Moore to the Point of Rob Bell
I have just finished reading Dr. Moore's "The Blood-Drained Gospel of Rob Bell" on his blog (Moore to the Point) tonight.
Rob Bell's disdain for the Gospel runs deeper than I was aware of originally.
In my "Bells Hell" post, I discussed the corrupted account of Christian history that Rob Bell presents so that he can have an avenue to deliver a non-canonical Gospel account. In my post, I discussed the way that Bell discounts the significance of the resurrection. Bell claims that resurrection stories, for example, were so common that no one basically would've been impressed with a reiteration thereof. New Testament era people, as Bell claims, had heard so many resurrection stories that the act of being resurrected would fail to differentiate Jesus from all of the other gods of antiquity that had done as much at earlier dates, etc.
Not being content with corrupting the Gospel account to the degree that he has already done thus far, Bell continues with his heretical campaign in his new book. As Dr. Moore reports, Bell now has moved on to attack the blood of the Lamb.
Bell claims that the blood of the Lamb (you know the blood that cleanses us of our sins?), is nothing more than a metaphor that the Bible uses as a literary tool so that the culture at the time would be able to understand sin, guilt and atonement. Bell goes on to say that most people today do not live in a society that offers blood sacrifices to gods and therefore, the meaning is lost on us.
As has been noted on this blog before, Bell is notorious for changing the meaning of terms and with this, we should not be surprised that Bell would try to de-emphasize the blood of the Lamb. Bell also has proclivities for changing the history account and therefore, it should not surprise us that Bell claims that the early Biblical account of blood is a rip off from pagan accounts.
To stand in correction, Dr. Moore rightly points out that the blood atonement of Christ is a prehistoric account and not a metaphor. Moore continues and reminds us that the blood is the life of the animal and was understood to be so in a reverent account.
Moore also goes on and continues to give additional significant accounts of the blood as how it is portrayed in the Bible and with this, it is worth reading his blog to get a more detailed description that he is better at providing than I am.
Bell claims that the blood of the Lamb (you know the blood that cleanses us of our sins?), is nothing more than a metaphor that the Bible uses as a literary tool so that the culture at the time would be able to understand sin, guilt and atonement. Bell goes on to say that most people today do not live in a society that offers blood sacrifices to gods and therefore, the meaning is lost on us.
As has been noted on this blog before, Bell is notorious for changing the meaning of terms and with this, we should not be surprised that Bell would try to de-emphasize the blood of the Lamb. Bell also has proclivities for changing the history account and therefore, it should not surprise us that Bell claims that the early Biblical account of blood is a rip off from pagan accounts.
To stand in correction, Dr. Moore rightly points out that the blood atonement of Christ is a prehistoric account and not a metaphor. Moore continues and reminds us that the blood is the life of the animal and was understood to be so in a reverent account.
Moore also goes on and continues to give additional significant accounts of the blood as how it is portrayed in the Bible and with this, it is worth reading his blog to get a more detailed description that he is better at providing than I am.
The main point that I want to emphasize here is how Bell continues to discredit and devalue everything that is orthodoxy. All of Christianity hinges on the resurrection and for Bell to make any attempts to devalue it as he's done in the past, is an attack upon the very faith itself. Similar to the resurrection, the blood is also intrinsically linked to the cornerstone of the faith. Without the blood atonement of Christ, we have no forgiveness of sins. Bell continues with his attack against Christianity through his attack on the blood. Bell wants the forgiveness of sins but he doesn't like the judgment that is intrinsically linked with it.
Perhaps, it is his disdain for all-perfect judgment, that gives Bell reason to attack the blood of the faith;
By removing the blood language, the language of sacrifice, we remove what it means to sing with the redeemed of all of the ages, “for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation” (Rev. 5:9). If you remove the blood from the doorposts of Egypt, all that’s left is judgment. The same thing happens when you remove the blood from the gospel.
Jesus offends us with our own blood, reminding us that what runs through our veins will one day run cold. He tells us then that in order to live, we must be united to the life-blood of another, a blood spilled for rebels like us. Jesus’ blood speaks a better word than Abel’s. It tells us precisely what Bell would like us to ignore: God is just and judgment is sure. - Dr. Russell Moore
Let us not be ashamed of the Gospel. Let us embrace the amazing resurrection of Christ that the philosophers in Athens were amazed at hearing about because it was so unique to anything that they had ever heard of before. Let us embrace the blood of the Lamb that cleanses us of our sins and rescues us from the judgment and wrath of God.
The Gospel is such a beautiful account of God's loving attributes, it's ashamed that Rob Bell fails to see the all perfect love that wins - the all perfect love that redeems us by grace through faith in Christ Jesus!
May it all be for His glory,
W.
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