We have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins.(Ephesians 1:7)

Because “power belongs to God” (Psalm 62:11), it is at man’s disposal. But there is one thing that separates man and God, and that is sin. We read in Isaiah:

“Behold the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear”.(Isaiah 59:1-2)

Before we can know God’s power in our lives and service, sin must be removed in order to get rid of the separation between God and us.

It is Christ’s blood that removes sin.(Hebrews 9:26) We must know the power of the blood if we are to know the power of God. Our experience of the power of the Word, the power of the Holy Spirit, and the power of prayer is dependent n our knowing the power of the blood of Christ.

R.A. Torrey

“What can wash away my sin?” goes the old song and then it answers back, “Nothing but blood of Jesus.” “What can make me whole again?”, and again the answer, “Nothing but the blood of Jesus.” This almost sounds too simple, too easy on our part, so we work to add additional qualifiers to the work of Christ. Many are the Christians who live under fear and pressure because they have not completely accepted that the blood of Jesus is sufficient to wash away all their sins. We may sing the words but in our hearts are the questions of our full salvation. It is necessary for us to see what the Word of God says on this subject if we are to fully live in the power-filled life that God has provided for us.

In Romans we read that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”(Romans 3:23) R.A. Torrey says, “God is holy, a God who hates sin. God’s hatred of sin is no false hatred. It is real; it is living; it is active. Somehow, it must manifest itself. God’s wrath at sin must strike somewhere. What hope is there for any of us, for ‘all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.’”

God provides His own answer to the sin question through the shed blood of Christ. The wrath of God was poured out on Him rather than us. Yet there are still those who teach that God is still punishing us for our sins. The idea behind that ideology has no foundation, for it suggests that even though a person may have come to Christ in repentance of sins; even though they have asked forgiveness of those sins, the penalty for those sins hasn’t been removed. The Bible teaches that “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Furthermore it says, “There is now, therefore, no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus.” The accuser, the devil, comes to try to convince us that though we have sought forgiveness and though we have repented of our sins, they really haven’t been removed. We read that because “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son” and that Christ loved us so that He gave Himself up for us.

The one and only answer to the question of sin is the blood of Jesus. So then, according to Scripture, if you have confessed your sins, Christ has washed you in His blood and you have been made truly free of your past. Let us put aside this false and foolish thinking that God who put the sins of the whole world, of every generation and of every individual, upon Christ will also put the penalty upon us. It is true that often times there are consequences that grace and forgiveness may not remove. Those consequences are, however, directly related to the action. For example, someone may have committed a crime and be incarcerated and then accept Christ as their Savior. Though God forgives their sin and they will not receive punishment for it in eternity, they may still have to serve their full sentence. If that individual suffers from a disease or something unrelated to the action, it is not that they are being punished by God for Christ took that upon Himself.

The second question then is what about when I fail after I’ve been born again? Again the Bible provides the solution.

If we say we have no sin [refusing to admit that we are sinners], we delude ourselves and the truth is not in us. [His word does not live in our hearts.] If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just [true to His own nature and promises], and will forgive our sins and cleanse us continually from all unrighteousness [our wrongdoing, everything not in conformity with His will and purpose]. If we say that we have not sinned [refusing to admit acts of sin], we make Him [out to be] a liar [by contradicting Him] and His word is not in us. My little children (believers, dear ones), I am writing you these things so that you will not sin and violate God’s law. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate [who will intercede for us] with the Father: Jesus Christ the righteous [the upright, the just One, who conforms to the Father’s will in every way—purpose, thought, and action]. And He [that same Jesus] is the propitiation for our sins [the atoning sacrifice that holds back the wrath of God that would otherwise be directed at us because of our sinful nature—our worldliness, our lifestyle]; and not for ours alone, but also for [the sins of all believers throughout] the whole world.

1 John 1:8-2:2

So we first admit that we have sinned. We don’t excuse, justify or downplay it. We admit it, to ourselves, to God, and to those whom we sinned against. We then seek and receive forgiveness from God. We ask and receive forgiveness from those we have sinned against. And then we forgive ourselves. John makes this powerful statement about how Christ deals with our sins. Here it is again:

“ If we confess our sins”- this is our part. “He is faithful and just”- this is what we count on. We count on the fact that God can always be counted on to do what He promises and we count on the fact that God makes no unfair or unjust decisions. John continues to say that when we act on our part, that of confession, God “will forgive our sins and cleanse us continually from all unrighteousness.” Notice that God acts not only in forgiving our past sins but also works in cleansing us. Every sin leaves its residue behind and leaves its mark on our soul. God in His grace not only forgives but eradicates the evidence of sin. When Christ makes you free from sin, you really are for it is never by our works of righteousness but by His grace alone that we are made complete in Him.

Beloved friend, let the power of the blood of Jesus work its work in your life. Trust in its cleansing power. Throw off al, the burden of sin and shame and regret. Bring it all to Calvary and see the working power of the blood of Christ prevail over it all.

“Would you be free from your burden of sin? There’s power in the blood, power in the blood! Sin stains are lost in its life’s-giving flow. There’s wonderful power in the blood.”

Dr. John Thompson