Nothing But The Blood

[Mark H. Stevens, Th.D]

This is a powerful and liberating teaching that we must understand in order to experience true freedom from guilt and shame of our past. It is absolutely essential for us to realize the forgiving power of the Blood of Jesus! Nothing we can do will ever add to or take away from the work that Christ did on the cross. As the song sings, "What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the Blood of Jesus!"
I think one of the reasons why it is so hard to grasp the true forgiving power of Christ's shed blood is because it just seems too good to be true. Wouldn't you agree? But God's Word is true, and it even tells us that through Christ, we have exceedingly great and precious promises:

2 Peter 1:4, "Whereby are given unto us EXCEEDING GREAT and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."

The word precious in the above verse refers to the Greek word timios, which actually means valuable or costly! These promises that God has given us, cost Jesus dearly... He paid a steep price for our redemption, healing and deliverance!

I believe the Holy Spirit has showed me that if you have to do something to receive forgiveness of your sins, then you will always wonder if you've done enough! Look at this passage in scripture:

Galatians 3:11, "But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith."

Knowing that your conscience is clean is very important. A while back, the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said, "You need to KNOW that you are clean... your faith depends upon it!"

The Blood of Jesus was shed to not only forgive, but to remove sin!

In the Old Testament, the priests would sacrifice lambs, goats, etc. to cover the people's sins. However, this sacrifice was not significant to remove the stain of sin. But since Christ shed His blood, our sin can be REMOVED from our account! In Hebrews 10, it paints us this picture very clearly.

Hebrews 10:1-22, "For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshipers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having a high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water."

Jesus tells us in Matthew 26 that His blood is shed for many for the remission of sins. The word remission here is referring to the Greek word aphesis which means:

"Forgiveness or pardon, of sins (letting them go as if they had never been committed), remission of the penalty."

With that said, read this verse to yourself and meditate (that is to soak in) it's meaning!

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

John the Baptist also confirmed this when He said that Jesus, the Lamb of God, taketh away the sin... not just cover... but taketh away!

John 1:29, "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world."

How do we receive this forgiveness?

First, we need to understand that the forgiveness of our sins is considered a GIFT... this means that we cannot deserve it or earn it in any way, but we must receive this gift.

Ephesians 2:8, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God."

We are told that through faith in Christ Jesus, we can obtain forgiveness of our sins through the blood that He shed for us:

Galatians 2:16, "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified."

John 3:15, "That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life."

Romans 3:28, "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law."

Galatians 3:11, "But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith."

Galatians 3:24, "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith."

As you can see through the verses above, it is through faith in Christ Jesus that we are made right with God. The Bible even goes on to show that if we try to make ourselves righteous by our own works, then we are missing the whole point, and therefore we are not truly accepting the work that Christ did as significant!

Galatians 5:1,4, "So Christ has really set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don't get tied up again in slavery to the law... For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God's grace." (NLT)

What it means to be justified

Justified is another powerful word used in the Bible to describe the forgiveness of our sins and restoration of our relationship with God. This brings us to one of my favorite verses in the Bible!

Romans 5:1, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."

If we take the word justified in this verse, and look it up... we are given the Greek word dikaioo, which means, "to render (that is, show or regard as) just or innocent: - free, justify (-ier), be righteous." When a person is justified, it makes them innocent... just as if they have never sinned! That my friend, is exceedingly great news for us! This is the very reason that we can live a new life in Christ, is because when we have repented of our sins, we are made right with God and have the righteousness of God upon us! Righteousness of God is upon us? That's right! Look at this...

Romans 3:22, "Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe..."

This is often referred to as part of the divine exchange. Christ was punished for our sins, so that we can receive forgiveness, He was given our shame so that we can receive His righteousness.

2 Corinthians 5:21, "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."

Our life in Christ (the exchanged life)

Galatians 2:20, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."

After we repent (confess and turn from) our sins, and believe upon Jesus Christ and the work that He has done for us on the cross, our life is in Christ and we are identified with Him and His righteousness, thereby setting us free from guilt and condemnation. For the scriptures say that those who are in Christ Jesus, are dead to sin and there is no condemnation awaiting them:

Romans 8:1, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."

In Roman's chapter 6, we learn that our old self was crucified with Christ and buried with Him, and we are raised to new life in Christ Jesus:

Romans 6:3-6, "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 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. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 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."