Copyright 2013 PJ Stassen
All Rights Reserved
He who created us without our help will not
save us without our consent.
-
Saint Augustine, 354-430 A.D.
The late Rev. Andrew Murray, the South African theologian and Graaff-Reinet clergyman of Scottish descent; and also writer of many books among others With Christ In The School Of Prayer, The Spiritual Life, The Spirit of Christ, The Blood Of The Cross and The Power In The Blood, has elaborated beautifully on the power of the blood of Christ.
Why
the extraordinary emphasis on ‘blood’ as the propitiation for mankind’s sins? Because (firstly) the first crime of treachery and
treason (in Eden) was accompanied by the slaughter of an animal of which the
skin had to serve as a covering for the nakedness of the sinners (Adam & Eve); and (secondly) the first violent crime on Earth by Cain was accompanied by the blood
of his brother Abel. From then on there
could be no remission of sins without the flowing of blood. Christianity teaches that Jesus Christ became
the (final and ultimate) ‘sacrificial lamb’ to die for the sins of the
world (With the term 'the Blood of Christ' we of course always mean the 'SACRIFICE' of Christ). In summary:
Redemption by the BLOOD of Jesus Christ. And if you call on the
Father, who without respect of persons judges according to the work of each
one, pass the time of your earthly
residence in fear, knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things,
silver or gold, from your vain manner of life handed down from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and
without spot; [1 Peter
1:17-19 MKJV, eSword].
Propitiation through the BLOOD of Jesus Christ. … for all have sinned and come short of
the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus; whom God has set forth to
be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His
righteousness through the passing by of the sins that had taken place before,
in the forbearance of God; for the display of His righteousness at this time,
for Him to be just and, forgiving the one
being of the faith of Jesus. [Romans
3:23-26 MKJV, eSword].
Purification through the BLOOD of Jesus Christ. 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. If we say
that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and
just to forgive us our sins, and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If
we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in
us. [1 John 1:7-10].
Sanctification through the BLOOD of Jesus Christ. For the bodies of those animals, whose blood
is brought into the Holy of Holies by
the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also, so that He might
sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore let us go forth to Him outside the
camp, bearing His reproach. For here
we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come. By Him, then, let us offer the sacrifice of
praise to God continually, that is, the
fruit of our lips, confessing His
name. [Hebrews 13:11-15 MKJV, eSword].
Service to God through the BLOOD of Jesus Christ. But when Christ had
become a high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect
tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building nor by
the blood of goats and calves, but by His
own blood He entered once for all into
the Holies, having obtained eternal redemption for
us.
For if the blood of bulls and of goats
and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean sanctifies to the purifying of
the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ (who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot
to God) purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this cause He is the
Mediator of the new covenant, so that by means of death, for the redemption of
the transgressions that were under the
first covenant, those who are called might receive the promise of eternal
inheritance. [Hebrews
9:11-15 MKJV, eSword].
Access to the Holiest of
Holies through the BLOOD of Jesus Christ. Therefore, brothers, having boldness to enter
into the Holy of Holies by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way
which He has consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say, His flesh;
and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a
true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil
conscience and our bodies having been washed with pure water.
Let us hold fast the
profession of our faith without wavering (for He is faithful who
promised), and let us consider one another to provoke to love and to good
works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of
some is, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you
see the Day approaching. For if we sin willfully after we have received the
knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain
fearful looking for judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the
adversaries.
He who despised
Moses' Law died without mercy on the word of two or three witnesses. Of
how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy of
punishment, the one who has trampled the Son of God, and who has counted
the blood of the covenant with which he was sanctified an unholy thing, and has
insulted the Spirit of grace?
For we know Him who has
said, "Vengeance belongs to Me, I will repay, says the
Lord." And again, "The Lord shall judge His people." It is
a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. [Hebrews 10:19-31 MKJV, eSword].
Eternal Life through the BLOOD of Jesus Christ. Then Jesus says to them, Truly, truly, I say
to you, Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His blood, you do
not have life in yourselves. Whoever partakes of My flesh and drinks My blood
has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food
indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who partakes of My flesh and drinks My
blood dwells in Me, and I in him. As the living Father has sent Me, and I live
through the Father, so he who partakes of Me, even he shall live by Me. This is
the Bread which came down from Heaven, not as your fathers ate the manna, and
died; he who partakes of this Bread shall live forever. [John 6:53-54 MKJV, eSword].
