1    The Forgiven

We who are in Christ Jesus are forgiven of our sins and washed clean by His Blood from all unrighteousness.

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


1.1    Washed by the blood

We have forgiveness for our sins by the washing of the blood of Jesus.  We have to willfully receive the blood of Jesus and accept Him as our Lord and Savior. 
               
                Rev        1:5
                ... Jesus Christ, who is the faithful
                witness, and the first begotten of the dead,
                and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto
                him that loved us, and washed us from our sins
                in his own blood,

                 Rev        7:14
                ... And he said to me, These are they which came
                out of great tribulation, and have washed their
                robes, and made them white in the blood of the
                Lamb.
   
                Colos      1:14
                In whom we have redemption through his blood,
                even the forgiveness of sins:
           

1.2    The Blood - Why It Works

To gain an understanding of why the blood of Jesus works, we need to define some terms.  First, what is "death"?

                Isaiah    59:2
                But your iniquities have separated between you
                and your God, and your sins have hid his face
                from you, that he will not hear.

                2 Thes 1:8-9  (NAS)
                dealing out retribution to those who do not know
                God and to those who do not obey the gospel of
                our Lord Jesus.  And these will pay the penalty
                of eternal destruction, away from the presence of
                the Lord and from the glory of His power....

Death is "separation".  Physical death is separation of the spirit and soul from the body.  Marital death is separation of husband from wife¹.  Spiritual death is separation of man's spirit from God's Spirit.

When Adam sinned, God's Spirit could not continue to dwell with Adam, in man's original state of intimate fellowship, unless the glory of God consume him.  Hebrews 12:29 says, "For our God is a consuming fire."  And Isaiah 4:4 calls the Spirit of God "the spirit of judgment" and "the spirit of burning".  Sin in the direct presence of God's glory would literally be burned up. 

That is why God instructed for bells to be made in the high priest's garments.  If the priest did not cover his own sins before entering the Holy of Holies, where the glory of God dwelled over the mercy seat, or if the priest touched the mercy seat, he died!  Remember the priest was supposed to "sprinkle" the blood on the mercy seat, not touch it.

The same effect would happen to an unbeliever today if he touched the physical glory of God.  But praise God we, the saints of God, have been washed clean from all sin and are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus!  We have nothing to fear, but can come boldly to the throne of God!  Hallelujah!

According to the scriptures, the life of the flesh is in the blood.  Your flesh and bone body cannot continue to exist eternally without the power of God, which comes from fellowship thru His Spirit.  Adam was created eternal, but death and sickness entered in and reigned because of sin.

                Lev       17:11
                For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I
                have given it to you upon the altar to make an
                atonement for your souls: for it is the blood
                that maketh an atonement for the soul.

The blood is the only physical component in your body to flow to all parts or cells of your body, carrying life.  Now there appears to be a spiritual essence associated with the blood.  You could say that Adam, before the fall, had spiritually living blood.  That is, he had intimate fellowship with God, spirit to Spirit, and was able to continue eternally because of the dunamis power of God flowing thru his blood, regenerating his body.  After he had sinned, he had spiritually dead blood.  That is, Adam was separated from God, and from the regenerating power.

Today, we know that the blood type of a child comes from the seed of the father.²  If the remitting sacrifice for sin required spiritually living blood, then Adam and all of mankind after him, who came from his seed, could not produce the sacrifice needed, since they all had spiritually dead blood.

Therefore God sent His Seed, born of a virgin, into mankind, to provide the spiritually living blood for the redeeming sacrifice.  Note that the difference between atoning³ and redeeming or remitting⁴.  Jesus' blood did not atone; it remitted.

                Hebrews    9:13-14
                For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the
                ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean,
                sanctifieth 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?

                Hebrews    9:22
                And almost all things are by the law purged with
                blood; and without shedding of blood is no
                remission.
   
The "zoe" life of God in the blood of Jesus meet the moral standards of God, for the penalty for sin, and paid the redeeming price forever.  That "zoe" life in the blood is what prevents Satan and his forces from crossing it, when you plead it over yourself and your family.  Satan dares not touch the blood lest it consume him!  Praise God forever more!


1.3    The Body and Blood in Covenant

It is extremely important to have a thorough understanding of covenants.  We are in covenant relationship with God, through the blood of Jesus Christ.

Here are some covenant basics:

1. Covenants are like contracts, except contracts are based
   upon distrust, and covenants are based upon trust and/or love.
  
