While most people recognize the link between life and the normal functions of blood, there is actually much more involved. The ethics of Christians, Muslims, and Jews all focus on a Life-Giver who expressed himself about life and about blood. Yes, our Creator has much to say about blood.

God’s Firm Stand on Blood

4. Early in human history, what did God say about blood?

⁴ Blood is mentioned more than 400 times in God’s Word, the Bible. Among the earliest is Jehovah’s decree: “Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. . . . But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it.” He added: “For your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting.” (Genesis 9:3-5, New International Version) Jehovah said that to Noah, progenitor of the human family. Hence, all humanity was put on notice that the Creator views blood as standing for life. Everyone who claims to recognize God as Life-Giver ought thus to recognize that He takes a firm position about using lifeblood.

5. What was the overriding reason why the Israelites would not take in blood?

⁵ God again mentioned blood when giving Israel its Law code. Leviticus 17:10, 11, according to the Jewish Tanakh version, reads: “If anyone of the house of Israel or of the strangers who reside among them partakes of any blood, I will set My face against the person who partakes of the blood, and I will cut him off from among his kin. For the life of the flesh is in the blood.” That law could have health benefits, but much more was involved. By treating blood as special, the Israelites were to show their dependence on God for life. (Deuteronomy 30:19, 20) Yes, the central reason why they were to avoid taking in blood was, not that it could be unhealthy, but that blood had special meaning to God.

6. Why can we be sure that Jesus upheld God’s stand on blood?

⁶ Where does Christianity stand on saving human life with blood? Jesus knew what his Father said about using blood. Jesus “did no wrong, [and] no treachery was found on his lips.” That means he kept the Law perfectly, including the law about blood. (1 Peter 2:22, Knox) He thus set a pattern for his followers, including a pattern of respect for life and blood.

7, 8. How did it become plain that God’s law on blood applies to Christians?

⁷ History shows us what happened later when a council of the Christian governing body decided whether Christians had to keep all of Israel’s laws. Under divine guidance, they said that Christians are not obliged to keep the Mosaic code but that it is “necessary” to “keep abstaining from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled [unbled meat] and from fornication.” (Acts 15:22-29) They thus made it clear that avoiding blood is as morally important as avoiding idolatry and gross immorality.a

⁸ The early Christians upheld that divine prohibition. Commenting thereon, British scholar Joseph Benson said: “This prohibition of eating blood, given to Noah and all his posterity, and repeated to the Israelites . . . has never been revoked, but, on the contrary, has been confirmed under the New Testament, Acts xv.; and thereby made of perpetual obligation.”