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Topic: The blood of Jesus and the cross of Jesus
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Eden
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Watchman Nee points out that man is not a sinner because man sins, but man sins because man is a sinner, man is born a sinner in Adam.
The blood of Jesus provides forgiveness for the sins, but if God only dealt with the sins, the factory of sins, our Adamic members, will continue to produce sins because we are altogether born in sin, we are born sinners.
We sin because of are born sinners; we are not sinners because we sin. The latter is arguing the wrong way around.
So the blood of Jesus dealt with our sins, but how does God deal with the sinner? Surely God does not simply deal with the sins but also with the sinner factory?
We were born into sin being descendants of Adam whose character was negatively affected by his new sin nature, and we, being from Adam, are born into the same sin as we inherit Adam's traits.
So we are born into sin, but how do we get out of sin? We are born sinners by birth, but we get out of sin--by death. And this is exactly the path that God chose:
Romans 6
6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
Now, all that was of the old Adam was "crucified with Christ" when Christ was on the cross in the 1st century A.D.
Then thru God's foreknowledge, God knew who would accept His Son Jesus for salvation, and those persons God put "in Christ" instead of "on the cross".
Romans 6
3Know you not, that so many of us as were baptized {put} into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death?
All of the Adam old man died with Christ on the cross, but those who were “in Christ” also “rose with Him” and were “made alive again unto God”. But the nonbelievers died on the cross.
Now, many Christians struggle to get “into Christ”, but there is no need to struggle “to get in” because “God has put us in Christ“ by His own sovereign will:
1 Corinthians 1:30
But of Him {meaning, of God} are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.
So just as we had to exercise faith for salvation when God SAID that God has sent forth Jesus to be the propitiation for our sins, so we also have to exercise faith that God “has put us in Christ” instead of on the cross when Jesus died on the cross.
Now, in order for us to be “of the seed of Isaac” we need to be “put into Christ”, and this God accomplished.
The Apostle Paul points out that when Abraham tithed to Melchizedek, Isaac and Jacob and Levi were still in the loins of Abraham, and as such Isaac and Jacob and Levi “tithed” also to Mechizedek.
In the same manner, after God, through His foreknowledge, put those of us who would believe in history “in Christ”, God sovereignly put all the believers “in Christ”, while the nonbelievers were “put on the cross” where they died, but did not rise again.
2 Corinthians 5
14 … if one died for all, then were all dead.
But,
1 Corinthians 1:30
But of Him {meaning, of God} are you in Christ Jesus…
Romans 5
12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
Having been put sovereignly by God “in Christ” on the cross, we also positionally raise from the dead “in Christ” and all of those God considers to be:
1 Corinthians 15:22
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
So the blood of Jesus provided forgiveness for our sins, and the cross of Jesus provided for the death of all that belonged to the old man, and being “put in Christ” by God provided for the access to the new life that comes from Jesus:
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Through death, we are no longer in the kingdom of Satan who is the prince of this world. And through the resurrection "in Jesus" we are transferred in the kingdom of His Dear Son:
Colossians 1:13
Who has delivered us from the power of darkness, and has translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son.
1 Corinthians 1:30
For of Him {meaning, of God} are you in Christ Jesus…
We need not "struggle" to get "into Jesus", we just need to believe God when God tells us in His Wrod that He has "put us in Jesus" if we are believers in Jesus.
Galatians 3:29
And if you be Christ's, then are you Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Titus 3:7
That being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
love, Eden
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Eden
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The blood of Jesus also defends us 100% against Satan, "the accuser of the brethren". Note that Satan's primary attack is to accuse us of sinning.
1 John 1
7 ... the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin.
So Satan comes to God and says, "so and so is a sinner" or "so and so is sinning". Then God points Satan to "the blood of Jesus which cleanes us from all sin", and Satan cannot do anything further there.
Satan then turns to us, and says, "you are a sinner" and "look, you are sinning", and our temptation is to "look within ourselves" in self-defense, and "sure enough we have to agree with Satan" that "we are sinners" and "that we have sinned":
Romans 3:23
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.
Romans 7:18
For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwells no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
So what Satan is after is for us to "look within ourselves" and then we are defeated.
The key to freedom is to look outside of myself at the precious blood of Jesus and proclaim that "God is satisfied with the blood of Jesus paying for every sin and therefore I am satisfied with the blood too", and then Satan can do nothing. His accusations go nowhere.
So our salvation lies in always "looking away to God and the precious blood of Jesus" and never to "our behavior" which varies from day to day and where Satan does have ground for accusation (were it not for the blood of Jesus).
1 John 2
2 And He is the propitiation for our sins...
We must never look within but we must always look to the blood of Jesus which satisfies God as full payment for all our sins, and when we claim that, there is nothing that Satan can do, so he flees:
James 4:7
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
The devil will flee from you, for now, because it would be a waste of time, even for the devil, or especially for the devil whose "time is short", to spend "anymore time with you for now", but he will "try again later".
love, Eden
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The blood of Jesus is first and foremeost, for God: "When I see the blood, I will pass over."
And secondarily, the blood of Jesus satisfied God, in that the blood of Jesus was so precious that in God's eye it "covered all sins".
And so Jesus carried the blood up to heaven right after His resurrection:
John 20:17
Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.
Jesus carried up His blood to God in heaven and God showed that He was satisfied by pouring out the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.
Again, it's a matter of faith, if God says that the blood of Jesus is precious enough to pay for all sins, then I need to value the blood just as much as God values it; not more, but also not less.
And when I value the blood aright, then
Hebrews 10
22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
Because we can now have confidence that when God says, "when I see the blood, I will pass over":
Exodus 12:13
And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where you are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you ....
The blood of Jesus is the only ground by which we can ever approach God. But we all have a tendency to think thus:
"I have been kinder than usual today, and I have prayed more than usual and read the Word, so now I can confidently approach God". Or,
"I have been a little meaner than usual today, and I haven't really done anything for God, so I cannot not just approach God today".
No, no matter how educated, how polished, how refined we have managed to make the flesh, it is still flesh:
John 3:6
That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Only ONE Person has ever lived the perfect life, and God is ONLY SATISFIED in His shed blood as payment for our sins:
Hebrews 10:19
Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus.
Whether we feel good today and have done especially well today, or whether we are depressed today and have not done especially well today, it does not really matter. We can only approach God through the blood of Jesus.
Our feelings are variable, but God continues to be satisfied in the blood of Jesus as full payment for our sins:
"When I see the blood, I will pass over":
1 Corinthians 5:7
Purge out therefore the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, as you are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.
1 Peter 1
18 Forasmuch as you know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
love, Eden
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