Focus: Power In The Blood Of Jesus Christ

Text: 1Jh.1:7

"The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin."

Every now and then we need to remind ourselves of how pure, precious and powerful the blood of Jesus Christ our Lord is. Peter wrote his epistles for two main reasons, which are to remind us of things we have already known, and to stir us up into action by them. He wrote "to stir you up by putting you in remembrance" (1 Pet.1:13). He reminds us for the purpose of getting us stirred up to action. He says again, "This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance" (1 Pet.3:1). 

I am simply doing the same thing as Peter - reminding us of the efficacy of Jesus' blood. John writes, "And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast REDEEMED us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation" (Rev.5:9). By the shed blood of Christ all humanity can experience personal and collective salvation. 

The blood of Jesus Christ delivers every man everywhere in the world, regardless of his ethnic group. No form of racism is traceable to Christ. There's no ethnic bias or racial prejudice in His bloodstream. His blood is stainless - so pure! Hallelujah!

Peter tells us that we have been redeemed "with the PRECIOUS blood of Christ, as of a lamb without BLEMISH and without SPOT" (1Pet.1:19). That is to that the blood of Christ by which we were redeemed is both precious and pure. There is no moral corruption in the blood of Jesus Christ. There's absolutely nothing defiling in His blood. His blood was as holy as His life.

Now coming to the aspect of power, the blood of Jesus Christ is incredibly powerful. The blood of Christ has redeeming power. It sets free the slaves of Satan, sin and death. It shatters spiritual shackles and liberates those in bondage to the forces of darkness. 

Paul tells the leaders of the church in Ephesus, "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath PURCHASED with his own blood" (Act.20:28). He paid the price of the sinner's redemption by His own blood. Christ had to die to secure the release of sin's captives. The blood of Christ was the purchasing price. 

Nothing else sets us free as the blood of Jesus Christ.

The blood of Christ not only redeems the sinner, but it also justifies and saves him. Paul says, "Much more then, being now JUSTIFIED by his blood, we shall be SAVED from wrath through him" (Rom.5:9). By the blood of Jesus Christ the sinner is discharged and acquitted from his sins, and also saved from the wrath of God to come, for as Paul has written, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus."

According to John, the blood of Christ cleanses the believer in Christ from ALL sins. The blood of Jesus Christ saves the sinner and cleanses the saint. O how efficacious is the blood of Christ! John writes, "Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood" (Rev.1:5). By His blood, Christ washed us from our sins and continues to cleanse us from all spiritual and moral defilement. The word 'washed' can also be translated as 'loosed.' He loosed us from our mortal sins and moral chains. 

We are truly and surely free at last.

Not only that, Paul also says, "And, having made peace through the blood of his cross…" (Col.1:20). Peace between us and God has been restored by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Paul says, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom.5:1). Yes, we have peace with God!

God says to Moses, "And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt" (Ex.12:13). The blood of the Lamb of God protects us. Shed blood speaks of death. Christ shed His blood to protect us from the power of death. By His shed blood Christ becomes to us our life and peace.

On the part of the redeemed, John writes, "These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have WASHED THEIR ROBES, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb" (Rev.7:14). The believer in Christ takes advantage of the shed blood of Christ. He washes his robes and makes them as white as snow. The believer in Christ engages himself in divine laundry, using the blood of Jesus Christ as his laundry soap. He finds that it takes away every stain. 

The righteous robes of believers in Christ have no stain, because of the blood of Christ. They purify themselves, using the blood. John also points out that "they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb…" (Rev.12:11). The blood of Jesus Christ is the believer's weapon of war, and by it his victory is assuredly guaranteed. He ultimately loses no battle to the enemy because of the blood. The blood is a winning armor. 

Satan loses any and every battle where the believer employs the blood of Christ.

John also tells us that "we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin" (1Jh.1:7). Hallelujah! Now you can see why the blood of Jesus Christ speaks of better things than that of Abel (Heb.12:24). Christ's blood never cries out for vengeance, but of forgiveness. We can confidently say and sing that there's efficacy in the blood of Jesus Christ. There's power in Christ's blood. We are purchased, purified and protected by it, and also, we prevail over the devil by it. Hallelujah!

by Bishop Moses E. Peter