In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. Ephesians 1:7-8
As a child, I went to church every Sunday with my family. It was a large urban church and one where my family had attended for generations. During the worship service, we would stand to sing hymns. Every time we sang a hymn where the words spoke of the blood of Jesus, my brother Logan would become faint. It literally made him sick to think about blood, even in a song. One of those hymns is entitled Nothing but the Blood, penned by Robert Lowry in 1876. The first verse is:
What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Growing up, I’m sure I sung that hymn many times (and even as an adult) and never fully grasp the powerful meaning behind the words. As a young child, I’m sure my brother didn’t fully understand either as he focused only on the word “blood”. How ironic it is that years later, he became a paramedic and served the community in that capacity for almost 30 years!
God does have a sense of humor and irony is often the medium. On Easter morning, I opened my devotional book to discover the title of that day’s reading was “Risen”. Ironic. Or maybe it was just one of many coincidences God orchestrates to get my attention. In this chapter, the author* uses the analogy of antibodies in blood to represent Christ’s work on earth and on the Cross. In this season of pandemic, as I read the word “antibodies”, it leapt off the page. Antibodies are proteins that develop in blood as a response to infection. They help the body to fight the infection, but they also linger on to be at the ready to fight again should that disease invade once more. What I find curious is the analogy: antibodies to fight infection are compared to Jesus and His resurrection power.
When Jesus left heaven to be born in a manger as a baby, He purposefully put on human flesh with all of its constraints. Although Jesus never sinned, He was exposed to the sin of this world. On the Cross at Calvary, Jesus took on all the sin from every one of us. He died a horrific, excruciating death by crucifixion. His bloody sacrifice paid the penalty for our sins - every wrong thought, word, and deed, including trying to live life without God. Three days later, Jesus rose from the dead. His resurrection overcame the bonds of death, secured our salvation from God’s judgment, and allowed us to have a relationship with God the Father.
Just like the antibodies in our bloodstream protect us from disease, Jesus’ power through His death and resurrection protects us from sin and death. When we invite Jesus to be our Savior, His blood cleanses us of our sins. When we acknowledge Him as Lord, His resurrection power enables us to live the abundant life He offers now and forever. It doesn’t mean we will never sin again, but we hold in our spirits the power that gives us strength to resist temptation, much like antibodies in our bloodstream give our bodies the strength to resist disease. When we fall short and ask Jesus for forgiveness (1 John 1:8-9**), He readily forgives us, for He has already paid the price for our sins, for sins past, present, and future.
Jesus willingly exposed Himself to the sin and death of this world in order to save and protect us. By acknowledging His redemptive power created through the bloody work on the Cross, we share in His power to overcome - to overcome the sin that so entangles us, to be free to live and love in ways that honor God, and to enjoy the abundant life that He so freely offers.
In a time when most of us are sheltered at home, it is indeed Good News that we have a Savior who came and redeemed us by His blood shed for us on the Cross. While tempers may flare, frustrations may run rampant, and hurtful words may be spoken, know you can be forgiven. You have the power within you through Christ to overcome temptation, even in the worst of times. When we are consumed with worry over our health, loved ones, jobs, and economic situations, we can trust the One who overcame. When we choose to live under His lavish grace, purchased for us through His blood, we can experience the abundant life through the fruit of His Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
May the blood of Christ take on new meaning for you in this Easter season and may you have hope of overcoming. Through Jesus’ sacrificial death and powerful resurrection, and by His blood shed for you, you have the power and strength to be who God desires you to be. May you sing these words with understanding and grasp the truth behind them: What can wash away my sin? What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Dear Jesus, thank You for washing away my sins and for making me whole again through Your blood shed for me. Forgive me when I think, speak, and act in ways that are hurtful to others and not honoring to You. Help me claim Your resurrection power to overcome any obstacles I face now. Show me how to cultivate the fruits of the Spirit in my life today. By Your grace, I pray. Amen.
*Jennifer Kennedy Dean in Prized.
