = four). Two of these chains consist of 141 amino acids (the α chain ), and the other two have 146 amino acids (the β chain). The normal hemoglobin for an adult is indicated by Hb-α2β2 or simply HbA. The exact sequence of the amino acids in the chains is of crucial importance for the structure of the globin molecule. Small deviations can seriously affect its function.
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| Eosinophilic granulocyte |
Platelets (thrombocytes) |
Small lymphocyte |
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Consisting of four pyrrole rings connected by methine bridges ( – CH = ), the heme has a bivalent iron atom at its centre. Oxygen can be attached to the central iron atom without changing its chemical valence. The Creator designed this amazing structure without which human life would not have been possible. Consider the following:
Normally, in the presence of water and oxygen, the iron in free heme is immediately oxidised to tri-valent iron (hematin); it cannot then absorb any oxygen. The Creator prevented this futile reaction by shaping the globin chain to form a protective coat. This chain also has other important functional properties:
In the first place the absorption of oxygen is reversible, since it does not depend on a chemical bond. If a chemical bond had to be severed, energy would have been required. Secondly, the quantity of oxygen to be absorbed or released can be regulated, making it possible to supply varying levels of oxygen to peripheral organs according to their physiological requirements. It can also be stated thus: Human life could not have existed without the finely tuned properties of hemoglobin, which are the result of its well designed molecular structure.
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| Large lymphocyte |
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The entire molecule, consisting of 10,000 atoms, has a molecular weight of about 68,000 (compare: H2O: 18, CO2: 44, insulin: 41,000). It is precisely folded in such a way as to obtain its characteristic near-spherical shape (diameter: 5.5 nm, 1 nm = 10-9 m). Each of its four equal sized parts is also roughly spherical.
When oxygenated, the colour of the blood changes from dull purplish (the venous blood depleted of oxygen) to a bright scarlet (the colour of oxygenrich arterial blood). Oxygenated Hb is known as oxy-hemoglobin. The theoretical oxygen capacity of the 5 – 6 litres of blood in the body is between 1,100 and 1,400 ml, but only 25 % of this amount is actually utilised. In an equal volume of water (5 – 6 litres) at 20 °C only 150 – 180 ml oxygen can be dissolved (and even less at 37 °C). When carbon monoxide (CO) is inhaled, it replaces oxygen, because it binds more tightly with Hb. This explains the high toxity of even small concentrations of CO in the air.
A fraction of the oxygen is transported by the blood in the form of dissolved O2, as is the case with other respiratory gases. Although this quantity of oxygen (0.3 ml per 100 ml blood) is minute, it is quite important, since oxygen can only diffuse into body tissues when it is physically dissolved. But most of the oxygen transported by the blood is bound to Hb, maximally in the ratio of four oxygen molecules per molecule of Hb.
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It follows that one gram of Hb can absorb 1.36 ml oxygen (Hüfner’s number). The average man has 15.3 g of Hb per 100 ml blood, and a woman has 14.5 g Hb, so that each 100 ml of a man’s blood can carry 20.8 ml O2 (19.7 ml in the case of a woman), when all the heme is fully oxygenated. Hb thus transports 70 times as much oxygen as that which can be physically dissolved in the serum. The total amount of Hb in 5.5 litres of blood is between about 745 and 820 g.
Some noteworthy numbers
The total number of red blood corpuscles: 25 million million
That is,
– in one cubic millimetre (mm3): 5,000,000
– in one drop of blood: 250,000,000
– in one cubic cm (cm3): 5,000,000,000
Total surface area of all red blood cells: 3,800 m2
Total number of white blood cells: 35,000 million
Total number of platelets: 1.25 million million
To get some visual grasp of the immense number of erythrocytes in our body: If all these red blood cells were stacked one on top of the other, the stack would reach a height of 40,000 km, the circumference of the earth at the equator. If all 25 million million red blood corpuscles were laid down next to one another, we would have a 190,000 km long band which would be nearly five times the circumference of the earth.
