Reference: I Peter 1:18-21
We hear a lot in the religious world todayhow that it's by the shed blood of Christ that makes a person a child of God.Yes, this is very true, but sad to say there are very few who truly know andunderstand exactly what it means to say that it's Christ's blood that sets thesinner free.
Everybody seems to think that justbelieving that Christ shed his blood on the cross for the sins of the worldthat this is what makes them a child of God, but if they were to search thedeeper things of God they would be able to see the truth about the subject andfind out that just to believe this fact is absolutely not what cleanses themfrom sin making them a child of God.
Since they don't search the deeper thingsof God, which proves that they are void of possessing the Spirit of God, theywill never be able to come to the knowledge of the truth concerning thisimportant matter. It's definitely a scriptural fact that it's Christ's bloodthat redeems the sinner and makes him a child of God, but being blinded fromthe truth as to what it means for the blood of Christ to redeem the sinner willleave a person in their sinful state and do nothing toward redeeming them toGod whatsoever. Every preacher that I hear will stress a lot of emphesis on thefact that it's by the blood of Christ that will set the sinner free and cleansethem from their sin, but their failing to teach the truth about what thisactually means will actually cause all their converts to end up being deceivedand will in no way be saved.
Since all preachers will stress a lotabout the blood of Christ and that it's by his blood that we can become a childof God, it's for this very reason that very few people can think that they arenot true ministers of God. It's very hard for a person to detect a falsepreacher that seems to stress a lot about Christ's blood, but what most peopleare not aware of is that just stressing a lot on the blood of Christ is in nowise proving they know what they are talking about.
The apostle Paul tells us in his epistleof I Corinthians that the Spirit searches the deeper things of God. Tosearch the deeper things of God means that a true minister will not just quotewhat the Bible may say, but he will go deeper into the subject and explain justexactly what the scripture means and is talking about.
Now just about every preacher that I knowof will tell you that just accepting the fact that Christ shed his blood on thecross for the sins of the whole world, that doing this will save you and makeyou a child of God. Now this is about as shallow as any person can get. Nowsince the word of God plainly tells us that we are redeemed by the preciousblood of Christ then there must be a revelation concerning this statement sothat we can know what it means.
Please remember that Jesus said that uponthe rock of revelation (which is the revelation of truth) he would build histrue church. God's word must be revealed to a person by the Spirit or else hewill never know the truth of the matter. Now anybody can read the scriptures,but just anybody can't understand them unless the Holy Ghost reveals the truthof the scripture. Now when the average preacher tells you that just acceptingthe fact that Christ died for you and shed his blood for your redemption, thisin no wise proves that you are saved upon confessing this.
We of course know that the written letterof the word says that Christ shed his blood for us, but any carnal mindedperson can read this and come up with the idea that just accepting this fact isall there is to salvation. The carnally minded person cannot understand theBible. Just believing you are saved upon accepting the fact that Christ diedand shed his blood is relying on what the scripture says without knowing therevealed truth of the matter.
The apostle Paul made the statement in II Corinthians 3:6that God made him a minister of the New Testament, but not of the letter of theword, but rather of the spirit of the word. Now the letter of the word is whatthe natural eye can see, but the spirit of the word is the revelation of theword. There is a great difference between the letter of the word and the spiritof the word.
The spirit of the word is what gives lifeand not the letter of the word. The letter of the word will only give you aknowledge of what has been said, but it can't possibly have a quickening effecton you spiritually. This is why the average confessing christian today has not been truly convertedfrom their dead in sin state. They have been deceived through and by the letterof the word thinking they are saved while all the time they are beingimprisoned in a form of godliness and denying the power of God thereof.
Christ most certainly shed his blood forthe redemption of mankind, but what people are failing to see and understand isthe fact that he shed his blood for the sole purpose of putting into effect anew covenant and it is this new covenant that will cleanse us from sin makingus a child of God. This new covenant is the New Testament. When Christ died onthe cross and shed his blood, it was this very act that made the gospel to bethe power of God that would make and create true sons and daughters of God. Thegospel is not just simply believing that Christ died and shed his blood, butrather it's all the revealed truth that the New Testament contains and reveals.
The shedding of Christ's blood put intoeffect the power of God's word revealed in the Bible. The gospel would bepowerless if Christ had not died and shed his blood simply because this isexactly what God demands. God's word says that without the shedding of bloodthere can be no remission for sin. But when Christ came and died on the crossshedding his blood, it was this very act that makes the gospel to be God'spower unto salvation to everyone that believes it.
The gospel in itself is not powerfulunless it is received by faith and believed. Believing what the gospel revealsis what releases the power contained in the word. What God says in his word canonly be brought to pass and into existence by someone who accepts and believeswhat it says. We are told that all scriptures has been inspired of God and isprofitable for doctrine, and for correction, and for reproof, and forinstruction in righteousness that the man of God may be perfect, throughlyfurnished unto all good works. (II Timothy3:16-17)
From these scriptures we are told that thescriptures are for the sole purpose of instructing us in all righteousness thatwill perfect the believer. We can be perfected because it's God's holy andrighteous word that does the creating of this new man. Christ's blood put thefinal approval on God's redeeming plan of salvation revealed in the gospel.This is exactly what it means when it's said that it's Christ's blood thatredeems us from sin.
Just to believe and accept the fact thathe died for you on the crosss shedding his blood, this in no wise cleanses youfrom sin making you a born again child of God.....