**1 John 1:8-9: If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Want to subscribe to future posts? Click here.
Text and photograph copyright © 2020 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of the Church of Saint-Séverin in the Latin Quarter of Paris, France.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
As a child, I went to church every Sunday with my family. It was a large urban church and one where my family had attended for generations. During the worship service, we would stand to sing hymns. Every time we sang a hymn where the words spoke of the blood of Jesus, my brother Logan would become faint. It literally made him sick to think about blood, even in a song. One of those hymns is entitled Nothing but the Blood, penned by Robert Lowry in 1876. The first verse is:
What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Growing up, I’m sure I sung that hymn many times (and even as an adult) and never fully grasp the powerful meaning behind the words. As a young child, I’m sure my brother didn’t fully understand either as he focused only on the word “blood”. How ironic it is that years later, he became a paramedic and served the community in that capacity for almost 30 years!
God does have a sense of humor and irony is often the medium. On Easter morning, I opened my devotional book to discover the title of that day’s reading was “Risen”. Ironic. Or maybe it was just one of many coincidences God orchestrates to get my attention. In this chapter, the author* uses the analogy of antibodies in blood to represent Christ’s work on earth and on the Cross. In this season of pandemic, as I read the word “antibodies”, it leapt off the page. Antibodies are proteins that develop in blood as a response to infection. They help the body to fight the infection, but they also linger on to be at the ready to fight again should that disease invade once more. What I find curious is the analogy: antibodies to fight infection are compared to Jesus and His resurrection power.
When Jesus left heaven to be born in a manger as a baby, He purposefully put on human flesh with all of its constraints. Although Jesus never sinned, He was exposed to the sin of this world. On the Cross at Calvary, Jesus took on all the sin from every one of us. He died a horrific, excruciating death by crucifixion. His bloody sacrifice paid the penalty for our sins - every wrong thought, word, and deed, including trying to live life without God. Three days later, Jesus rose from the dead. His resurrection overcame the bonds of death, secured our salvation from God’s judgment, and allowed us to have a relationship with God the Father.
Just like the antibodies in our bloodstream protect us from disease, Jesus’ power through His death and resurrection protects us from sin and death. When we invite Jesus to be our Savior, His blood cleanses us of our sins. When we acknowledge Him as Lord, His resurrection power enables us to live the abundant life He offers now and forever. It doesn’t mean we will never sin again, but we hold in our spirits the power that gives us strength to resist temptation, much like antibodies in our bloodstream give our bodies the strength to resist disease. When we fall short and ask Jesus for forgiveness (1 John 1:8-9**), He readily forgives us, for He has already paid the price for our sins, for sins past, present, and future.
Jesus willingly exposed Himself to the sin and death of this world in order to save and protect us. By acknowledging His redemptive power created through the bloody work on the Cross, we share in His power to overcome - to overcome the sin that so entangles us, to be free to live and love in ways that honor God, and to enjoy the abundant life that He so freely offers.
In a time when most of us are sheltered at home, it is indeed Good News that we have a Savior who came and redeemed us by His blood shed for us on the Cross. While tempers may flare, frustrations may run rampant, and hurtful words may be spoken, know you can be forgiven. You have the power within you through Christ to overcome temptation, even in the worst of times. When we are consumed with worry over our health, loved ones, jobs, and economic situations, we can trust the One who overcame. When we choose to live under His lavish grace, purchased for us through His blood, we can experience the abundant life through the fruit of His Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
May the blood of Christ take on new meaning for you in this Easter season and may you have hope of overcoming. Through Jesus’ sacrificial death and powerful resurrection, and by His blood shed for you, you have the power and strength to be who God desires you to be. May you sing these words with understanding and grasp the truth behind them: What can wash away my sin? What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Dear Jesus, thank You for washing away my sins and for making me whole again through Your blood shed for me. Forgive me when I think, speak, and act in ways that are hurtful to others and not honoring to You. Help me claim Your resurrection power to overcome any obstacles I face now. Show me how to cultivate the fruits of the Spirit in my life today. By Your grace, I pray. Amen.
*Jennifer Kennedy Dean in Prized.
**1 John 1:8-9: If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Want to subscribe to future posts? Click here.
Text and photograph copyright © 2020 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of the Church of Saint-Séverin in the Latin Quarter of Paris, France.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
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