Answer: God purchased (bought) His church with His Own
blood, (verse 28).
MORE INFORMATION AND/OR OTHER SCRIPTURE REFERENCES:
To quote Wayne Jackson again (The Acts of the Apostles
From Jerusalem to Rome): "Christ
'purchased' ('obtained for Himself') His
people with His blood. In view of this, how could anyone
possibly argue it is not necessary to be a part of the church in
order to enjoy salvation? Where is the New Testament evidence
that draws a distinction between being 'saved' and
being a part of the 'church'? It does not
exist. The church IS THE SAVED. (See Ephesians
5:23-33.)" Consider the following Scriptures,
noting that the individual Christian is part of the body,
Christ's church, which He purchased with His Own
Blood:
Matthew 26:28: "Then He [Jesus]
took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying,
'Drink from it, all of you. THIS IS MY BLOOD OF THE
COVENANT, WHICH IS POURED OUT FOR MANY FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF
SINS.'"
Luke 22:20: "In the same way, after
the supper He [Jesus] took the cup, saying, 'This cup is the
NEW COVENANT IN MY BLOOD, WHICH IS POURED OUT FOR
YOU.'"
John 19:31-35: "Now it was the day
of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath.
Because the Jews did not want the bodies left on the crosses during
the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the
bodies taken down. The soldiers therefore came and broke the
legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then
those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and found
that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.
Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear,
BRINGING A SUDDEN FLOW OF BLOOD AND WATER. The man who saw it
has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he
tells the Truth, and he testifies so that you also may
believe."
Romans 3:21-26: "But now a
righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to
which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness
from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.
There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God, and are JUSTIFIED FREELY BY HIS GRACE THROUGH THE
REDEMPTION THAT CAME BY CHRIST JESUS. GOD PRESENTED HIM AS A
SACRIFICE OF ATONEMENT, THROUGH FAITH IN HIS BLOOD. He did
this to demonstrate His justice, because in His forbearance He had
left the sins committed beforehand unpunished--He did it to
demonstrate His justice at the present time, so as to be just and
the One Who justifies those who have faith in Jesus."
Romans 5:6-10: "You see, at just
the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the
ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man,
though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But
God demonstrates His Own love for us in this: While we were still
sinners, CHRIST DIED FOR US. Since WE HAVE NOW BEEN JUSTIFIED
BY HIS BLOOD, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath
through Him! For if, when we were God's enemies, WE WERE
RECONCILED TO HIM THROUGH THE DEATH OF HIS SON, how much more,
having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His
life!"
1 Corinthians 6:19-20: "Do you not
know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, Who is in you,
Whom you have received from God? You are not your own; YOU WERE
BOUGHT AT A PRICE. Therefore honor God with your
body."
1 Corinthians 7:23: "YOU WERE
BOUGHT AT A PRICE; do not become slaves of men."
1 Corinthians 10:16: "Is not the
cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a PARTICIPATION IN THE
BLOOD OF CHRIST? And is not the bread that we break a PARTICIPATION
IN THE BODY OF CHRIST?"
1 Corinthians 11:23-30: "For I
received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord
Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had
given thanks, He broke it and said, 'This is My body, which
is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.' In the same
way, after supper He took the cup, saying, 'THIS CUP IS THE
NEW COVENANT IN MY BLOOD; do this, whenever you drink it, in
remembrance of Me.' For whenever you eat this bread and
drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.
Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in
an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and
blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he
eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats
and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks
judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and
sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep."
Ephesians 1:3-10: "Praise be to the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has blessed us in the
heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For
He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and
blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted as
His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and
Will--to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely
given us in the One He loves. IN HIM WE HAVE REDEMPTION
THROUGH HIS BLOOD, THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS, in accordance with the
riches of God's grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and
understanding. And He made known to us the mystery of His
Will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ,
to be put into effect when the times will have reached their
fulfillment--to bring all things in heaven and on earth
together under ONE HEAD, EVEN CHRIST."
Ephesians 2:11-22: "Therefore,
remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called
'uncircumcised' by those who call themselves 'the
circumcision' (that done in the body by the hands of
men)--remember that at that time you were separate from
Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the
covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the
world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away
have been brought near THROUGH THE BLOOD OF CHRIST. For He
Himself is our peace, Who has made the two one and has destroyed
the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing IN HIS
FLESH the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose
was to create in Himself one new man out of the two, thus making
peace, and in this ONE BODY to reconcile both of them to God
THROUGH THE CROSS, by which He put to death their hostility.
He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to
those who were near. For through Him we both have access to
the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer
foreigners and aliens, but FELLOW CITIZENS WITH GOD'S PEOPLE
AND MEMBERS OF GOD'S HOUSEHOLD, built on the foundation of
the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief
cornerstone. IN HIM the WHOLE BUILDING IS JOINED TOGETHER and
RISES TO BECOME A HOLY TEMPLE IN THE LORD. And IN HIM YOU TOO
ARE BEING BUILT TOGETHER TO BECOME A DWELLING IN WHICH GOD LIVES BY
HIS SPIRIT."
