“How much more shall the Blood of Christ, Who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”
Hebrews 9:14
Though instilled within us at birth, sin defiles it and only Christ’s Blood can remake it anew.
“The conscience.”
Everyone has one—this “inner voice” that tells us right-from-wrong. Even though many of our values are cultural and environmental, the fact remains that God has implanted within us a sense of “oughtness” that lets us know that certain things like stealing, murder, rape, etc., are wrong. Likewise, we also know that some attributes like kindness, benevolence and forgiveness are right.
But, “something” happens during our developmental years.
And, it short-circuits our conscience, causing us to begin ignoring that “pricking” when we do or say something wrong. If left unchecked. . .and we begin listening to the voices of reason, logic, self-justification, etc. . .a tender conscience will one day become a “seared conscience” (I Tim. 4:2) and no longer hear the convicting Voice of the Holy Spirit and the quiet calls of the Heavenly Father to come Home.
Yet, it need not be that way, Pilgrim.
Not when Jesus, God’s Precious Passover Lamb, shed His rich, royal Blood on the Cross at Calvary. Hallelujah!!
The blood of dumb, sacrificial animals could not do it (vv.12-13); neither could religious rituals, good deeds or benevolent gifts.
Again, only Jesus’ Blood can “cleanse the conscience from dead works so we can serve the living God.” Only He can go into the “courtroom of our conscience” and quiet the indicting voice of the “accuser of the brethren” (I Jn. 2:1; Rev. 12:9-10).
Oh how sweet it is when His Blood washes away the guilt of our sin and replaces the stench of sin with the fragrant aroma of Heaven’s Rose. Truly, as Hannah Whithall Smith called it, His is “the Ministry of the Interior,” which transforms a penitent sinner from the inside out. Glory!!
That’s why it’s important for us to allow the Holy Spirit to “convict us of sin, the need of Righteousness and Judgment to come” (Jn. 16:8-11) through the preaching and hearing of God’s Word (Rom. 10:17). Then, we must agree with God, repent (turn from) our sins and turn to Christ as our only Hope/Means of salvation.
How wonderful it is when the Heavenly Father creates a new heart and mind within us! How glorious it is when we know He has taken our sins “as far as the east is from the west and will remember them no more” (Ps. 103:12; Jer. 31:34c). May we demonstrate our gratitude for such Grace by sharing Jesus’ Love with someone else today.
June 20, 2011
