| Vol. 1, No. 3 | Page 13 | March 1999 |
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The Precious Blood of ChristBy Basil OvertonThe New Testament teaches that those who are redeemed by the precious blood of Christ constitute the church we read about in that book. This also makes the church very precious indeed! Included in Preaching JesusGospel preachers must include in preaching Jesus, preaching about his church. God's Word plainly and immutably declares that the church was purchased with the blood of God's own Son (Acts 20:28)! This alone makes the church might important!Paul also wrote by the Spirit and said that Christ loved the church and gave himself for it (Ephesians 5:25). This should also cause us to love the church and realize how important it is. Christ saves, but he saves in his church. The Holy Spirit guided Paul to write that salvation by the cross of Christ is in his one body which is the church (Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:16). Paul also wrote that Christ is the savior of the body which is the church (Ephesians 5:23). One of the many festivals of the Jewish people was the feast of Pentecost. The Bible teaches that on the first Pentecost after his resurrection our Lord Jesus Christ established his church or kingdom in the city of Jerusalem (Acts 2). Pentecost was always on the first day of the week. Jesus had promised he would build his church (Matthew 16:18). Saved by His BloodIn the days when the New Testament writers lived, people became members of the church which Jesus established by hearing and believing, and obeying the Gospel. By hearing the Gospel they learned how bad their sins were and how wonderful God was in being willing by his grace to forgive them because Jesus had shed his precious blood. When they believed all of this they were cut to their hearts or convicted of their sins (Acts 2:36-37), and they were told to repent of their sins and be baptized upon a confession of their faith in Christ as God's Son in order for God to forgive their sins and give them the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38) and add them to the church (Acts 2:41, 47).When the apostles of Christ lived, the obedience by which the Lord saved people from their sins was when the Lord made them members of his body which is the church. The New Testament makes it clear that that was when one becomes a Christian. In the New Testament being a Christian meant one was in the church Jesus purchased with his precious blood. It is likely that many who get this journal already knew the elementary truths in the foregoing. If so, they need to be reminded of these truths (2 Peter 1:12-13). They also should rejoice and thank God that many thousands who get this [online] paper who likely do not know these truths, will have the opportunity to learn these words of eternal life (John 6:68). Precious to ChristiansThose who are Christians are blessed by the precious blood of Christ. The apostle John wrote to other Christians and said, "But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin" (1 John 1:7). In some following verses John said that if Christians confess their sins the Father in heaven is faithful and just to forgive them. This forgiveness is the same as the cleansing by the blood of Christ of which he had just written in verse 7.The blood of Christ is indeed precious to all Christians. God's forgiveness is our greatest blessing! |
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