The blood of Christ plays a major role in the salvation of man. We sometimes sing a song entitled, “Nothing but the Blood.” It goes like this: “What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus; What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.”
While the blood of Christ is not the only factor involved in salvation, it is the cleansing factor, without which the stain of sin would still be upon all of us. Because the blood of Christ plays such a significant role in the salvation of man’s soul, we should know exactly what it does and does not do. So, let us briefly consider these things.
- What the Blood of Christ Does
The blood of Christ makes it possible for man to enjoy fellowship with God. John reminds us of the character of God when he wrote, “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). Since there is no darkness with God at all, we cannot have fellowship with Him if there is unrepentant sin in our lives (1 John 1:6-7). Thankfully, through the blood of Christ we have been redeemed and forgiven.
Ephesians 1:7 (ESV)
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,
The blood of Christ redeems and reconciles us with God, putting us in fellowship with Him. This not only saves us, it gives us access to the throne of God through the avenue of prayer (Hebrews 10:19).
The blood of Christ, then, is justifying (Romans 5:9), near-bringing (Ephesians 2:13), peace-making (Colossians 1:20), redeeming (1 Peter 1:19), soul-cleansing (Revelation 1:5), blood that helps us to enter into and maintain our fellowship with God.
- What the Blood of Christ Does Not Do
The blood of Christ cannot help an unrepentant sinner. This is why in the first two sermons ever preached, repentance was demanded by Peter, an ambassador of Christ (Acts 2:38; 3:19). It is also why Jesus Himself told His audience, “…unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3). The blood of Christ will not cleanse a person who is determined to remain in sin. Along those same lines, the blood of Christ cannot help those who will not obey the gospel, including those who refuse to obey God by being baptized into Christ (Romans 6:3-4; Galatians 3:27). Since it is in the waters of baptism that God arranged for our sins to be washed away (Acts 22:16), the person who refuses to be baptized is never cleansed from sin.
Something else the blood of Christ will not do is save the unfaithful member of the body of Christ. While the blood of Christ washed away our past sins when we obeyed the gospel, our present and future sins must be repented of as well. If we go back into sin and wallow in it, the blood of Christ will not save us. We must be faithful unto death to receive our crown of life (Revelation 2:10). Let us continue to walk in the light, as God is in the light, and the blood of His Son, Jesus, will cleanse us from all sin (1 John 1:7).
As you wind down for the night, think about these things.