Eternal Approach

“Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (Hebrews 13:20.21)

There is such an amazing amount of truth in this one verse.

But, right at this moment, I want to focus on part of it: the blood of the everlasting covenant.

Because it is the blood of Christ that is the basis of our salvation. And it is His blood that allows us to have fellowship with Him and to walk with Him daily.

And yet, it is this same blood that is counted as an “unholy thing” by the vast majority of those groups that call themselves “Christian” (Hebrews 10:29). Even groups who actually talk about and preach about the value of the blood of Christ!!

One thing that you rarely hear about anymore in our contemporary Evangelical churches is “the blood of Christ”. 

It has become something they might talk about or quote a verse about here and there. Or if you took an extra class in church doctrine or were in a Sunday school class that would touch upon the topic.

Maybe.

And yet, it is the blood of Christ that is the foundation of our salvation. 

The value that we believe the blood of Christ has determines what we are trusting in for the forgiveness of our sins. And what we are trusting in for the cleansing from our sins. And what we are trusting in that allows us to come directly to the Lord each day.

All day long. 

The Exclusivity of the Blood

This is said to clarify how the blood of Christ stands alone in our salvation. 

We have No Other Basis upon which we can ever hope to trust in the Lord.

Absolutely none.

Not even to have a glimmer of hope based on our obedience or our good works (as believers) or on anything else. 

And this is where the vast majority of those in “Christendom” miss the path of salvation.

Because they try to add something to the value of the blood. They do not trust in the complete efficacy or effectiveness of the blood of Jesus Christ in “satisfying” God. 

Instead, they desire to add something to it. 

Such as good works, good intentions, sincerity, penance, “sacraments” (like Baptism or the Mass or the Eucharist or Confession or the Last Rites). Just name some “good thing” and there is a “Christian” group that has tried to add that thing to the value of the blood. 

Even many supposed “Christians” are simply not satisfied with what God is satisfied with. They just keep looking for some kind of humanitarian, philanthropical, religious, devotional, or other type of action to “complete” or “fill up” what the blood of Christ has supposedly not fully accomplished. 

Sufferings are another “popular” thing to add to the mix. How much we suffer here on earth or in some later place, such as “Purgatory”(which does not even exist), is supposedly going to make God happy with us. And accept us into heaven. Or bring us more rewards. 

The Value of the Blood 

Everything in the Old Testament points to the Everlasting Covenant that God had planned, before the foundation of the world, to be accomplished through the sufferings of His Son. (I Peter 1:17-23)

On this single doctrine alone, one can see how many of the supposed “Reformed” churches and “Orthodox” churches and whatever other terms groups use to identify themselves with, fall away from the truth. Especially by their use of the term “sacraments”. 

So many practices fall under this banner that actually do “despite unto the Spirit of grace“. They deny the complete and exclusive value of the blood of Christ by adding some other ritual to the mix. (Hebrews 10:29)

And often in a deceptive way.

By claiming to trust in the “efficacy” of the blood of Christ, on the one hand, while basically doubting it on the other. 

A Choice of Value 

Most of “the church” today is simply playing games with words.

They claim to believe one thing while practicing another. They preach on salvation through Christ alone even while they work hand-in-hand with “Christian” groups that have “trodden underfoot the Son of God“. 

Choosing to place a greater value on “love” and “unity” and “service” and a host of other good things. While disobeying the word of God. And creating doubt about the surpassing value of the blood of Christ. 

However, words actually mean things.

And our actions either support or deny those same words.

Actions which, at the core, clearly reveal in What and in Whom we are really, exclusively trusting. 

Image by John Hain from Pixabay