I had a blood test recently and received a list of fascinating results. It got me thinking about how much information we can now obtain from a small sample of our blood. Blood can tell us about specific medical conditions such as heart disease (even a recent heart attack), thyroid disease, cancer, diabetes, sexually transmitted disease, autoimmune diseases, infections, inflammations. It can tell what kind of medications/drugs you’ve been taking. You can learn about iron deficiency, too much sugar, low potassium, cholesterol, the number of red and white blood cells and platelets and so much more.
It can tell the sex of an unborn child. A baby can have a different blood type and RH factor from the mother though the blood of the fetus and mother never met. Nutrients and oxygen from the mother pass through the placenta, waste products and carbon dioxide go through the umbilical cord and placenta to the mother’s circulatory system. They are two individual human beings with individual blood types and DNA. And think of all the information DNA contains!
Having blood tests has given me another insight into what God meant by “life is in the blood”. He was speaking of the life’s blood of an animal substitute (rather than human sacrifices that other cultures of the time practiced). Sin brings death, and blood is the only sacrifice that can atone for sin – a foreshadowing of the sacrifice of His only begotten Son, Jesus.
One small sample of blood is part of a very big story about one person’s uniqueness and God-created life. Ultimately, it was Jesus’ blood that gave me life – as well as anyone else who believes in Him and what He accomplished on the cross and when He walked out of the tomb.
Life is indeed in the blood.