“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:2
If the blood of Christ testifies to us of a redemptive price paid to purchase the sinner, cleanse from all and every sin, provide a righteousness that is perfect and complete giving to the believer the assurance of access to God in peace, then there is great potential in the life, to know sins forgiven, and the freedom of a new life in Christ.
If the cross of Christ then testifies to us of God’s judgement of sin and the sinner, not only by the sentance of death passed on the sinner, and His only provision to deal absolutely with the wretchedness of sin, and the unbelief of the sinner, then there is great reason to believe and to live by a declared freedom from all that was in Adam, condemned and rejected.
God’s provision of the blood of His dear Son, shed for all men on Calvary, was the only provision worthy enough in the entire universe to justify a sinner before God, and cleanse him from his sin, and basis for condemnation. God’s provision of a terrible cross upon which the Prince of Glory died, was the declaration to all creation, that God and sin have no affinity. Only by the cross could sin be dealt with, for nothing so wretched as sin could be dealt with in such a total, complete way, but by putting it to death. Only by one sacrifice, the perfect substitute for mankind, would the worthy Christ, accomplish such a task, work, mission, and finishing it perfectly, at such a terrible cost.
But where does the saved sinner now go, and what is to be his Hope and Trust? What is it that faith is called upon to lay hold of, something so solid and sure, that most certainly it will change entirely the life for time, and eternity. It is a promise which was revealed to Israel long ago through the prophets, and in some measure manifested to a certain few. However, now, in these last days, the great truth and realization of the promise has not only come to light, but is being demonstrated, lived, and shared to the world, in individual lives, in those of families, and principally, in the church, the body of Christ. What is this promise? The Lord Jesus revealed it when he said to his disciples: “And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter; that He may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and SHALL BE IN YOU.” (John 14:17) The “promise of the Father,” of which Jesus spoke to His disciples, was the realization of the outpouring of the Spirit of God, of which Joel wrote and prophesied. However, that which distinguished this “outpouring” from other movements of the Spirit, and manifestations of His working in the lives of individuals in the Old Testament, from those of Pentecost until this very day, is seen first of all in the magnitude of the outpouring. The Spirit was poured out upon ALL flesh. It was characterized also by the essence of the power that He manifested, to save, deliver, cleanse, and manifest the glory of God. God by the Spirit came to give spiritual birth to all who would repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. An eternal union was created in the heart of every believer between the Spirit of God and the spirit of man, to form a new creation. That individual new creation was immediately made part of the eternal church of God, the living body of Christ. The Spirit was indeed with men, but now He had come to dwell IN men, that by His indestructible, unchanging life, He would reveal the indwelling Christ to the world. The Spirit of Christ had come to fill Christ’s living church.
Dear Father, Fill us with Christ’s life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.