Red blood cell differences before and after birth
Concerning the transport of oxygen in the blood, two requirements must be met right throughout the three different stages of the human being (embryonic, fetal and adult) considered here. All parts of the body must be supplied with the necessary amounts of oxygen; similarly, the CO2 resulting from oxidation needs to be transported away. Each of these various developmental stages has differing circulatory and metabolic situations, so the capacity of the blood to transport these gases needs to be different in each case. We can only stand amazed at how the Creator solved this problem, which is why it is worth giving a little more detail:
Carrying out these specific functions requires an extraordinarily ingenious molecular construction. It is the hemoglobin molecule (Hb), which chemically is a tetrameric iron protein. It consists of a globin molecule and four heme molecules. Globin consists of four subunits, namely four long protein chains (two lots of identical type, i.e. two pairs). A heme molecule is attached to each of these chains such that the four heme units lie in “pouches” close to the surface of the entire Hb molecule. Heme is a ringshaped molecule, which contains an iron atom at its centre. Hb consists of 0.334% iron; the total quantity of iron in the blood is about 3 grams, or 70% of the iron in the entire human body.
Protein molecules consist of long chains of various amino acids, and undergo folding after they have been assembled. The characteristic threedimensional structure each protein adopts, which gives it its function, depends on the types and sequence of these amino acids. If just a few (depending on the position, even one) of these amino acids are substituted by others, or amino acids are added or omitted, the entire geometry of the molecule is affected, and thus also its capacity for gas transport.
The Adult Stage
In the adult stage (here regarded as commencing at birth), our blood contains exactly that hemoglobin (HbA = adult) in which the four protein chains are constructed so as to give the entire molecule the precise affinity for oxygen needed for us to live. HbA has two each of the already mentioned α und β protein chains. The chemical structure of these chains must be very precise, or else severe diseases (anemias) will result. For instance, sickle cell anemia has arisen through mutation causing just one single amino acid residue in the β chain to be replaced by another. Even this minuscule change results in an aberrant, pathological form of Hb. We can see here that the sort of tinkering and experimentation with amino acid sequences that evolutionary thinking requires is largely ruled out. The hemoglobin molecule must be fully functional right from the start.
The Embryonic Stage
In the embryonic stage (up to 3 months gestation) the oxygen transport needs are radically different. What has the Creator done to cater for this situation? He has specified the amino acid sequences in two of the protein chains in the hemoglobin molecules such that the spatial configuration after folding results in exactly the oxygen affinity required. Compared to HbA, instead of the two β chains there are two ε chains.
Embryonic hemoglobin is thus also called Hbα2ε2
The Fetal Stage
In the fetal stage (from 3 months gestation to birth), the oxygen requirements are different again. Now the two ε chains of the embryonic hemoglobin (Hbα2ε2) are replaced by two γ chains. It is now called Hbα2ε2 or HbF (= fetal). Throughout its development, the fetus must remain richly supplied with oxygen. Exchanges of respiratory gases and energy-laden substances take place in the placenta. If the fetus had the normal adult hemoglobin HbA, the blood would be only 60% saturated. Thus the Creator has for this stage provided the HbF, which is precisely tuned to the coupling of the fetal and maternal circulation. Because of its special 3-D structure, HbF can take up 20-30% more oxygen from the mother’s blood than HbA. The later replacement of HbF by HbA occurs through a remarkable process. Already prior to birth, a “switch of programming” takes place such that at birth the erythrocytes only contain some 60-80% of fetal hemoglobin. At three months of age, the HbF hemoglobin has been almost completely replaced by the HbA hemoglobin. It is amazing how all these processes take place in a completely goaldirected fashion, in response to the changing circumstances and needs.
If one were to try to explain the origin of hemoglobin, and the complex machinery for its synthesis, from an evolutionary standpoint, there would be some massively insoluble problems:
- How is it, that in all the three stages of human development described above, the exact chemical makeup (the sequences and 62 types of the amino acids in the protein chains) could be obtained? In a process of trial and error of various sequences, most of the combinations would not transport enough oxygen, which would be lethal. Thus an evolutionary process of “gradually approaching” the right combination is excluded.
