Was the blood that Jesus shed for us man's blood, God's blood, or both?

What a thought-provoking question!

Let me begin by quoting Matthew 1:18, "This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about:  His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit."

Mary had never "known" a man before; she was a virgin in the very technical sense of the word (verse 23).  Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit without the intervention of a human father.  Joseph and Mary did not have sexual intercourse until after Mary gave birth to Jesus.

Now, for a brief biology lesson!  When the male sperm and female ovum (egg) unite in what we refer to as conception, it is the male's seed that determines both the sex of the child and the blood type of the fetus.  Therefore, when Mary conceived, it was in fact the very blood of God that began life in Mary's womb, and that later coursed through the veins of our Lord Jesus Christ.

It was blood that was uncontaminated by sin.  The blood of God bypassed the genetic code of Mary and remained untouched by sin.  Jesus was the spotless Lamb of God.  That's why Paul could write in 2 Corinthians 5:21, "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us..."  Hallelujah!

The blood that Jesus shed for our redemption was:

• the blood of God ONLY
• precious blood
• atoning blood

Perhaps I have taken the short, direct route to answer your question, but entire books have been written on this subject.  This doctrine has been challenged, debated and ridiculed by those who try to eliminate our "crimson" salvation, but the Bible makes it clear in so many places that the blood of Jesus was truly an acceptable sacrifice for the sins of mankind.  

In closing, let's allow Hebrews 9:12-14 to speak for itself:

"He [Jesus] did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but He entered the Most Holy Place once and for all by His own blood having obtained eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who were ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean.  How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God."

Only the blood of Jesus--the pure, spotless blood of God qualified to save us from our sins!

Where Did the Devil Originally Come From?

Good question!

First, let's establish the fact that there is a real devil who hates God, hates people, especially God's people and whose intent on this earth is "to steal, kill and destroy" (John 10:10).

He is the "prince of the power of the air" (Ephesians 2:2).  He is a "liar and the father of lies" (John 8:44).  He is an "angel of light" (2 Corinthians 11:14).  He is "the god of this world" (1 John 5:19).  In short, he is real, but he was defeated by Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary.  His final consummation or end will not occur until after the thousand-year reign of Christ, when he is released from his prison to once again deceive the nations.  Then, he will be "thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where (he) the beast and the false prophet had been thrown.  They (he) will be tormented day and night forever and ever" (Revelation 20:10).

Where did he originate?  The best answer and perhaps the passage that gives us the greatest insight as to the devil's origin is found in Isaiah 14:12-15:

"How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn!  You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!  You said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven:  I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain.  I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High, But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit..."

Many Bible scholars believe that these verses not only refer to the king of Babylon, but also contain a veiled reference to Satan.  In Luke 10:18, Jesus is talking to His disciples and makes this very poignant, interesting statement:  "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven."  His statement strongly implies that Satan was decisively and suddenly hurled out of heaven, and we believe he made his after-abode on the earth.

Another passage that we dare not overlook in the answering of this question is found in Ezekiel 28:11-19.  Neither time nor space will allow me to comment on the entire passage, so let me just pull from the following verses:

"You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you.  Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence and you sinned.  So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones.  Your heart became proud on account of your beauty and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor.  So I threw you to the earth; I made you a spectacle of you before kings..." (verses 15-17).

In its context, Ezekiel's prophecy against Tyre's rule appears to contain a veiled description of Satan as the true ruler of Tyre.

Let me summarize.  The Scriptures metaphorically use the king of Babylon and the king of Tyre as types of what happened to Satan, also known as Lucifer, or the devil.  In other words, these historical accounts line up with Satan's demise and subsequent expulsion from heaven.  Both accounts name pride as the catalyst by which the devil fell.  Because of his sinful pride, he was driven from out of the mount of God, or heaven.

What a sad, most unfortunate reality this is!  The earth became his domain at that time, and humankind has shared his domain -the earth--ever since.  Adam's fall into transgression was, of course, a result of the devil's deceitfulness and cunning.  The human race was plummeted into sin because of the enemy's hatred for God.

Let me encourage you today to hug up to the cross, to accept the cleansing power of the blood and to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit every day of your life.  God's arch enemy, our arch enemy, has no authority in our lives because of the blood of Jesus.  He is a defeated foe!  How sad, how unbelievable that this created being had his origins in heaven and chose to defect.

I have left a lot out of this answer, because of the depth of its embrace.  I hope my comments somewhat help you.