Victory through the BLOOD of Jesus Christ. And
I heard a great voice saying in Heaven, Now has come the salvation and power
and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ. For the accuser of
our brothers is cast down, who accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him because of the blood of
the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony. And they did not love
their soul until death. [Revelation 12:10-11 MKJV, eSword].
Heavenly Joy through the BLOOD of Jesus Christ. After these things I
looked, and lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, out of all
nations and kindreds and people and tongues, stood before the throne and before
the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palms in their hands. And they cried with a loud voice, saying,
Salvation to our God sitting on the throne, and to the Lamb.
And all the angels stood around the throne,
and the elders, and the four living creatures, and they fell before the throne
on their faces and worshiped God, saying, Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom
and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be
to our God forever and ever. Amen. And
one of the elders answered, saying to me, Who are these who are arrayed in
white robes, and from where do they come? And I said to him, Sir, you know. And
he said to me, These are the ones who came out of the great tribulation and
have washed their robes, and have whitened them in the blood of the Lamb.
Therefore they are before the throne of God,
and they serve Him day and night in His temple. And He sitting on the throne
will dwell among them. They will not
hunger any more, nor thirst any more, nor will the sun light on them, nor any
heat. For the Lamb who is in the midst
of the throne will feed them and will lead them to the
fountains of living waters. And God will wipe away all tears from their eyes. [Revelation 7:9-17 MKJV, eSword].
(Lewis
E. Jones, 1865-1936)
Would
you be free from the burden of sin?
There’s
pow’r in the blood, pow’r in the blood;
Would
you o’er evil a victory win?
There’s
wonderful pow’r in the blood.
Would
you be free from your passion and pride?
There’s
pow’r in the blood, pow’r in the blood;
Come
for a cleansing to Calvary’s tide ‒
There’s
wonderful pow’r in the blood.
Would
you be whiter, much whiter than snow?
There’s
pow’r in the blood, pow’r in the blood;
Sin-stains
are lost in its life-giving flow ‒
There’s
wonderful pow’r in the blood.
Would
you do service for Jesus your King?
There’s
pow’r in the blood, pow’r in the blood;
Would
you live daily His praises to sing?
There’s
wonderful pow’r in the blood.
CHORUS
There
is pow’r, pow’r, wonderworking pow’r
In
the blood of the Lamb;
There
is pow’r, pow’r, wonderworking pow’r
In
the precious blood of the Lamb.
Piet Stassen
- Scribd Publishing Site: www.scribd.com/PietStassen (ENGLISH & AFRIKAANS)
- eBook: 'Evolution: The Science That Evolved Into A Fairy Tale' (ENGLISH)
- eBook: 'Bertrand Russell Revisited: Rebuttal Of Bertrand Russell's 'Why I Am Not A Christian''(ENGLISH)
- eBook: 'Meditations & Contemplations: A Reader For Both Atheists And Creationists' (ENGLISH)
- eBook: 'Conservation, Rhino Poaching And Hypocrisy' (ENGLISH)
- eBook: 'Why Darwinism ('Evolution') Does Not Make Sense' (ENGLISH)
- eBook: 'Names And Titles Of Jesus Of Nazareth (ENGLISH)'
- eBoek: 'Darwin Of Christus: Suid-Afrikaners By 'n Kruispad!' [AFRIKAANS].
- eBoek: 'Bevryding Van Die Anti-Evangelie Van Ateisme-Evolusionisme' [AFRIKAANS].
- eBoek: 'Name & Titels Van Jesus Christus' [AFRIKAANS].
- eTracts, Christian (Free, Downloadable): Free, downloadable Christian eTracts for free distribution (ENGLISH)
- eTraktate, Christelik (Gratis, Aflaaibaar): Gratis, aflaaibare Christelike Traktate vir gratis verspreiding (AFRIKAANS)
Bibliography
1.
Andrews,
Allen (1969) Quotations For Speakers And Writers. Newnes Books. Hamlyn Publishing Group Ltd. London.
2.
Peterson,
John W. (1968) Great
Hymns Of The Faith. ‘There Is Power In The Blood’. Zondervan Publishing
House. Grand Rapids, Michigan.
No comments:
Post a Comment