Nothing but the Blood!

1 Corinthians 6:9-11

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

Guess what? Everyone who reads this Scripture will identify with at least one of the sins listed. Understand that none of these specific sins is any worse than the other. In fact, if I had to pick one, I would pick idolatry because it breaks the first commandment which says, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3). But picking the worst sin is not what this devotional is about. The focus is the last verse which says, “But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

When Jesus died on the cross, He shed His blood to pay the price for our sins. The moment we place our trust in Him, all of our sins, past, present and future are washed away. Isaiah 1:18 states, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”

Isaiah 61:10 states, “I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness.”

Does it get any better than that? God loves us and He delights in showing mercy. What a great God we serve. Tuesday night at our Men’s Bible Study at Capital Community Church, Stefan Youngblood, our very gifted worship leader, led us in singing the hymn Nothing but the Blood. The lyrics are:

What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus

What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus

Oh, precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow

No other fount I know
Nothing but the blood of Jesus

I love the words of this great hymn because I have been a great sinner. To think that Jesus shed His blood for me is amazing. To know that Jesus washed away all my sin is amazing. To know that Jesus made me whole again is beyond my understanding. There is nothing better than knowing you stand forgiven in the sight of God.

Do you have this assurance? If you are not sure where you stand with the Lord, pray this simple prayer…

Dear Heavenly Father, I confess that I have sinned against you. You alone know the depths of my sin. I ask you to forgive me. I pray that you will lift any guilt and shame and replace it with peace and joy. Help me now to live the rest of my life for you. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen!