There is no such thing as a lukewarm #Christian. 1 John 1:7c “(But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light,)…the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” Understanding that “walking in the light” is living a life where we are driven by God’s desires and not our own, where our attention is on God’s glory and His kingdom rather than this world, we go on to read in verse 7 that another result of this life in the light is that our sins are cleansed by Jesus Christ. In what sense are they cleansed? Does it mean that the cleansing blood of Jesus keeps us from sinning or does it nullify our sin altogether? The answer is “yes.” The cleansing blood of our Savior both justifies us and it sanctifies us. Jesus’ righteousness was imputed to us; that is, it was given completely to us at the moment of salvation. Therefore, believers live in the on-going experience of justification where the absolute righteousness of Jesus has been credited to their account, giving them acquittal and full acceptance before God, the Father. Additionally and miraculously, believers receive from the cleansing blood of Jesus a life of progressive sanctification. In other words, the moral power of the blood of the Jesus gives them the ability to conquer temptation so that in the end their sin will be overcome, and they will stand pure and blameless before God. (Philippians 1:6). The contingency for these two beautiful results is that “we walk in the light, as he is in the light.” There are no mediocre Christians. Our lives are changed—they must be changed—and that change significantly represents the saving power of the blood of Jesus to both justify and sanctify. Study/Meditation: Read Luke 6:46-49. (esvbible.org/Luke+6/). How does Jesus illustrate John’s point in His parable? *Father, thank You for the justifying and sanctifying blood of Jesus Christ shed on my behalf. Help me to live a life that is in the light, as You are light. Amen.
Posted on: Mon, 27 Jan 2014 14:14:52 +0000
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