- Even if somehow the right molecule could be synthesized to provide for the needs of two of these stages, death would be certain (and the evolutionary experiment would end), if an inappropriate hemoglobin were utilized in the third stage.
- For each of these three stages, essentially different biological machinery is required. At the right time, the production has to switch from the ε chain to the γ chain, and then a third time to the β chain. How could the complex machinery necessary to control this production sequence itself arise?
The only reasonable answer, and the obvious one, is that everything must have been present and fully functional from the start, in the DNA coding of the first human beings—conceived and planned by a wise Creator.
Leucocytes
The leucocytes, also known as white blood cells or white blood corpuscles, are much less abundant than the erythrocytes. There are only between 4,000 and 10,000 of them in one mm3, and their number is variable. They increase after a meal or after physical activity. There are morphologically different kinds of leucocytes; their purpose is to defend the body against intruders, each in its own particular way, and to defend it to the death, as it were. They die by the millions wherever there is a point of entry for infection. There are about six thousand million white corpuscles in every litre of blood, one for every 600 to 1,000 red blood cells. In contrast to the latter, the leucocytes are complete cells having a nucleus as well as organelles. They are also known as granulocytes, because in large concentrations the blood plasma appears to be granular.
Five types can be distinguished, three according to their ability to be stained. Sixty per cent of the leucocytes are neutrophilic granulocytes (Greek philos = friend; they are readily stained by neutral dyes), five per cent are eosinophilic (Greek eos = the rosiness of dawn; eosin is a red dye used for microscopic analysis), and two per cent are basophilic (they can be stained with basic dyes). The remaining two kinds of white blood cells are the lymphocytes (30 %) and the monocytes (3 %).
The leucocyte army is an impressive team of specialists. While half of them are patrolling within the blood, the others are on external duty, guarding the tissues. Bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites continually enter our bodies through breaches of the skin, in the air we breathe, and from food in the alimentary canal. They are recognised as enemies, and, when located, the army goes into action. The basophilic granulocytes and the lymphocytes fire chemical weapons at them. Next on the scene are the neutrophils, the eosinophils, and the monocytes. They individually surround the intruders and absorb and digest them. Remarkably, this secret army is able to clearly distinguish between friend and foe, between the body’s own substances and foreign matter.
Thrombocytes
A healthy adult has between 150,000 and 350,000 platelets in a cubic mm of blood. These thrombocytes have no nucleus, they are flat, and are irregularly rounded in shape.
They measure between 1 and 4 μm in length, with a thickness of 0.5 – 0.75 μm, and comprise cell fragments enclosed in a membrane. Continuously replenished by the bone marrow, their average lifespan is between 5 and 11 days. They are normally inactive, but can be activated by contact with e.g. roughened surfaces, such as when a blood vessel is cut or injured, and by certain blood coagulation factors. When activated, they are able to release substances necessary for blood clotting. When blood loss commences through injury, many platelets accumulating together form a mass which “plugs” the defect. In the process, they disintegrate, releasing substances that trigger off coagulation.
The Bible and blood
Having explored the fundamental importance of the blood for all physiological processes in the body, we now have an entirely new approach to biblical passages which mention blood. We read in Deuteronomy 12:23: “the blood is the life”. Consistent with what we have now learned of the vital role of blood, the Bible regards blood as the seat of life.
After Cain had killed his brother Abel, God accused him with the words: “…the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground” (Gen 4:10). Human life is precious to God, Who prohibits human sacrifice (Deut 18:10) and cannibalism. Anybody who sheds human blood, violates God’s image and thus the Creator Himself, Who will then avenge the shed blood: “Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.” (Gen 9:6). God empowered human authorities to fulfil this task; they have been commissioned by God to bear the sword to redress evil. When the authorities justly punish evildoers, they do so for our benefit (Rom 13:1-4).
