Tuesday, October 30, 2012

The Blood of Christ

When do we come in contact with it? As I state below… I know that we don’t physically contact it… but it is applied to us. At what point? This is what I will endeavor to answer in this post. The Blood of Christ… It cleanses us from all sin. 1 john 1:7 --- now… does it do that automatically or is there a condition? There is a condition… The beginning of 1 john 1:7 states that: “IF we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ Hi Son cleanses us from all sin.” Also Eph. 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; And Col. 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: In both these passages we see that redemption through His blood is how we have forgiveness of sins. And we need that blood because Romans 3:23 says… all have sinned. So we have to have it. Without it, we are lost. If anyone disagrees up to this point, let me know. Now continuing… How do we come in contact with the blood of Christ? First of all, when did He shed his blood. The Cross. Col. 1:20 Now… Hebrews 9:12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. 9:13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? The blood of Christ will purge our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Wait… what’s wrong with our conscience, and what does that have to do with anything?! First of all, Conscience (strongs #4893) : joins moral and spiritual consciousness as part of being created in the divine image. It is an innate discernment, self-judging consciousness. Hebrews 10:1-4 10:1 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. 10:2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. ---(here we see that a soul conscious of sins is the main issue. This soul has become conscious of sins due to the self-judging consciousness that has been convicted by the Holy Spirit…)--- 10:3 But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. 10:4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Here the Hebrew writer asks a question which contrasts the Old Covenant sacrifices with the Sacrifice of Christ. He is speaking of the deficiencies of the Old Covenant sacrifices. In verse 2 he basically asks, “in light of this, wouldn’t they just have to make one sacrifice? That would have taken care of our “conscience of sins”… but the answer is no… because there is a remembrance. Year after year. We still have our conscience of sins. Our sins are still against us. They haven’t been taken care of. This is what is wrong with our conscience------- We have been convinced that we are sinners. Titus 1:15-16 1:15 Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. 1:16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate. Again… a contrast, now between pure and defiled. Their mind and conscience is defiled. They are not pure. Unto these with defiled minds and consciences it is also weighed against them that they profess to know God—but in their works they deny Him. Because their works are abominable, disobedient, etc… So in light of this… This defiled conscience that the lost person has… and in light of how the blood of Christ will purge our conscience from dead works to serve the living God…. How does this happen? Again… is it automatic? Is it when we believe? Some profess to know Him… Titus 1:16 but their works deny Him. So how does this happen? How do we let God know that we want our conscience purified? Do we have to? Do we have to let God know? Or does He do this automatically when we believe or at some other point…? Do we ask God to cleanse our conscience? Can we? NOW… we know that the blood of Christ cleanses us from sins. It washes our sins away. Christ came here to shed His blood. So how do we come into contact with the Blood of Christ? When is it applied to us? I Peter 3: 20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. 21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: The “Answer” mentioned in verse 21 is Strongs Number 1905 and means: inquiry, request, appeal, etc… We are appealing to God for a good conscience--- because we have become convicted that ours is defiled by sin. Baptism is how Peter tells us that our conscience is made “good”. Here, we see that Peter is telling us that Baptism doth also now SAVE us. He did not say that Baptism doth also now NOT save us… He said it doth. But what is the like figure??? He previously was speaking of Noah and the flood. Noah was saved by the water or through the water… the water of the flood, cleansed the earth of all the evil that God had previously looked down upon and saw. Noah was raised above that destruction to safety. Baptism is not a bath. The water does NOTHING. It is not a work of Man’s righteousness, but rather of God’s righteousness. Baptism is a command. Christ commanded it. Baptism is for the remission of sins. We get remission of sins from the shedding of Christ’s blood. He shed his blood on the Cross. Baptism is symbolic of the death, burial, and resurrection. It is in obedience to the command of baptism, that the blood of Christ is applied. It is in the water of baptism that our conscience is made “good” (strongs number 18--- good in that it originates from God.) We come into contact with the blood of Christ when we submit to baptism. Rev. 1: 5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, Now… just to make sure that there is NO confusion on this point… I know that the blood that Christ shed is not going to be poured, splashed, sprinkled, or flicked at me or anyone else… I get that. Not what I’m saying… When I say, “Where we come into contact with the Blood of Christ” I know that may carry a meaning for some that I am emphasizing a physical contact… but I’m not. Let me say it one more time… I know I’m not going to have blood dumped on my like Carrie. But it is not physical. It is spiritual. The actual cleansing of sins doesn’t involve the physical… that is why I said the Water does NUTTIN. But baptism DOES… In being baptized you are submitting to Christ’s command. Christ’s blood cleanses us of sins/ Christ’s blood washes us from our sins. ---baptism is where the sin-cleansing of Christ’s blood is applied to us--- Baptism is for the forgiveness of sins/ remission of sins. Romans 6: 4Therefore 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. 5For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 6Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. 7For he that is dead is freed from sin.