DNA and Salvation - Jesus’ blood and human sin
by
Charles Graves
Our DNA determines how the blood in the brain creates action and thought in our bodies. Without enough of this blood nourishing the neurons we have no thought, language or activity and would be demented. The blood brings oxygen to the neurons and their synapses, helping them produce thoughts and action.
In Christianity blood also performs a crucial function – a good example is the ‘holy communion’ where believers in Jesus’ mission believe that they become close to him as they ‘eat his body’ and ‘drink his blood’ – i.e. when they eat a consecrated wafer (bread=body) and drink a consecrated draft of wine or grape juice. The reddish liquid represents Jesus’ blood.
But drinking Jesus’ blood is not like what vampires do, but the particular case of Jesus’ blood is tied to the way he died, i.e. by crucifixion. The story of Jesus’ death includes the event whereby a Roman soldier 2000 years ago pierced Jesus’ side as he was hanging on a cross, and ‘out of his side came blood and water’.
In Christian symbolism the wafer (bread) represents Jesus’ body hanging on the cross, and the wine represents Jesus’ blood coming out of his body as the soldier’s spear enters his body. The event of (a living) Jesus dying on the cross is the historical origin of the churches’ theology of ‘holy communion’ and it follows upon the ‘last supper’ of Jesus with his ‘disciples’ where he predicted such a death by telling them that when they ate bread (this meant ‘eating his body’) and when they drank wine it represented ‘drinking his blood’.
So, what does it mean for Christians ‘to drink the blood of Jesus hanging on the cross’? It means being somehow ‘nourished’ by him in particular by the love and spiritual power in this blood (as in wine or juice). This ‘sharing in’ theblood of Jesus is necessary if the Christian wants to continue in his /her Christian belief and commitment, but it is something more: it is said that it ‘takes away sin’. It ‘washes away the sins’ of the believer. Christians say Jesus ‘died for our sins’. In other words, the blood has an eschatalogical meaning. It is related to the course of history and to the eventual End of the world. In its eschatological sense, whereby individuals are born with a certain DNA and ethnic belonging (which determines how the body and mind functions), there is a divine substance available, from God’s side, which can change the fate of an individual, as well as groups of individuals (i.e. religious bodies such as churches) and improve society within history. This substance is Jesus’ ‘blood’ drunk at the ‘holy communion’ in religious services. The Christian theologians call this event a ‘sacrifice’ whereby Jesus, dying on the cross, and shedding blood, means that, accompanying this, everybody’s DNA is ‘washed clean’ by such suffering and death.
So, not only do all humans receive an individual DNA from their parents in history, but all can also avail themselves of ‘washing material’ to cleanse their DNA. The DNA however stays the same after it is washed. It is the ‘holy spirit’ (a ‘person’ within the Holy Trinity of God (Father, son (Jesus), and Holy Spirit) who acts continually within the believers to ‘wash them from their sins.’
Everyone should believe that it is a positive event if a member of society has the possibility to be ‘cleansed from sin’ (i.e. having his/her old faults forgiven) and after that be given a new, positive life which benefits society as a whole. Like any religion truly followed, Christianity promotes social well-being. Those whose ‘sins have been washed away’ can build new, positive relations with other people.
The Christian theologians, considering how Jesus’ blood in a symbolic but real way makes bad (sinful) people into better people, call this feature of Christianity ‘redemption’. Jesus ‘redeems’ people by his historical death and he ‘purchases’ /redeems his followers and takes them away from ‘sin’ and its deathly heritage.
What, may we ask, are ‘sinful acts’? Basically they are acts, made possible by our individual DNA acting badly and harming social cohesion. They are acts which destroy our links to other people. But Jesus’ body and blood helps people to love other people -which has positive historical value.
Christianity is a socially-conscious religion. Moreover, to be a part of Christianity does not mean we have to ‘sacrifice ourselves’ when we join it, but means simply participating, through ‘holy communion’, in the sacrifice Jesus made, ‘drinking his blood’ and ‘remembering’ his sacrifice.
By remembering Jesus in such a way we are somehow made closer to him, and grateful for what he has done. Our DNA is under the control of an almighty God (Jesus’ ‘father’) and the holy spirit. We have preserved our DNA intact and it has a connection to divine help so that ‘sin’ (acts harming humanity) is overcome by desire to help humanity. We are still ‘ourselves’ (our DNA intact) but we are helped (from outside) to be our ‘best’ rather than ‘our worst’ selves.
Anyone who says that ‘sin’ is certain sexually-animated acts is wrong vis à vis Christian theology. Sexual activity is wrong only when persons are hurt because of it. It is a natural aspect of human DNA but it is bad if combined (by our DNA) with harm to other people. Sexuality, if used correctly, allows libido to help others, not harm them. Christian belief in Jesus’ blood can assist Christians to act correctly with sexual as with all other activities.
Jesus’ ‘body’ and ‘blood’ can help people be assured that their DNA is nourished positively by a pro-social essence. They can face their tasks positively and perhaps change the society of human beings towards the ‘good’ (with less ‘sin’ causing damage).
