Thus far in this series on the power and blessing of Jesus’ blood, we have discovered why the only true God chose blood of the Messiah to deal with humanity’s sin and sought to understand the first of four Blood Blessings… We are BOUGHT with a Price. This first blood blessing comes in two parts, as we discovered in the last posting…

1. Our being freed from slavery and
2. Our being bought as His possessions.

*(To review or read the two and three from this series please click here for Blood Blessings #3 or here for Blood Blessings #2).

Today we will dive into the refreshing stream of Blood Blessing #2… Being of the Hook for our sin (or forgiven).

(Ephesians 1:7) We have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.

Forgiveness of sin is a serious and weighty matter, when considering the blood of Christ. The word of God proclaims “without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin”. We may not be familiar with the word “remission” or “remittance”, but no worries, as the words simply mean to have a receipt. A receipt, declares something to be paid in full, all charges are gone. This is important for the wages or charges of sin, which is death (Romans 6:23), compound more than a missed credit card payment; yet the payment for these charges is Christ’s shed blood. This was not a blood donation, but of a torturous payment for every criminal charge against us.

Christ’s shed blood was not only the price to purchase us and pay our sin debt, but also the punishment our sin required to be forgiven or receive “remission”. To get around this “squeamish” reality, we may without thought, seek to diminish the means by which the blood was shed. Jesus received the punishment we deserved. Let us consider the suffering we deserved.

Separation from God…

We get a glimpse of this in Christ’s perfect humanity, as He cries out “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” In that moment, Jesus suffered the collective weight of all humanities deserved punishment for sin. He felt the eternal separation all men deserve, so that we would not have to suffer the “second death” in the lake of fire for all eternity. The event of Christ’s blood shedding atonement was a transaction of transfer: our sins placed on His holy body, which caused the relational separation from the Father He felt: and His perfect righteousness applied to us, declaring us not guilty!!! We are off the hook! II Corinthians 5:21 states this truth wonderfully…

“He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him”.

Hallelujah! This means Paid In Full, or the penalty of our sin was paid in real pain. Our receipt to this transaction is remarkable and sobering. Let us consider the word of God.

(Colossians 2:14-15) having wiped out the handwriting of requirements against us (the penalty of death owed for our sin… parentheses added mine), which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

Our Indictment Taken out of the Way

“having nailed it to the cross” is quite a remarkable statement, for there was no paper nailed to the cross. There was only of the Savior Jesus Christ. May the following truth floor us all in awe and reverence of our God.

Colossians 2:14-15 refers to a literal legal document we know as an “indictment”. An indictment is a piece of paper, which lists the charges against a criminal and the punishment that fits the crime. These legal documents carry the fate of the person who’s name is on them. When a person is found guilty this document declares the criminal’s punishment. All men are guilty before God’s bar of justice. Humanity’s indictment was written by being scratched, beaten, torn into and tortured into the Savior, over the course of His death. When He was nailed to the cross, and the last drop of blood necessary was shed, Jesus declared “It is finished”. This is when our “Indictment nailed to the cross” was “taken out of the way”.

Let us not look at this truth as a past tense act, for whenever a soul turns to Christ in faith and repentance, this miracle of power is repeated, in addition to this truth, Jesus’ blood continues to reverse the curse, especially in the redeemed. Not only do we experience the clearing of the account from the moment we receive Christ by faith, but He practically cleanses our life actions, when we “miss the mark”, Because Jesus is ministering His shed blood even now for us.

(Hebrews 9:11-12) …Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place, once for all, having obtained eternal redemption…

(Hebrews 8:1-2) We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man.

(Hebrews 7:25) Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

(Hebrews 2:18) For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.

(I John 1:7) But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

(I John 1:9) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness

Even now for when we “miss the mark” (meaning we are trying to live Jesus’ way, do Jesus things and do Jesus’ will) and sin, should we continue in fellowship and confess the sin, we are forgiven (I John 1:7. 9); for the blood will never lose its power. But understand this is not a license to sin (Romans 6:1). In fact this powerful blood blessing, concerning forgiveness, can be hijacked into merely getting our ticket punched for entrance to heaven.

Salvation is not a ticket to heaven, but this is the predominant view in America, in my opinion. Here is an overview of this warped teaching: Jesus died so you can be forgiven and henceforth, upon death or rapture, you receive a mansion on the hilltop, or more contemporaneous to the “Jefferson’s” “A DE-LUX apartment in the SKY-Y-Y”. Let us remember salvation is not about our entrance into heaven, or seeing your dearly departed loved ones when you arrive (as great as that will be). Salvation is a person, “The Lord is my light and my Salvation” (Psalm 27:1).

The message of the cross is the power of God unto salvation, because we are saved to enjoy the presence of the One who is SALVATION: Yeshua Hamashiach. In this life now, this means Christ in us the “hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). In the eternal life to come, this means seeing Him face to face (I John 3:1-3). Salvation is not about “Move’in on Up”,

Why is this error so prevalent? Keith Lungaard deals with this in His book “The Enemy Within”. The author outlines the problem as choosing to receive the remedy of grace, while ignoring the design of grace. The remedy of grace is the blessing of being forgiven, where we are able to attain the design of grace, which is to be made holy.

(Titus 2:11-12) For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously and godly in this present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

When we focus on the remedy of grace, and look to heaven’s golden streets and mansions of our pleasure, we miss the design of grace and the purpose of Heaven: being with Jesus Christ.

Forgiveness is a powerful blood blessing for us to live in, so long as we keep it tethered to the reason for forgiveness, which is Christ’s holy presence with us, in order to make us holy.