The Blood of Jesus

In recent months, God has been teaching me about the importance and power of the blood of Jesus.

 

A topic like this deserves a series of posts or a book to exhaust entirely, but I will be addressing it in two blog posts. Therefore, I strongly encourage you to do a personal study on the topic. You can use this post, and the next, as your outline as you discover the treasure in the Word of God.

 

To the non-believer, I pray that the Holy Spirit will show you your absolute need for Jesus Christ, the one and only Messiah. To the believer, I pray that the Word regarding the blood of Jesus will come alive to you in such a powerful and tangible way that it becomes applicable to your daily life.

 

You are blessed!!

Chizobam

 

The Consequence of Sin

From the beginning of time, God made it crystal clear that He will not condone sin.

 

Adam and Eve sinned against God in the Garden of Eden by eating from the tree that He commanded them not to. (Genesis 3:11) Since Adam was the first man, sin came into the world through him, and all of mankind inherited his sinful nature. (Romans 5:12; 1 Corinthians 15:21-22) Without exception, we are born into this world as sinners under the devil’s dominion. (Romans 3:23; Ephesians 2:1-2)

 

God is a holy and pure God. He created us for intimate fellowship with Himself. Sin separates us from God because a holy God cannot commune with impurity. Light has no fellowship with darkness. (Isaiah 59:2; Hebrews 12:14, 2 Corinthians 6:14)

 

The result of sin is eternal separation from God and condemnation to Hell. (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9)

 

But God had a plan!

Immediately after Adam and Eve sinned, God clothed them with garments of skin. To make the garments, God killed an animal on their behalf and shed blood. (Genesis 3:21) His actions signified that sin has a high cost, which is death and the shedding of blood.

 

 

Old Covenant Sacrificial System

Under the Old Covenant, God established a system for the Jews in which the blood of sacrificed animals atoned for their sins. “The life of a creature is in the blood.” Therefore, sacrificed animals substituted for the lives of sinners, and the animals’ blood served to cover their sins. (Leviticus 17:11)

 

Only the high priest was allowed access behind the veil into the Holy of Holies, where the presence of God dwelt. Annually, he was required to go through a rigorous ritual in which he offered blood for his sins and the people’s sins. (Leviticus 16; Hebrews 9:7)

 

The problem with the Old Covenant was that the blood of animals only temporarily cleansed their sins. The blood of sacrificed animals lacked the spiritual power to take away sin. (Hebrews 10:4; 11) It was a temporary solution repeated year after year. (Hebrews 10:1) An external ritual, which could not inwardly transform the hearts of the worshippers. (Hebrews 9:9-10,13) It failed to make them holy. They were still plagued with the guilty conscience of sin. They were kept at a distance from God, unable to enjoy intimacy with Him. (Hebrews 10:1-2)

 

The purpose of this sacrificial system was to point the world towards the Messiah. It represented and foreshadowed His ultimate sacrifice on the cross and the power of His blood to permanently take sin away. (Hebrews 10:1)

 

Jesus the Perfect Sacrifice

At the appointed time, “God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood.” (Romans 3:24-25) Jesus was the perfect substitutionary sacrifice for all sinners. He was the one and only Lamb who could take away the sins of the world. (John 1:29) While He walked on earth, He was fully God, yet fully human. (John 1:1, 18; Hebrews 1:3; Colossians 1:15)

 

He was God with us clothed in human flesh. (Matthew 1:23)  As a result of His virgin birth through the Holy Spirit, He did not receive Adam’s sinful nature. (Matthew 1:18) His human nature made Him our perfect representative before God. Jesus experienced our struggle with temptation, yet He did not sin. (1 Peter 2:22; Hebrews 2:17-18) Therefore, He was the perfect sacrifice who died and shed His blood in our place.

 

Critical Truths About The Blood of Jesus

Jesus was the sinless, spotless sacrifice whose blood had the potency to obliterate sin, resulting in an inward spiritual transformation. (1 John 3:5; 1 Peter 2:22; Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 1:18-19)

 

                             The blood of Jesus is POTENT with INFINITE power.

