The Efficacy of the atoning blood of Christ is demonstrated in sanctification, separation from the world and consecration to God. It is of great importance to regard the preciousness of blood of Christ which is also regarded preciously by God himself. It is very evident and clear according to Hebrew 9:22, there is no forgiveness of sins without the shedding of blood.
Dwelling deeply into the world of atoning of sins. We need to know that all of us are sinners. According to Romans 3:23, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. And all of us were under the sentence of death and condemned to death as per Romans 5:12.
Firstly we should understand what blood represents. If we look in Leviticus 17:11, God says "for the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life." Every man is a sinner and all the mankind is under the penalty of death and no man can escape this sentence except through the shedding of blood, that is rendering up to God of a life in the stead of his own. This is the method taught by God. And if one fails to find such a method of deliverance, then he himself must bear the consequence of his sin that is according to Ezekiel 18:20, "the one who sins is the one who will die." Moreover, the blood of Christ is God's own way of saving the sinner, for the blood of Christ signifies the offering up of his life to God, in death upon the cross, as atonement for sin. Even Jesus said in Mathew 20:28, the son of man came to give his life as a ransom for many.
If we consider and look at scriptures, we can interpret the sacrifice of Jesus in many dimensions and angles, however it is important how the blood of Christ is presented and it is only by a consideration of these that we can obtain any conception of its unspeakable preciousness and value. That is its preciousness and value before God and its efficacy on our behalf.
There are two instances in Bible regarding blood. Firstly there is bloodshed taking place throughout different occasions which means people are guilty of murder, in cases like this blood is a symbol of death. We can refer to verses in Mathew 27:25, Deuteronomy 19:10, Habakkuk 2:12. Secondly, in other cases the blood does not mean death but life. For example, in eating meat and sacrifices the people of Israel were always told that blood means life. The verses that generally depict blood as life are Genesis 9:4, Leviticus 17:14, Deuteronomy 12:23 and Leviticus 17:11. In these verses, all the sacrifices and meals, the blood was a symbol of life. That is, it was not a symbol of taking away life, but of preserving or receiving life. Thus the blood of atonement was not a symbol of death or punishment, but a symbol of life. The same was true when Jesus spoke of His blood. It was not a symbol of His death, so much as of His life. This is clearly portrayed in John 6:53-54, that what Jesus meant was more symbolical when he meant eating of his flesh of the Son of man and drinking his blood. This is more of a spiritual occurrence which Jesus expected to happen within believers through the precious life of Christ. Also another verse, that is Mathew 16:24 in Bible clearly shows us that cross has more spiritual or symbolical meaning than just physical cross of Jesus. If we just take it literally, then all of us have to die on the cross.
No matter how much righteous a man's acts may be, but if it is not justified by God, then it amounts to nothing. Isaiah 64:6, shows us that "all our righteous acts are like filthy rags" in the eyes of God. Unless God calls us righteous or unless God makes a way for us, no man can be justified no matter how good his acts may be. It is God who delivers us, it God who brings salvation. Not our righteous acts or deeds. It is very important to know that Christ was promised by God and not by man. Sending Christ was the plan of God from the very beginning to deliver mankind from his fallen state.
In fact, Christ died everyday for us and he carried cross everyday for us. 1 Corinthians 15:31, show us that Apostle Paul mentioning about dying every day. And Revelation 5: 1-6, only the lamb who was slain is worthy to open the seals and scrolls of God. That is Christ. Jesus died for us while we were still sinners. That is, we being sinners, none of us were worthy enough to receive the gospel of truth which actually gives life to us. None of us were worthy enough to die every day and receive the truth from God every day. John 8:32 show us that it is the truth which sets us free.
However, Christ was sinless and it is we who had to die every day to receive the truth from God to live newly again with a resurrected life everyday with the truth we receive from God. But the problem is that, there was no perfect sacrifice which was acceptable to God. In other words, there was no man, who was worthy enough to offer the perfect sacrificial life for God to reveal this deep world of Gospel. Instead of us, Christ died everyday to sin and received the truth from God and gave it to us freely although we did not deserve to receive the truth. While we were sinners, he gave us the truth freely.
John 6:35 shows us that, Jesus is the bread of life. He lived a sinless and spotless life for sinners like us to receive the truth and became the atoning sacrifice instead of us, to receive the truth from God and to give it to us freely without any cost. Although, it is we who had to die and receive the precious grace and truth from God. However, because Christ died to sin every day, that is he lived a sinless life, he became the perfect sacrifice for God to reveal the great truth of God, which we all eat and drink today and this gospel of truth gives us new life. Truth from God sets us free. Only when we receive truth from God, can we become new person, in other words a new creation. That is newly resurrected creation of God. Mathew 4:4 says man does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. Because Christ's blood which symbolizes his life, he lived a perfect sacrificial life through which God could reveal more of his precious truth which we all could freely receive. It is also evident in John 6:63, that words that Jesus spoke are spirit and they are life. In other words it is his blood. Only when we drink this precious blood, only then can we taste freedom that is resurrection which is the new life in God. If God does not guide us or reveal his truth to us, we all will die. The biggest judgment of God is not to reveal his truth to us and allow us to die in our sins. This is clearly shown in Romans 1: 18-32, were it says God gave them over to their sins. Only when we receive the truth from God or in other words guidance from God, we can actually be saved. This is what Christ did for us. Just imagine had Christ not resurrected from the dead, then none of the disciples would have preached the gospel to us. And if none of us received the precious truth which Jesus taught us, none of us would have faced the true freedom. No disciples would have gone out and preached. But God is so gracious, that he allowed Jesus to resurrect from the dead to save us and continued to proclaim this good news to us, in order for us to live a new resurrected life every day. Death and resurrection is supposed to happen every day in our life. And that is done by the gospel delivered to us by Christ Jesus.
