Week 4: The Cleansing of the Blood of Christ
1 John 1:7-9 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from every sin. If we say that we do not have sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Introduction
The Christian life is an ongoing cycle of experience, summarized in 1 John 1:7–9. Within this cycle are four precious items: the eternal life, the divine fellowship, the divine light, and the blood of Christ. At our regeneration we were begotten of God and received God’s eternal life (John 1:12–13). This life does not remain dormant but circulates within us like blood in the human body. The current, the circulation of the divine life is the fellowship of life. In this fellowship, God’s light shines, exposing our shortcomings and defects. Under such a light, we confess, and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us anew.
The blood of Jesus is a wonderful provision. It speaks of forgiveness, cleansing, peace, and access. We receive its efficacy once for all at our initial repentance, yet its application continues throughout our entire life. Our sins touch three distinct parties: they are a barrier between us and God; they bring guilt within our own conscience; and they give Satan ground to accuse us. In The Normal Christian Life, Watchman Nee shows how the blood addresses each of these three problems: separation from God, guilt within ourselves, and accusation from Satan.
Here we will consider the blood of Christ in these three directions: toward God, toward ourselves, and toward Satan.
I. The Blood Toward God
“No, Jehovah’s hand is not so short that it cannot save; nor is His ear so heavy that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have become a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you” (Isaiah 59:1–2)
Sin creates a barrier between man and God. The first and most crucial truth we must grasp is that the blood of Christ is primarily for God.
From the very beginning, God has made it clear His righteous judgment on sin. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23) and only the blood of Christ satisfies God’s righteous requirement. For this reason, the blood is not first for man’s feelings or conscience but to satisfy the requirements of God’s righteousness.
The Day of Atonement
Leviticus 16 gives the fullest Old Testament picture of this truth. On the Day of Atonement, the high priest took the blood of the sin offering into the Holy of Holies and sprinkled it before the Lord seven times. The sin offering was offered publicly at the altar, yet it was the high priest alone who brought the blood into the Holy of Holies to make atonement. The people waited outside; they could not see what was happening within. This entire transaction was between the high priest and God. The people’s sins were dealt with not because they themselves evaluated the blood, but because God saw it and was satisfied.
Christ was crucified publicly on the cross. Yet invisible to us, as our true heavenly High Priest, He entered “once for all into the Holy of Holies, obtaining an eternal redemption” (Hebrews 9:12). He offered His own blood as an offering for sin; His work in the heavenly Holy of Holies is unseen by us, yet it is accepted fully by God.
The Passover
Another vivid picture is found in Exodus 12. On the night of the Passover, God commanded Israel to place the lamb’s blood on the lintel and doorposts of their homes. He promised, “When I see the blood, I will pass over you” (Exodus 12:13). Notice that the blood was for God to see. The death angel did not need a mark distinguishing Jewish from Egyptian homes; Israel was already untouched by the earlier plagues. The blood was there to satisfy God’s own righteous requirement. It testified that a life had been given in place of the firstborn within the house.
God’s Valuation of the Blood
Here lies a critical lesson, especially for young believers. Watchman Nee warns that it is easy to let our sense of sin and guilt overshadow our appreciation of the blood. A recurring sin may trouble us so deeply that our failures loom larger than Christ’s sacrifice. We begin to measure the value of the blood by how we feel. The blood is not primarily for us to evaluate but for God to see.
The true question is not whether we feel forgiven, but how God regards the blood. Scripture tells us plainly: “You were redeemed…with precious blood, as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot, the blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18–19). If God, who is holy and righteous, accepts the blood as fully sufficient, then we must also accept His valuation.
To attempt to base our peace on subjective feelings is to remain in darkness. Faith rests upon God’s word, not on our inward impressions. Thus, before anything else, the blood speaks Godward. It satisfies His holiness, His righteousness, and His justice. Only when we grasp this can we move forward to consider its effect on us.
II. The Blood Toward Ourselves
The blood satisfies the requirements of God’s righteousness, and it also cleanses us from every sin. We can have our “hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience” (Hebrews 10:22). The conscience, awakened by God’s light, reminds us of sin whenever we attempt to draw near. But once the blood is applied, the barrier is removed and the conscience is cleared.
A clear conscience is indispensable for fellowship with God. When the conscience is uneasy, faith leaks away, and we find ourselves unable to pray. But once the blood is applied, the conscience rests, and we can approach God in confidence.
Ephesians 2:13 tells us that we were made near by the blood of Christ, while Hebrews 10:19–22 urges us to come forward with boldness to the Holy of Holies. The purpose of cleansing is so that we can draw dear to God. Many believers base their boldness to approach God on how well they have done that day. Perhaps if they have been kind, prayerful, or disciplined, they feel free to draw near. If they have failed, they shrink back. But this is to shift the ground of access from Christ’s blood to our own performance. True boldness comes only by the blood. We come to Him not based on the uncertain ground of our feeling, but based on something far more secure. Our basis for coming to God is our knowing that God looks at the blood of Jesus His Son and is satisfied.
We may be weak, but looking at our weakness will never make us strong. No remorse, no penance will help us to be even a little holier, a little more qualified. We come to God always on the ground of the precious blood.
The blood never changes. It is just as effective after a day of failure as after a day of apparent success. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us and cleanse us (1 John 1:9). Our duty is to lay hold of it in faith, not to measure our worthiness by feelings.
III. The Blood Toward Satan
Finally, the blood addresses the accusations of Satan, the “accuser of our brethren” (Revelation 12:10). He seeks to exploit our failures. His strategy is to fix our eyes on ourselves, either to despair of forgiveness or to attempt to justify ourselves.
How then do we overcome him? Revelation 12:11 gives the answer: “They overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony.” We do not answer Satan with our good conduct, nor do we deny our failures. Instead, we point to the blood. The blood has already met every demand of God’s righteousness.
John assures us that “the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from every sin” (1 John 1:7). This includes not just small sins but great ones, not only those we remember but also those forgotten or hidden.
God is light, and nothing is concealed from Him. Yet in that very light the blood cleanses every sin.
Standing in the Light
Here we must recognize a basic yet profound truth. God knows us thoroughly; we know ourselves at least in part; and yet the blood is sufficient for all. There is no need to hide or excuse ourselves. To walk in the light is to allow the Lord unfettered access to our entire inner being, to welcome the shining of light, without excusing or justifying ourselves, yet trusting the blood to cleanse.
Satan’s accusations find their power when we expect some righteousness of our own. If we secretly hope to present ourselves as worthy, then his charges devastate us. But once we acknowledge that our only ground is the blood, his weapon is nullified. God is on our side because the blood has satisfied Him.
Romans 8:33–34 declares: “Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ Jesus who died, yes rather, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.” Here is the final answer to Satan’s accusations: God justifies, Christ intercedes, and the blood has spoken.
Conclusion
The precious blood of Christ is central to the Christian life. It is first for God, satisfying His holiness and removing the barrier of sin. It is also for us, cleansing our conscience and giving us boldness to enter the holiest place. And it is against Satan, silencing every accusation by testifying that our sins have been borne by Another.
Let us, then, rest upon God’s valuation of the blood, apply it continually to our conscience, and wield it against the accuser. In so doing, we discover not only forgiveness but also boldness, peace, and victory. Truly, the blood of Christ is precious beyond measure. It is the foundation of our fellowship with God, the assurance of our standing, and the final answer to every charge against us.
