Redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. Ephesians 1:7.

I have heard it and read it innumerable times, and, in the repetition, my mind becomes desensitized to the immeasurable anguish and unspeakable agony of Jesus. I have struggled for years to understand the brutality of His death. The attempts at depicting it on the screen fall pitiably short of the actual trauma and mutilation. His mom witnessed it and was, perhaps, close enough to be splattered with her son’s blood. It was nothing less than horrific. Why the bloody brutality? Why not a quicker less painful death?
The Old Testament altar was a bloody place. Perfect lambs were sacrificed to atone for sin – their blood poured out day after day. Sin is written into my DNA and struggles to the surface of my life on a daily basis. I was born bad, and, even on my best days, I still fall short. The price on my head: death. No plea bargains. No negotiating. Blood was the ransom demanded for my life because without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.[1] But instead of sacrificing me, God sacrificed His Son shedding His blood to atone for my sin.[2]
The record of all my sins were laid on Christ and nailed to the cross. They were all washed white in the crimson flood and erased from the record forever. He does not condemn me now nor will He – not now, not ever.[3]
“…the Christian’s total debt has been paid by the death of Christ….The debt of our sins has been marked ‘Paid in Full!’….not only has the debt been fully paid, there is no possibility of going into debt again. Jesus paid the debt of all our sins: past, present and future. As Paul said in Colossians 2:13 ‘[God] forgave us all our sins.’ We don’t have to start all over again and try to keep the slate clean. There is no more slate.”[4]
So, how does that change today? What difference does it make right now? His death tore, from top to bottom, the thick veil separating me from God and exposed the sacred place of His Presence. He pealed back the covering of His heart and now calls me close. The Eternal Living God draws me into the hum of His power and the intimate pulse of His heart. He wants a personal relationship with me every moment of my day and has made the way.
Today, by His precious blood, I have entered the inmost sacred place of God – the very Holy of Holies – and sat in peace with the One who ransomed me and set me free from sin’s power and the strangling grip of guilt. I can talk intimately with Him and experience His power and Presence in my life day after day after glorious day. Hallelujah!

 
 
[1] Hebrews 9:22
[2] Romans 3:25
[3] Romans 8:1-2
[4] Bridges, Jerry. (2008). Transforming Grace: Living Confidently in God’s Unfailing Love. Colorado Springs: NavPress.