Dwelling deeply into the world of atoning of sins. We need to know that all of us are sinners. According to Romans 3:23, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. And all of us were under the sentence of death and condemned to death as per Romans 5:12.
Firstly we should understand what blood represents. If we look in Leviticus 17:11, God says "for the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life." Every man is a sinner and all the mankind is under the penalty of death and no man can escape this sentence except through the shedding of blood, that is rendering up to God of a life in the stead of his own. This is the method taught by God. And if one fails to find such a method of deliverance, then he himself must bear the consequence of his sin that is according to Ezekiel 18:20, "the one who sins is the one who will die." Moreover, the blood of Christ is God's own way of saving the sinner, for the blood of Christ signifies the offering up of his life to God, in death upon the cross, as atonement for sin. Even Jesus said in Mathew 20:28, the son of man came to give his life as a ransom for many.
If we consider and look at scriptures, we can interpret the sacrifice of Jesus in many dimensions and angles, however it is important how the blood of Christ is presented and it is only by a consideration of these that we can obtain any conception of its unspeakable preciousness and value. That is its preciousness and value before God and its efficacy on our behalf.
There are two instances in Bible regarding blood. Firstly there is bloodshed taking place throughout different occasions which means people are guilty of murder, in cases like this blood is a symbol of death. We can refer to verses in Mathew 27:25, Deuteronomy 19:10, Habakkuk 2:12. Secondly, in other cases the blood does not mean death but life. For example, in eating meat and sacrifices the people of Israel were always told that blood means life. The verses that generally depict blood as life are Genesis 9:4, Leviticus 17:14, Deuteronomy 12:23 and Leviticus 17:11. In these verses, all the sacrifices and meals, the blood was a symbol of life. That is, it was not a symbol of taking away life, but of preserving or receiving life. Thus the blood of atonement was not a symbol of death or punishment, but a symbol of life. The same was true when Jesus spoke of His blood. It was not a symbol of His death, so much as of His life. This is clearly portrayed in John 6:53-54, that what Jesus meant was more symbolical when he meant eating of his flesh of the Son of man and drinking his blood. This is more of a spiritual occurrence which Jesus expected to happen within believers through the precious life of Christ. Also another verse, that is Mathew 16:24 in Bible clearly shows us that cross has more spiritual or symbolical meaning than just physical cross of Jesus. If we just take it literally, then all of us have to die on the cross.
No matter how much righteous a man's acts may be, but if it is not justified by God, then it amounts to nothing. Isaiah 64:6, shows us that "all our righteous acts are like filthy rags" in the eyes of God. Unless God calls us righteous or unless God makes a way for us, no man can be justified no matter how good his acts may be. It is God who delivers us, it God who brings salvation. Not our righteous acts or deeds. It is very important to know that Christ was promised by God and not by man. Sending Christ was the plan of God from the very beginning to deliver mankind from his fallen state.
In fact, Christ died everyday for us and he carried cross everyday for us. 1 Corinthians 15:31, show us that Apostle Paul mentioning about dying every day. And Revelation 5: 1-6, only the lamb who was slain is worthy to open the seals and scrolls of God. That is Christ. Jesus died for us while we were still sinners. That is, we being sinners, none of us were worthy enough to receive the gospel of truth which actually gives life to us. None of us were worthy enough to die every day and receive the truth from God every day. John 8:32 show us that it is the truth which sets us free.
However, Christ was sinless and it is we who had to die every day to receive the truth from God to live newly again with a resurrected life everyday with the truth we receive from God. But the problem is that, there was no perfect sacrifice which was acceptable to God. In other words, there was no man, who was worthy enough to offer the perfect sacrificial life for God to reveal this deep world of Gospel. Instead of us, Christ died everyday to sin and received the truth from God and gave it to us freely although we did not deserve to receive the truth. While we were sinners, he gave us the truth freely.
John 6:35 shows us that, Jesus is the bread of life. He lived a sinless and spotless life for sinners like us to receive the truth and became the atoning sacrifice instead of us, to receive the truth from God and to give it to us freely without any cost. Although, it is we who had to die and receive the precious grace and truth from God. However, because Christ died to sin every day, that is he lived a sinless life, he became the perfect sacrifice for God to reveal the great truth of God, which we all eat and drink today and this gospel of truth gives us new life. Truth from God sets us free. Only when we receive truth from God, can we become new person, in other words a new creation. That is newly resurrected creation of God. Mathew 4:4 says man does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. Because Christ's blood which symbolizes his life, he lived a perfect sacrificial life through which God could reveal more of his precious truth which we all could freely receive. It is also evident in John 6:63, that words that Jesus spoke are spirit and they are life. In other words it is his blood. Only when we drink this precious blood, only then can we taste freedom that is resurrection which is the new life in God. If God does not guide us or reveal his truth to us, we all will die. The biggest judgment of God is not to reveal his truth to us and allow us to die in our sins. This is clearly shown in Romans 1: 18-32, were it says God gave them over to their sins. Only when we receive the truth from God or in other words guidance from God, we can actually be saved. This is what Christ did for us. Just imagine had Christ not resurrected from the dead, then none of the disciples would have preached the gospel to us. And if none of us received the precious truth which Jesus taught us, none of us would have faced the true freedom. No disciples would have gone out and preached. But God is so gracious, that he allowed Jesus to resurrect from the dead to save us and continued to proclaim this good news to us, in order for us to live a new resurrected life every day. Death and resurrection is supposed to happen every day in our life. And that is done by the gospel delivered to us by Christ Jesus.
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