The Light and the Blood

God not only “forgives” but also “cleanses,” that is, ”from all unrighteousness” and “sin”. Since “all unrighteousness is sin” (1 Jhn 5:17) it’s my opinion that the “cleansing” is in the removal, not of the sin nature, but of the guilt and condemnation of sin, where God’s “grace does much more abound” over it (Rom 5:20). This means there is no sin the believer will encounter of which God has not only foreknowledge, but also has already forgiven.

The revelation God uses to show us of our sin nature is at the same time revealing His love and forgiveness, and until there be that convincing of His continued “acceptance” of us in Christ (Eph 1:6) there can be no consistent practical use of it in our conscience, even though God has made application of it to our lives.

The more we are given to know the comprehension of God’s holiness the more He prepares us to comprehend our sinful nature, which can be properly endured only with a practical application in the conscience concerning the Blood. Concerning the sin nature, the Cross is applied to its restraint (Rom 6:12, 14), and the Blood to its guilt (Eph 1:7; Col 1:14).

-NC

The Light and the Blood​

Every believer stands before the face of the Father in all the value of the priceless Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. The light in which the Father has placed us shows that. What a revelation! God Himself is in the light; the sin in us is in the light, and though we see it to be utterly abhorrent to our Father, yet the same light that shows this manifests how He removes all the defilement there is in us. The Blood of Jesus Christ His Son is shown to be the Father’s provision for it, and it is a perfect provision. The light itself can discover no sin in us for which that Blood is not an absolute remedy.

Those who come to the light, drawn there by the power of the grace of Him who is light, find the light manifests their deeds. Now this manifestation is not simply for the moment in which we first come to the light. It is a continuous work: the light is constantly detecting in him the contrarieties to the light; but in this searching of the heart, the light shines as well on the Father’s remedy for the sins detected, and manifests its absolute perfection as a remedy. This sustains the believer before the light.

No sin can possibly be discovered by the light for which the Father has not provided, or for which He is not perfectly sufficient. Hence the child of God can say, no matter what evil in me may be searched out by the light in which I walk, my abiding position there is secure. The Blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, in its infinite value and eternal efficacy, is what cleanses me before my Father. In the consciousness of this I may say, Let the defiling evil in me be searched out: nothing can possibly be brought to light that can alter the eternal position of favor and blessing in which my Father has placed me on the ground of the merits and value of the Blood of my Savior.

What peace! What rest! A sinful creature in myself, put before the face of the One who makes me realize as I abide with Him how unlike Him I am, but realize also that He who is thus constantly searching out the defiling evil that is in me is ever looking upon me as perfectly and eternally cleansed from it! May the Father grant to His beloved people to have an ever-deepening realization of this.

But it may be asked, “Are not our sins a violation of righteousness? Do they not defile?” The answer is, God is just in fulfilling His promise of forgiveness and remembering the sins no more. He has provided a remedy—a way if cleansing. He has given His own Son to bear the due of sins. Purification of sins has been made. “When He has by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Heb 1:3); therefore the Maker of it has the right of cleansing all who believe on Him.

It would be unjust to the Lord if the Father did not apply the purification to the one who believes. The believer then, whatever the record of his sins, and however conscious of being sinful in himself, has the divine assurance that in the sight of the Father he is perfectly cleansed, and stands before His face forever forgiven. As identified with the interests of the Lord Jesus here on earth he is subject to divine discipline, correction, reproof or child-training. He is not exempt from the government of God. But as in His Beloved, he is cleansed from all unrighteousness. “If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the Blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin” (1 Jhn 1:7).

- C Crain


Excerpt from 9-23 Devotional:

"Do we not often harbor the thought that something yet remains to be done—either by ourselves or by Him—in order to our drawing near? Do we not often thus become occupied with the circumstances of worship rather than with the Lord Jesus—the substance? Are we not often false to Him in questioning our title to draw near, because we find distance in our own hearts, as if it was the warmth of our affections, instead of the Blood of the Lord Jesus, which brought us nigh?" -W.K.


Miles J Stanford Devotional: http://www.abideabove.com/hungry-heart/