THE BLOOD OF CHRIST
J. Allen Blair
In the Old Testament, God provided a way for man to cover over his sins so they could be forgiven. In the New Testament, He did even more; He provided a way for everyone to be completely cleansed from sin, with the assuring promise of heaven.
1 John 1:7, The blood of Jesus Christ God's Son cleanseth us from all sin. The Bible teaches that there is no other possible way to be cleansed from sin than through the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Some scorn this truth, attempting to exclude all mention of the blood of Christ, even in the music. They would certainly be miserable in heaven, where we shall give all praise to our Lord who has washed us from our sins in His own blood.
George Bernard Shaw once said, "No really educated person now believes in the atonement through Christ's blood." In a large meeting, a Christian statesman rose to say, "I may not be what Shaw calls really educated, but I give thanks that I know that God's Word is true. Ephesians 1:7 declares, In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.
One of my professors, Dr. Wilbur M. Smith, told of a visit to a large church in London. To his surprise, on the wall of the transept he saw a huge illuminated cross. He said later, "One would expect from this to hear something about the Gospel." The subject that morning was the alchemy of Jesus, by which the minister meant that Jesus turned all of his experiences into gold. Toward the end of the message Dr. Smith was horrified when, pointing to the cross, the speaker said, "Do not tell me that was the will of God. Jesus was put to death by wicked hands and wicked hands can never do the will of God."
This clergyman had no concept of this basic teaching of the Word of God. From Genesis to Revelation, one of the prominent themes is sacrifice through blood. In Exodus 12:13 God says, When I see the blood, I will pass over you. In Leviticus 17:11 He declares, For the life of the flesh is in the blood. In Romans 5:9: Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. Verse after verse in the Bible tells of Christ's sacrifice of His precious blood for sin as being God's method of salvation.
A prominent preacher attended a worship service at a church known for its evangelical fervor. With evident distress and displeasure, he listened to a message on the atoning power of the blood of Christ. At the conclusion of the service, the visitor said to the pastor, "My God is not the blood-thirsty God you picture. My God is one of love, and needs not to be appeased with blood. I have no respect for the God whom you worship." These sincere remarks evidence a complete misunderstanding of the sense in which the evangelical preacher employed the term blood, and manifests ignorance of the God revealed in Scripture. Knowledge of the Scripture should have shown Him that mere blood does not effect appeasement; it is the meaning of the blood of Christ that should be understood.
There were those who followed Christ during His earthly ministry, who misunderstood the meaning of the blood. Jesus startled His listeners with the statement, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, ye have no life in you (John 6:53). Some of the disciples understood this in a literal, carnal sense. They were offended, even as the visiting preacher was offended at the preaching of the blood. They called it a hard saying and forsook Christ.
Jesus explained that literal drinking of His blood would not provide eternal life. There must be a partaking of it in a spiritual way. He called attention to the fact that the spirit quickeneth and that the words which He spoke were spirit and life. The flesh and blood represented the suffering and death of Jesus. To eat His flesh and drink His blood is to appropriate by faith the sacrifice wrought by His sufferings and death. That His blood signifies atonement, Christ himself clearly indicated in the institution of the Lord's Supper. He said, Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins (Matthew 26:27,28).
An amazing contradiction of this is the preacher who abhors the preaching of the blood in the pulpit, yet proclaims it in the Lord's Supper. Though some try to make the primary purpose of the sacrament to be that of a display of Christian unity, the very heart of the communion service manifests the union of man with God, in and through the broken body and shed blood of Christ. The very action of eating the bread and drinking of the cup declares the partaking of the body and shed blood of Christ. Those who refuse to preach the blood of Christ deny the symbol which truly represents atonement, propitiation, and redemption. They ignore the eloquent witness of the love of God.
Without the blood, what is the Gospel? We are cleansed through the blood (1 John 1:7). We are reconciled to God through the blood: 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 (Colossians 1:20). We are set apart for God through the blood. Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied (1 Peter 1:2). We possess victory over Satan through the blood: And they overcame him [Satan], by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto death (Revelation 12:11). We have life abundant through the blood: And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:14,15).
Jesus Christ was lifted up on the cross, not to be a great example, but to shed His blood, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. Praise God for the blood that was shed that completely blots out our sin when we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Claim Christ as your Savior and Lord and permit Him to cleanse you of all your sins through the blood that was shed at Calvary. God has provided this great salvation for you. Receive Him into your heart and life right now. Bow your head and say, "Lord I know I am a sinner, but I want to be saved, and I claim the power of the blood, through Christ who gave himself for me that I might be saved." And God will save you, right where you are.
Happy Birthday Mrs. Blair!
Mrs. J. Allen (Elva) Blair is celebrating her 97th birthday - April 2, 2010. You may send birthday greetings to: Glad Tidings PO Box 18824 Charlotte NC 28218.
A Free Book & Your Book Ministry!
Living Faithfully by Dr. Blair
You may request one free copy of this book during this month. And, because of your response to the book distribution as a pesonal ministry, we're helping again! Send $4.00 per copy along with names and addresses and we will send the book directly to your friends. Dr. Blair's writings are used by pastors and teachers and we encourage copying and quoting!
This 256 page book is a verse by verse exposition of the Second Epistle of Peter. It is loaded with practical advice on Christian growth. Remember Peter? He's the one who denied Christ three times, and yet he became a vibrant witness and lived faithfully to the end.
HAVE YOU SEEN HIM?
When the life-changing Savior enters a person's life, there is no way to keep quiet about it. J. Allen Blair
Printed messages have a way of getting into places with Gospel truth where you and I have never been and may never go. We've had reports from those who have found them on a window sill in a quiet hallway, in a restroom, in a retirement center, a court room, or in a jail cell. Ask for a free copy of this month's message, Have You Seen Him? Additional copies are available at the rate of $1.50 per dozen.
The Unwanted Child
Pam Tracy
I was growing into a little child,
My mother never saw me when I smiled.
She didn't get to hold me tight,
Or tuck me into bed at night.
She never kissed me on the cheek,
And she didn't hear me learn to speak.
She never saw me run or play,
Or get to wish me Happy Birthday!
Why she didn't want me, I don't know;
I really would have loved her so.
I never had the chance to be born,
Because from her womb I was torn.
Does she wonder how it might have been,
If she had done things differently then?
My time was cut short on this earth ,
But God knew that my life had worth.
I've gone to heaven to be with Him there,
And I'll stay forever in His loving care.