Charles Graves
16.3.2025
In Christianity blood also performs a crucial function – a good example is the ‘holy communion’ where believers in Jesus’ mission believe that they become close to him as they ‘eat his body’ and ‘drink his blood’ – i.e. when they eat a consecrated wafer (bread=body) and drink a consecrated draft of wine or grape juice. The reddish liquid represents Jesus’ blood.
But drinking Jesus’ blood is not like what vampires do, but the particular case of Jesus’ blood is tied to the way he died, i.e. by crucifixion. The story of Jesus’ death includes the event whereby a Roman soldier 2000 years ago pierced Jesus’ side as he was hanging on a cross, and ‘out of his side came blood and water’.
In Christian symbolism the wafer (bread) represents Jesus’ body hanging on the cross, and the wine represents Jesus’ blood coming out of his body as the soldier’s spear enters his body. The event of (a living) Jesus dying on the cross is the historical origin of the churches’ theology of ‘holy communion’ and it follows upon the ‘last supper’ of Jesus with his ‘disciples’ where he predicted such a death by telling them that when they ate bread (this meant ‘eating his body’) and when they drank wine it represented ‘drinking his blood’.
So, what does it mean for Christians ‘to drink the blood of Jesus hanging on the cross’? It means being somehow ‘nourished’ by him in particular by the love and spiritual power in this blood (as in wine or juice). This ‘sharing in’ theblood of Jesus is necessary if the Christian wants to continue in his /her Christian belief and commitment, but it is something more: it is said that it ‘takes away sin’. It ‘washes away the sins’ of the believer. Christians say Jesus ‘died for our sins’. In other words, the blood has an eschatalogical meaning. It is related to the course of history and to the eventual End of the world. In its eschatological sense, whereby individuals are born with a certain DNA and ethnic belonging (which determines how the body and mind functions), there is a divine substance available, from God’s side, which can change the fate of an individual, as well as groups of individuals (i.e. religious bodies such as churches) and improve society within history. This substance is Jesus’ ‘blood’ drunk at the ‘holy communion’ in religious services. The Christian theologians call this event a ‘sacrifice’ whereby Jesus, dying on the cross, and shedding blood, means that, accompanying this, everybody’s DNA is ‘washed clean’ by such suffering and death.
So, not only do all humans receive an individual DNA from their parents in history, but all can also avail themselves of ‘washing material’ to cleanse their DNA. The DNA however stays the same after it is washed. It is the ‘holy spirit’ (a ‘person’ within the Holy Trinity of God (Father, son (Jesus), and Holy Spirit) who acts continually within the believers to ‘wash them from their sins.’
Everyone should believe that it is a positive event if a member of society has the possibility to be ‘cleansed from sin’ (i.e. having his/her old faults forgiven) and after that be given a new, positive life which benefits society as a whole. Like any religion truly followed, Christianity promotes social well-being. Those whose ‘sins have been washed away’ can build new, positive relations with other people.
The Christian theologians, considering how Jesus’ blood in a symbolic but real way makes bad (sinful) people into better people, call this feature of Christianity ‘redemption’. Jesus ‘redeems’ people by his historical death and he ‘purchases’ /redeems his followers and takes them away from ‘sin’ and its deathly heritage.
What, may we ask, are ‘sinful acts’? Basically they are acts, made possible by our individual DNA acting badly and harming social cohesion. They are acts which destroy our links to other people. But Jesus’ body and blood helps people to love other people -which has positive historical value.
Christianity is a socially-conscious religion. Moreover, to be a part of Christianity does not mean we have to ‘sacrifice ourselves’ when we join it, but means simply participating, through ‘holy communion’, in the sacrifice Jesus made, ‘drinking his blood’ and ‘remembering’ his sacrifice.
By remembering Jesus in such a way we are somehow made closer to him, and grateful for what he has done. Our DNA is under the control of an almighty God (Jesus’ ‘father’) and the holy spirit. We have preserved our DNA intact and it has a connection to divine help so that ‘sin’ (acts harming humanity) is overcome by desire to help humanity. We are still ‘ourselves’ (our DNA intact) but we are helped (from outside) to be our ‘best’ rather than ‘our worst’ selves.
Anyone who says that ‘sin’ is certain sexually-animated acts is wrong vis à vis Christian theology. Sexual activity is wrong only when persons are hurt because of it. It is a natural aspect of human DNA but it is bad if combined (by our DNA) with harm to other people. Sexuality, if used correctly, allows libido to help others, not harm them. Christian belief in Jesus’ blood can assist Christians to act correctly with sexual as with all other activities.
Jesus’ ‘body’ and ‘blood’ can help people be assured that their DNA is nourished positively by a pro-social essence. They can face their tasks positively and perhaps change the society of human beings towards the ‘good’ (with less ‘sin’ causing damage).
Charles Graves
16.3.2025
Photograph: ‘rock painting’ in Australia photographed by Graeme Churchard, Bristol (UK)