Colossians 1:15-23: "He [Christ] is
the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all
creation. For by Him all things were created: things in
heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or
powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and
for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold
together. And HE IS THE HEAD OF THE BODY, THE CHURCH; He is
the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in
everything He might have the supremacy. For God was pleased
to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and THROUGH HIM TO RECONCILE
TO HIMSELF ALL THINGS, whether things on earth or things in heaven,
BY MAKING PEACE THROUGH HIS BLOOD, SHED ON THE CROSS. Once
you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because
of your evil behavior. But now HE HAS RECONCILED YOU BY
CHRIST'S PHYSICAL BODY THROUGH DEATH TO PRESENT YOU HOLY IN
HIS SIGHT, WITHOUT BLEMISH AND FREE FROM ACCUSATION--if you
continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the
hope held out in the Gospel. This is the Gospel that you heard and
that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of
which I, Paul, have become a servant."
Hebrews 9:11-14: "When Christ came
as High Priest of the good things that are already here, He went
through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not
man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did
not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; BUT HE ENTERED
THE MOST HOLY PLACE ONCE FOR ALL BY HIS OWN BLOOD, HAVING OBTAINED
ETERNAL REDEMPTION. The blood of goats and bulls and the
ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean
sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more,
then, will the BLOOD OF CHRIST, Who through the eternal Spirit
offered Himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from
acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living
God!"
Hebrews 10:19-31: "Therefore,
brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place BY
THE BLOOD OF JESUS, by a new and living Way opened for us through
the curtain, that is, HIS BODY, and since we have a great Priest
over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart
in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse
us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure
water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for
He Who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may
spur one another on toward love and good deeds. LET US NOT
GIVE UP MEETING TOGETHER, as some are in the habit of doing, but
let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the
Day approaching. If we deliberately keep on sinning after we
have received the knowledge of the Truth, NO SACRIFICE FOR SINS IS
LEFT, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire
that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the
law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three
witnesses. How much more severely do you think a man deserves
to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has
TREATED AS AN UNHOLY THING THE BLOOD OF THE COVENANT THAT
SANCTIFIED HIM, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? For
we know Him Who said, 'It is Mine to avenge; I will
repay,' and again, 'The Lord will judge His
people.' It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands
of the living God."
Hebrews 13:11-14: "The high priest
carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin
offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. And so
JESUS ALSO SUFFERED outside the city gate TO MAKE THE PEOPLE HOLY
THROUGH HIS OWN BLOOD. Let us, then, go to Him outside the
camp, bearing the disgrace He bore. For here we do not have
an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to
come."
1 Peter 1:18: "For you know that it
was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that YOU WERE
REDEEMED from the empty way of life handed down to you from your
forefathers, but WITH THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST, A LAMB WITHOUT
BLEMISH OR DEFECT."
2 Peter 2:1: "But there were also
false prophets among the people, just as there will be false
teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive
heresies, even denying the SOVEREIGN LORD WHO BOUGHT
THEM--bringing swift destruction on themselves."
1 John 1:7: "But if we walk in the
light, as He [God] is in the light, we have fellowship with one
another, and THE BLOOD OF JESUS, HIS SON, PURIFIES US FROM ALL
SIN."
1 John 5:6-12: "THIS IS THE ONE WHO
CAME BY WATER AND BLOOD--JESUS CHRIST. He did not come
by water only, but BY WATER AND BLOOD. And it is the Spirit
Who testifies, because the Spirit is the Truth. For there are
three that testify: the Spirit, the water and the blood; and
the three are in agreement. We accept man's testimony, but
God's testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God,
which He has given about His Son. Anyone who believes in the Son of
God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe
God has made Him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the
testimony God has given about His Son. And this is the
testimony: GOD HAS GIVEN US ETERNAL LIFE, AND THIS LIFE IS IN HIS
SON. He who has the Son has Life; he who does not have the
Son of God does not have Life."
Revelation 1:5b-6: "To Him who
loves us and has FREED US FROM OUR SINS BY HIS BLOOD, AND HAD MADE
US TO BE A KINGDOM AND PRIESTS TO SERVE HIS GOD AND FATHER--to
Him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen."
Revelation 5:6-9: "Then I saw a
Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of
the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders.
He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of
God sent out into all the earth. He came and took the scroll
from the right hand of Him Who sat on the throne. And when He
had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders
fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were
holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the
saints. And they sang a new song: 'You are worthy
to take the scroll and to open its seals, because YOU WERE SLAIN,
AND WITH YOUR BLOOD YOU PURCHASED MEN FOR GOD FROM EVERY TRIBE AND
LANGUAGE AND PEOPLE AND NATION.'"
Revelation 7:13-14: "Then one of
the elders asked me [John], 'These in white robes--who
are they, and where did they come from?' I answered,
'Sir, you know.' And he said, 'These are
they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed
their robes and made them white in the blood of the
Lamb.'"
