The Blood?
Have you ever wondered what it means when you are told that the blood of Jesus saves you? {1} It really only means his life. It is His life that saves us, the life he lived in the body of His flesh, was a life lived in obedience to His fathers will.
It was a life that overcame sin, and self and death. It is the life He gives you when you believe.
When we are baptized we are buried with him in his death to sin and raised to a new life, His overcoming life.
[3] Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
[4] Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
[5] For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
[6] Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
[7] For he that is dead is freed from sin.
So then we see that sin has no more power over those who believe. As born again believers we are delivered from the power of sin and given the power of the life of Christ.
It is a real life and real deliverance. Our main problem is that we do not really believe that we have victory over sin. I don't know how many times I have sat in a church and listened to a message of defeat.
So many times you hear "We are just sinners, thank God for the blood!" As if the blood was something totally divorced from their life. As if the blood of Christ was shed to allow sin and offer a cover and approval of sin.
In Romans vs. 8-14 we see that we are to live righteousness lives because we have a new life, there is now no need to sin
[8]Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
[9]Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
[10]For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
[11]Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
[12]Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
[13]Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
[14]For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
In Romans chapter 2 we see that we who claim to believe in Christ will be held accountable for our deeds. The life He came to give us is a life that frees us from sin and restores us to our lost estate. He is the second Adam. He came to give us back what we lost in Adam, that is the right to eat of the tree of life.
We are told to eat his flesh and drink His blood, He is our tree of life. And that is why we are judged when we take communion without examining ourselves..We are in effect saying that we are dead to every sin we know about when we eat that bread and drink that wine.
[6] Who will render to every man according to his deeds:
[7] To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:
[8] But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,
[9] Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;
[10] But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:
[11] For there is no respect of persons with God.
So when we say we are saved, just what is it that we are saved from?
Do you think it is hell he came to save you from? Being saved from hell is the effect, not the thing itself.
In Acts 3:26 we are told this very clearly. "Unto you first God, having raised up his son Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities."
Now I know that we have to grow, and that it takes us time to really believe, but I think the reason it takes so long is because of all the moaning over sin.
If instead we turned from it [sin] in faith believing that His life in us was able and willing to overcome all sin.
If instead of preaching defeat we were told that without holiness no man will see the Lord,
If we did not divide the teaching of faith and works, if we were told that it is what you believe that you do, maybe the Church would be a light instead of the mess it is today.
The power of a new life is the good news, it is the only thing that could make it good news..freedom from sin is the new life, freedom from sin is the reason for the blood, for the blood is the life...
All scripture taken from the KJV of the bible.
{1} Deut 12:23 we are told that the blood is the life "Only be sure that thou eat not the blood for the blood [is] the life; and thou mayest not eat the life with the flesh.