"Nothing But The Blood"

We are a frail creation. Man has the propensity to fall prey to sinful passions. No matter how strong the resolution or how great the zeal, people tend to fail. Jesus said of it, "the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." (Mark 14:38).  After a moment of sheer abandon to the baser self, guilt and condemnation inevitably arrive. When a Christian misses the mark, it hurts. We do not have the excuse of worldly folk who can claim 'blissful' ignorance. No, the mutiny of our mistake haunts a true believer until he or she is contrite before Christ and beseeching Him for mercy.

What is God's reaction? Does He perhaps shake his head? Maybe he covers his face with his hand and lowers his head in sorrow. Then again maybe his fury is kindled and his eyes burn like coals of fire. None of these images are accurate. Christ knew you would stumble and that you would choose to sin. Hence why he suffered and spilt his blood upon the cross. It is to that scene, the Crucifixion that a sinful saint should look. There at Calvary did you nail the Lord to the tree. But more importantly, He willingly took his seat there where mercy and forgiveness flow. 

Jesus made the strangest decision in the judicial system. Instead of having the guilty receive their reprimand and the full punishment of the Law, the Judge took that sentence upon Himself. God who was perfect and without blemish took upon himself the wrongs, evil behavior, disrespect, transgression, iniquity, and sin of all! There with blood flowing down the gnarled wood, the Lord proclaimed "It is finished!" (John 19:30). In that hour sin's power was broken and any who repent of their wickedness shall now receive forgiveness! The Scripture says so beautifully, "if we are faithful to confess our sins He is faithful to forgive." (1 John 1:9).

There in 30 A.D. all mankind was pardoned. The blood of Christ continues to drip through the ages, cleansing any who come to Christ on the Cross. Do not become deceived by the Sacrament of Penance. To add hardships upon yourself for the sake of your sin is to water down the Blood of Christ! If you could have done anything to save yourself or purge your sin, God would not have sent his Son to die a horrible death. All that is required of a believer is to repent (admit blame and say your sorry) of sin and ask for Christ's forgiveness. It says that the Almighty, "takes your sins and throws them as east is from west and remembers them no more." (Hebrews 8:12). Think on that! The Omnipotent Creator and Savior has the ability to forget your transgressions! If this is the disposition of the divine, then why do we whip ourselves over and over? The answer is guilt, which is the offspring of Satan. Guilt was born into the world in the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve ate of the Forbidden Fruit and afterwards were ashamed because they were naked. They then hid from God because of their guilt. This is our disposition. We want to lurk in the shadows when we are covered with sin. Guilt has another twin called condemnation. Condemnation works by first condemning God's Laws and morality as "harsh, unfair, and no fun," and then condemns the person who violates the Laws and morality by saying, "fool, terrible person, he won't forgive you, how could you?!"

The Devil is the master of these two twins. He condemns Christians when they are trying to adhere to a holy life and then strikes them again if they should listen to his lies and stumble. Christ said to those who he forgave, "your sins are forgiven, now go and sin no more." (John 8:11). The second part is important for several reasons. Jesus' blood covers every wicked deed you shall do. However, believers must turn from their sins so that they may live out their Salvation in Christ. Turning from the sin can be interpreted as not wallowing in it anymore, not condemning yourself for it all day and seeking some act to rectify it outside the Blood of the Lamb. But more literally and scripturally supported, turning means to turn away and to sin no more; to put to death the act or addiction that continues to plunge you into that condemned state of guilt. We must turn from our sin so that we may be free of the condemnation and become examples of Christ to a fallen world.

It is important that we do not abuse the Blood of Christ. There are those who would say that since Jesus paid for all their sins, that they might as well enjoy the cup of debauchery and decadence. These lukewarm believers misunderstand the Blood. The Blood of Christ does cover all sin, but it is not a license to sin! If we have become transformed by Jesus and Born Again, our inner nature should be changing from desiring sin to desiring salvation. To use the blood as a blanket to do wrong violates Its purpose. God so loved us that he sent his Son to die for our sins, but the penalty was painful! Jesus suffered the most excruciating torture and death. Each drop of His Blood is mercy, but it came at the cost of His life! To use this experience as an excuse to do evil is to trample on the Blood of Christ in a different way, it is a failure to recognize what we deserved and the punishment that was meant for us!

All have sinned, all have fallen short (Romans 3:23). The Savior is there waiting with open arms to receive us in repentance. We serve a loving God, one who proved it with his Death on the Cross. The Lord wants us to come to Him and be free of the burden and yoke of sin. As long as we live there will be shortcomings and stumbling. However, we have been "made a new creation," (2 Corinthians 5:17) and born again. The problem is we still have a flesh or nature predisposed to disobey and rebel against the goodness of God. That is why Paul says, "Work out your salvation with fear and trembling." (Philippians 2:12). We are saved by Christ's Blood, but we must continue to go to the fountain of His Mercy and be cleansed until we are with Him in Heaven. The goal is to "finish the race," and "keep the faith." (2 Timothy 4:7). Remember this verse when the devil wants you to believe you have done the unpardonable sin or that you shall be separated from Christ because of your misdeed, "I am convinced that  neither death , nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers of hell, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing can separate us from God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39). In addition, if Satan tries to convince you that you have lost your calling and talents in God because of sin, recite this to yourself, "The gifts and callings of God is irrevocable (cannot be lost)." (Romans 11:29)