His blood did not provide a temporary cover for sins. It was a permanent sacrifice. Jesus’ sacrifice was not repeated year after year but was offered once for the sins of mankind. (Hebrews 9:24-26, 28; 10:10) Jesus is the only acceptable sacrifice for the forgiveness of sin. No other suitable sacrifice exists. (Acts 4:12; Hebrews 10:18)

 

The temple’s veil was torn in two at His death on the cross, signifying that we now have direct access to God. (Matthew 27:51)

 

Jesus took the acceptable sacrifice of His blood into the Most Holy Place and presented it to God on our behalf. He paved the way for us to enjoy direct access and intimacy with God. Now, we can confidently enter God’s presence and communicate with Him. (Hebrews 9:12; 10:19-20)

 

Jesus’ sacrifice made the Old Covenant obsolete and ushered us into the New Covenant. A covenant, “established on better promises,” based on God’s grace through faith in Jesus Chris, not on rules and regulations. (Hebrews 8:6,13; 12:24; Ephesians 2:8-9)

 

The blood of Jesus works internally in the hearts of believers to cleanse our guilty conscience, make us holy, and bring peace to our relationship with God. (Hebrews 9:14)

 

Personal Experience

Before I surrendered my life to Jesus, I knew the gospel, but I was not a child of God. I clearly remember being plagued with a sense of condemnation and doom. I had no peace with God. By repenting of my sins and placing my faith in His complete sacrifice on the cross, I accepted Jesus as Lord, and since then, I have been at peace with God.

 

After Jesus “had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” (Hebrews 1:3b; 8:1; 1 Peter3:22) The right hand of God is the seat of authority. By seating, He made it clear that all authority had been given to him by God, and He rested from His completed work. By His blood, He has extended an open invitation to the whole world to be at rest, seated in authority with him at the right hand of God. (Ephesians 2:6; Hebrews 4:11)

 

Final Thoughts

Jesus died the death we deserved. He sacrificed His life by shedding His blood on the cross for everyone. But he has not been accepted by all. Salvation comes through repentance, receiving Jesus’ finished work on the cross, and placing our faith and trust in him as Savior and Lord (Acts 3:19, 4:12, 16:31; Romans 10:9-10)

 

When we do this, the Holy Spirit moves in and makes our spirits His permanent dwelling place, thus giving us a brand new life. (Titus 3:5)

 

Jesus shed His blood on the cross for the forgiveness of your sins. Have you received His sacrifice? Are your sins washed by His precious blood, and are you saved?

 

If your answer is “no,”

I earnestly urge you to accept Jesus’ sacrifice. You have heard his voice TODAY; do not harden your heart. Today is the day of your salvation! (Hebrews 3:15; 2 Corinthians 6:2)

I pray that through the power of the Holy Spirit, God will open your eyes to the truth: you are a sinner in need of a Savior. I pray that you will turn from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God, and I pray that you will receive forgiveness and a place among those who are washed by the blood of Jesus. Amen!

 

If your answer is “yes,”

then rest in the promises of God. Jesus bought you with His blood and washed your sins away. You are a saved, victorious child of God and the temple of the Holy Spirit. Stand firm, be unshakable and let nothing move you from your place of authority. Jesus Christ has commissioned you as His ambassador. Step out and share the gospel with the lost today.

I pray that you will value your salvation even more and share the Good News with the lost. Amen!

 

In my next post, we will discuss 10 critical gifts we receive through the blood of Jesus. Stay tuned!

 

Except indicated, all Scriptures are from the New International Version (NIV).

 

Related Posts:

• The Blood Of Jesus Speaks: Are You In Agreement?
• The Holy Spirit: What is His Role in Salvation?
• What is Biblical Repentance, and How Does it Relate to Salvation?

 

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© Chizobam Idahosa @Beautiful in Jesus.