Purchased the church of God by his own blood

Purchased the church of God by his own blood Acts 20:28

In Acts 20:28 we are told that the Church of God was purchased by his own blood.

Acts 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

However, whose blood are we referring to here?

This is often a verse that is used to prove that Jesus is God. Jesus shed his blood upon the cross, and God has purchased his church with his own blood, thus, Jesus must be God.

Seems straight forward reasoning, however, is that the correct way of understanding the verse and what it states? Does this verse teach that God literally shed his own blood?

I do not believe that this is what the verse actually teaches.

Firstly, those using this verse as support have to pick which version of the Bible they are going to cite as not all versions of the Bible read this way. This is actually a common tactic amongst those trying to support their position, regardless of what that might be, to pick and choose versions that best say what they believe.

The Greek that underlies the KJV reads:

προσέχετε οὖν ἑαυτοῖς καὶ παντὶ τῷ ποιμνίῳ ἐν ᾧ ὑμᾶς τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ἔθετο ἐπισκόπους ποιμαίνειν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τοῦ θεοῦ ἣν περιεποιήσατο διὰ τοῦ ἰδίου αἵματος

διὰ dia (on account of)  τοῦ tou (the)  ἰδίου idiou (own) αἵματος haimatos (blood) 

The KJV is not the only versions to read in such a way

Acts 20:28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. NIV

Acts 20:28 Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. ESV

Acts 20:28 Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. NASB

These are just a few of the many versions that read as such.

What needs to be noted is that there is a small textual variant at this point that changes the reading of the text.

The NA27/UBS4 text that underlies most modern versions reads:

προσέχετε ἑαυτοῖς καὶ παντὶ τῷ ποιμνίῳ, ἐν ᾧ ὑμᾶς τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ἔθετο ἐπισκόπους, ποιμαίνειν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τοῦ θεοῦ, ἣν περιεποιήσατο διὰ τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ ἰδίου.

διὰ τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ ἰδίου.
(The blood of the own)  or the blood of his own.

This is the reading of both Vaticanus and Sinaticus.

None of the major Bible translations read as such, but,  as the reading here in these 2 major manuscripts (when it comes to modern textual criticism) is blood of his own, it is not a giant leap to insert the word son here as the assumed referent seeing we know that Jesus is the son who shed his blood.

There are numerous versions of the Bible that do exactly that and read the blood of his own son.

Acts 20:28 Watch out for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God that he obtained with the blood of his own Son. NET Bible

Acts 20:28 Keep watch over yourselves and over all the flock, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God that he obtained with the blood of his own Son. NRSV

This reading is also found in the CEV and GNT versions.

The CEB reads death of his son rather than blood of his son.
“Watch yourselves and the whole flock, in which the Holy Spirit has placed you as supervisors, to shepherd God’s church, which he obtained with the death of his own Son.”

There is no variant that says death in any manuscript.

None of these versions say that God purchased the church with his own blood but rather with the blood of his own (son) . His son being Jesus who shed his blood on the cross.

It is very important to note that there is no Greek manuscript in existence that reads this way. Not one manuscript has the word son included in this verse.

I believe that the reading that underlies the KJV and others that read like the KJV is correct. I do believe that the reading is “with his own blood”.

However, while I do disagree with the reading, it certainly cannot read the blood of his own son, I do agree that this is the meaning of the verse. 

The verse is not referring to God’s literal blood, God has no literal blood. Even if Jesus had a divine nature it cannot be the divine nature whose blood was shed. It was the man Jesus that shed his blood on the cross.

So how can God purchase the church with his own blood?

This doesn’t mean that Gods blood was shed, but rather what belonged to God. His own blood refers to the blood that belonged to him not his own literal blood.

Jesus belongs to God and so is his.

1 Corinthians 3:23 And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.

Thus the blood of Jesus is Gods blood, it belongs to him.

When Christ Jesus’s blood was shed this was blood that belonged to God seeing Christ is Gods. It is through the blood that belongs to God that he purchased the church.

During a conversation over taxes with his disciples Jesus made the comment, render to Cesar what is Cesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.

Mark 12:17 And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. And they marvelled at him.

Christ did exactly that. He rendered his life, his blood to God as they belong to God.

The blood of Jesus reconciles us back to God.

Matthew 26:28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

John 6:53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. 54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

Acts 17:26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;

Romans 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

Ephesians 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

Ephesians 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

Colossians 1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

Colossians 1:20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

Hebrews 9:12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

Hebrews 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

While I disagree with the readings of the modern versions, on this occasion I agree with the meaning that they convey.

Far from teaching that Jesus is God, it teaches that Jesus, the Christ belongs to God and it is through his blood, the blood of Christ that God purchased his church

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