2. Covenant terms, ability to call upon them, and responsibility
   to provide them, are irrevocable.  The only penalty for
   breaking covenant is death!
  
3. There were two basic parts of a covenant, the body and
   the blood, symbolized by the bread and wine.

                Gal        3:15
                Brethren, I speak after the manner of men;
                Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be
                confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth
                thereto.

A covenant was typically like this:
   
There would be two nations, tribes, or families, which had different resources or talents, and a desire to join together.  The desire being based not only on need, but on love or desire to provide for the other. 

The covenant included not only the ability to access the strengths and assets of your covenant partner, but also responsibilities for their weaknesses and liabilities.  This is best seen in a marriage relationship today, which is a covenant between husband and wife, and is a divine image of the covenant relationship between Jesus and His Church. 

Another example is a covenant made between a warrior nation and a farming nation.  The warrior nation pledges: "I will stand in the gap between you and your enemies, to protect you, even to the shedding of my blood", that is, physical death.  The farming nation pledges: "I will provide your physical necessities (house, food, clothing...), to the giving up of my body", that is, physical death.  Each covenant partner volunteered and was thereafter obligated to lay down his very life to meet the basic needs of his partner.

When Jesus became our covenant partner, He took our liabilities and weakness, our sins and unrighteousness, and gave us His righteous and power and authority.

                II Cor     5:21
                For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew
                no sin; that we might be made the
                righteousness of God in him.

                I Peter    2:24
                Who his own self bare our sins in his own body
                on the tree, that we, being dead to sins,
                should live unto righteousness: by whose
                stripes ye were healed.

Lets see how the warrior and farmer example applies to our relationship with Jesus:

                Matthew   26:26-28
                And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and
                blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the
                disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.
                And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it
                to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;
                For this is my blood of the new testament, which
                is shed for many for the remission of sins.

                I Cor     11:23-26
                For I have received of the Lord that which also I
                delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same
                night in which he was betrayed took bread:
                And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and
                said, Take, eat:  this is my body, which is
                broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.
                After the same manner also he took the cup, when
                he had supped, saying, This cup is the new
                testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye
                drink it, in remembrance of me.
                For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this
                cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.

Jesus stood in the gap between us and our enemies, Satan, sin, and death, to the shedding of his blood to protect us and to save our lifes⁵.

He gave His body to be broken for us, that we might have all our physical needs meet.  This is very graphic in the Jewish Passover supper.  In the supper, there are three individual pieces of unleaven bread.  Unleaven bread looks like a large cracker with holes and stripes, symbolizing Jesus being pierced and scourged.  According to 1 Peter 2:24, we are healed by the stripes of Jesus.

The three pieces are placed into a bag with three individual compartments, representing the Trinity being three-in-one.  Then the father of the house takes the middle piece out, raps it in fine white linen, and hides it in the house somewhere.  This represents the middle part of the Trinity, Jesus, leaving His divine place and being buried after the crucifixion.  At the end of the supper, the buried piece is resurrected. 

The father holds the piece flat on the palm of one hand and smites it with the fist of the other hand.  The piece is literally shattered.  Then the family eats of the shattered piece with the third cup of wine.  The piece being smitten represents God, our Father, smiting Jesus, that we can partake of His body for every physical need.  The third cup is the last cup and is when Jesus stated at the last supper that this is His blood of the new covenant.


Jesus gave up His riches, His glory, and His divine health to come to earth to be the sacrificial Lamb of God.
               
                II Cor     8:9 
                For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
                that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes
                he became poor, that ye through his poverty
                might be rich.

Praise God!  Not only did Jesus meet our need, but God has raised Him from the dead, healed every wound on Jesus, and given Him all power, authority, and dominion in heaven and heart.  He is the risen Lord of Glory!  He is sat down in His Father's throne.

We are seated in heavenly places with Him, even in His throne.  We have been given His power, authority, and dominion.  And we are now manifested sons of God, sharing in the inheritance, as equal heirs with Christ Jesus! 

God seeks to bless you.  He desires to meet your every need.  Call on Him today!  Whatever it is that you have need of, He is faithful.  He cannot lie nor deny Himself.  If He spoke it, if He promised it in His word, which is the covenant, then He will perform it.  Put yourself in remembrance today of your Heavenly Father and call upon Him.  For He loves you!

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Footnotes:
1. which are one flesh
2. This is emphasized in law suits for paternal support of a child whose mother was unwed.
3. covering over, but not doing away with
4. paying the price totally and thereby doing away with forever
5. redeem us from death/separation, and back to fellowship with God

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