Why is the blood of Jesus so important in the Christian faith? Isn’t that archaic? Ancient? An out-dated mode of worship that we have moved beyond? There are some in the church that say we should get rid of the songs and references about the blood of Jesus because we no longer need them, or they are offensive to our modern sensibilities.
The Church has forgotten just how amazing the blood of Jesus is, and just how wretched we are without it.
For ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23
We might be tempted to see this as merely saying we missed the mark, that some of us might get close enough to get in anyway. But God doesn’t see “close enough” as “good enough”. That is why He said:
Be holy because I am holy. 1 Peter 1:16
Why do we have to be holy? Why isn’t there any wiggle room? God cannot put up with or overlook our sin. One prophet says this of God:
Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, and You cannot look on wickedness with favor. Habbakuk 1:13
One of the things we forget about sin is there is no such thing as a misdemeanor when it comes to God’s law. Either we are fulfilling it perfectly, or we are not. Either we are perfect in our obedience of the law, or we are sinners.
For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. James 2:10
And when we break even one small part of God’s law, we are putting something else ahead of God in our lives. That essentially means we are rebelling against God. And rebellion carries a heavy penalty:
The wages of sin is death…. Romans 6:23
The good news is that Jesus stepped in and volunteered to take the penalty, that we deserve, upon himself.
The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many. Matthew 20:28
He paid our ransom and He did this through His death on the cross.
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8
But why do we put so much emphasis on the BLOOD of Jesus? Isn’t it enough to talk about His death, to know that He chose to die in our place? No. We need to see just how vile and wicked our sin is. And we need to understand just how serious we are in trouble. Seeing someone else’s blood being spilled out when it should be our own, makes a strong impression. It is in the blood that there is life. A pool of blood is pretty strong evidence that life is gone. And Jesus spilled His blood for us.
The Bible is full of references to blood. All those animal sacrifices from Noah through to Jesus’ time were shadows of His death. All the blood that was poured out at the altar to hold off God’s anger pointed to the blood that Jesus would ultimately present in the Holiest of places, found in Heaven.
…not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. Hebrews 9:12
As we stand and look on the image of our Lord Jesus, dead, His blood pouring from Him, it becomes ever so much clearer just how dearly He paid for the sins that WE committed. And knowing that He did this freely, He did this fully, we are flooded with deep grief and overwhelming gratitude for our Lord who paid it all.
So we should shout about and sing of and mourn for and celebrate this blood that makes us reconciled to God. And this reconciliation, brought about when we were God’s enemies engaged in rebellion, not only lets us come boldly into His holy presence, but it gains for us a glorious inheritance as joint heirs with Jesus.
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name… John 1:12
What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Anyone who says this thought is offensive doesn’t know what it is to have been as a prisoner at the bar, sentenced to death, knowing the sentence is justified, only to have Jesus say, “I’ll take that penalty and give instead a place in my inheritance of the riches of Heaven.”
Faith Gym 