The blood of the martyrs (the prophets and others who were witnesses for Jesus) is especially mentioned. In Matthew 23:35 Jesus accuses the scribes and the pharisees: “That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel...” In Revelation the blood of the witnesses of Jesus is mentioned often, those who lost their lives for the sake of the Word of God (Rev 6:10, 16:6, 17:6, 18:24, and 19:2).
In the Old Testament God emphasises the value of blood. Before the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, God told them to smear the blood of the passover lamb on the tops and sides of their doorframes. “And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 12:13). In all other houses the firstborn died.
This was a concealed reference to the saving blood of the perfect Lamb, namely the blood of Jesus. In the eyes of God there is no forgiveness without the shedding of blood (Hebrews 9:22). The Son of God thus had to be incarnated in human form to bring the only sacrifice that could save us. After He had risen from the dead, He asked the disciples going to Emmaus: “Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?” (Luke 24:26). The blood of Jesus (Hebr 10:19, 1 John 1:7) as well as all its synonyms like the blood of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:2), the blood of Christ (1 Cor 10:16, Eph 2:13, and Hebr 9:14), and the blood of the Lord (1 Cor 11:27), occupy a central place in the New Testament.
All these concepts are abbreviations for the blood shed by Jesus Christ, his death and selfsacrifice on the cross of Calvary for the sins of a lost humanity. The real meaning of the blood of Jesus can be summarised as follows:
1 The blood which Jesus shed for us is the price He paid for our salvation. It is the only way of obtaining eternal life: “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, ... ; But with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18-19). “And there shall in no wise enter into it (heaven)..., but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life” (Rev 21:27). We can only enter heaven when we are purified, and this has been accomplished by Jesus: “the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).
2 The sacrifice of Jesus paid our debts before God. Not only are our personal sins taken away, but Jesus bore the punishment for the entire lost human race: “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). The widereaching impact of Jesus’ act of redemption is expressed clearly in Romans 5:18: “Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.“ His sacrifice is sufficient for all humanity. Unfortunately only a few avail themselves of this opportunity (see Matthew 7:13-14, and paragraph 7 below).
3 The result of man’s sin was a deep, unbridge- 64 able chasm between the holy God and sinful man. But through Jesus we are redeemed in the sight of God, “And, having made peace through the blood of his cross.” (Col 1:20b), and we may now have fellowship with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ (1 John 1:3).
4 The blood of Jesus sealed the “New Covenant”: “Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.” (Luke 22:20). Our fellowship with Jesus Christ becomes visible in the Lord’s supper. We must always remind ourselves of his sacrifice: “this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me... This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me” (1 Cor 11:24-25). At the same time it proclaims a message lasting until His second coming: “For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.” (1 Cor 11:26).
5 Jesus’ sacrifice protects us from all future judgments of God: “Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.” (Rom 5:9).
6 With His blood Christ saved and freed us from the power of the devil and of all other evil forces. We have also been liberated from the slavery of sin; the enemy cannot touch us any more. The blood of Jesus conquered all hostile powers, and we may also live in this victory: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? ... But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor 15:54, 55, 57). We are protected against the wiles, the temptations, and the violence of the enemy. It is said of those who have suffered severe adversions but kept their faith to the end: “And they overcame him [the accuser, the enemy] by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death” (Rev 12:11).
7 Although Jesus’ act has redemptive power for all people, it still has to be accepted personally. His sacrifice is not all-inclusively, automatically valid for everybody. God only gives His forgiveness, His salvation, His peace, and Himself to those who really desire it. He regards our free will very seriously, so that his great gifts are only available to those who “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21).
Quote
Dr Don Batten, B.Sc. Agr. (Hons), Ph.D., in the magazine Creation ex nihilo (Vol. 19, No. 2, 1997, p. 25): “Blood was originally created to do what it does and what it does do it does marvellously well – just as it was designed to do! Such a complex system did not arise through a series of accidents following the enclosure of some seawater, as some evolutionists might want to believe. Nor can accidents improve it – they only destroy. Let us give our Creator, the Lord Jesus Christ, the honour that is rightfully His for creating our blood with all it’s wonderful functions!”