“This cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you.” Luke 22:20
Dear Ones:
There is perhaps no greater subject in the whole of the Bible than that of the precious blood of Christ. Why? There are at least two reasons, the first of which is found in the Father’s appreciation of His Son’s shed blood, the value given to it by God, and the power of it applied to sinful men. The second reason has to do with it’s singular, and unique, importance and effectiveness, in the eyes of God. God the Father has so designed this matter of salvation, with regard to the presence, power, and effects of sin, that ONLY in the Son’s precious blood is there found a remedy. It is the only, solitary, sufficient, and satisfying solution for the one thing that will destroy man, and dishonor God…sin. To begin to grasp something of the importance and power of the blood of Christ, we need to begin with the issue of covenants, specifically the “new covenant.”
What then is a covenant? We discover with regard to the old testament, or old covenant, as well as the new, that God is the sole originator of it, and the ONLY one who who can fulfill it perfectly. It is the reflection of what Christ IS, in that it is perfect, holy, without blemish. The essence of a covenant is that it is a declaration of God’s committal to act, work, and accomplish perfectly that which He declares. The objects of the covenants which God made, and declared, are men. These covenants apply to the patriarchs, to Israel as a nation and people, but also, to all men, for all time and eternity. God has taken the initiative to give to man a verbal commitment of what He will do, accomplish perfectly, and eternally, for the one who will truly trust Him. The question then becomes, with regard to the blood of Christ, and the covenant associated with it, “What has God covenanted with man, committed Himself to accomplish for man, by the precious blood of Christ?” How far does it apply, and what is the power of it?
When the Lord Jesus instructed the disciples during the last supper before His crucifixion, to take the cup and drink the wine, He said: “This is My blood of the new testament (or covenant), which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” (Matt. 26:28) In Luke’s gospel he says that His blood was to be shed “…for you.” (22:20) The writer of the letter to the Hebrews wrote, concerning “the blood of the new testament,” “…for without shedding of blood is NO remission.” (9:22) Why is the matter of this covenant in the blood of Christ so important? Without the shedding of the blood of Christ, the spotless Lamb, there is NO answer, solution, or remedy for sin. It is sin that separates us from God. Isaiah writes: “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear.” (59:2) Here is the purpose and power of the blood of Christ. It is God’s covenant provision for the forgiveness of sins, and it’s power is such, that any and all sin can be forgiven.
The effectual working of the blood of Christ goes further than forgiveness. Not only are sins, as presented in the Old Testament, “blotted out,” but the heart and soul of man is cleansed, washed, “purged,” …to become “whiter than snow.” (Ps. 51:2,7,10) The apostle John writes: “If we confess our sins, He (God) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to CLEANSE us from ALL unrighteousness.” (1 Jn. 1:9) Here is the covenant-making God, who has committed Himself to forgive, blot out, and wash away all sins…and even their effects, in the heart and soul. John writes previously, that if we walk with Christ in the light of His presence, truth and word, we will have fellowship with God, and “…the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from ALL sin.” (v.7)
Dear Father, give us to grasp the enormity of the provision and power of the precious blood of Christ, so precious and powerful, that it can cleanse an entire world, and especially our individual hearts. We praise and thank Thee in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad