“The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.”
—I. John i. 7.
Preached in Knox’s Church, Glasgow, 11th April, 1852,
By Rev. JONATHAN RANKEN ANDERSON.
THE people of God occupy an honourable position, being near to Him who is light and in whom is no darkness at all. They maintain a holy walk, corresponding to the position to which they are raised; “they walk in the light, as He is in the light”: and they enjoy sweet and refreshing fellowship with Him, and with one another; “that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ” (I. John i. 3). Now, that to which all this is to be traced, by which it is secured and enjoyed, is set forth in the words of our text.
We have in them three things that claim consideration. I. The blood of Jesus Christ. II. The application of it. III. The efficiency of it.
I. The text calls us to consider the blood of Jesus Christ His Son.
We have here to notice:
- The person whose blood it is.
He is entitled the Son of God. He, therefore, possesses the nature of the Father; yet personally He is distinct from Him. In this view He hath not, and cannot have any blood, being a most pure spirit, without body, parts, or passions. By the Mystery of the Incarnation, however, the Son of God became the Son of Man, yet continuing to be the Son of God. He who is a Spirit, became flesh, yet continuing to be a Spirit. He who is without body, took a body, yet remaining without body. He who is without parts, took parts and yet remained without parts. He that is without passions, took passions—and sensibility to suffering, yet remaining without passions. “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the Only Begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth” (John i. 14). “And without controversy, great is the Mystery of Godliness. God was manifest in the flesh” (I. Tim. iii. 16).
It is now filling heaven with its greatness; it will fill eternity with its greatness. Has it any place in your hearts? By the mystery of the incarnation He who became Jesus, also became the Christ. In the moment of His conception, the flesh that was taken of the substance of the Virgin was assumed by the Son of God into union with himself. And in that moment, in a way we tremble to speak of, and should tremble even to think of, in the human nature thus assumed, He was anointed with the Holy Ghost. This is one thing that appears to be indicated in the language—”The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God” (Luke i. 35). Considering the subsistence of this nature in the Person of the Son of God, and the anointing which, in it, He received, is He not well denominated “The Wonderful”! (Is. ix. 6).
- We have next to inquire what is meant by the blood of this glorious Person?
We shall obtain some insight into this matter by advertizing:
(1) To the shedding of this blood. It is possible to have blood and that blood not be shed. But Scripture always speaks of the blood of Christ as that which was shed—”For this is my blood of the new testament which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matt. xxvi. 28). We are instructed, too, that it became His for the very purpose of being shed. He never would have lived as man, but that as man He might die. He never would have taken flesh, but to give flesh a sacrifice for sin. He never would have had a body, but that His body might be broken. “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death” (Heb. ii. 14).
But is is not in every condition that blood can be shed. For (1) It can be shed only under the law. Now, Jesus Christ placed himself in the nature which He had assumed, in this condition. He did so voluntarily. He was under no obligation to do it. It could not be required at His hand. He is in himself essentially above the law. And when through grace, you arrive at any worthy thoughts of the law, you have a platform from which you can look up to the infinite worthiness of the Son of God, seeing He is above it. And thus, you will be prepared to look down to the depth of humiliation to which He stooped, when, in the human nature, He placed himself under the law. “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law” (Gal. iv. 4).
He placed himself in this condition voluntarily, and yet it was in fulfilment of obligations under which He had come. He from eternity, in His love, engaged to become a law subject, in the room of His people who were under the law. Now He cannot deny himself. He will be faithful to Himself. In some cases the soul has nothing but this in which to hang, and his loyalty to the great King is put to a severe test. Would you deliberately choose anything that did not please Him; that He did not engage Himself in His love to bestow? To do so were rebellion.
When grace is in exercise, the soul, in no consideration will choose anything if it does not please Him. Oh! what good would it do to a gracious soul? What use could a gracious soul make of it? The sweetness of all sweet things to a believer is, that it pleases Him. You have here strong consolation. Try and look into the lovely bond by which the Son of God has, from eternity, bound himself; And though the enemy should rob you of everything else, he cannot touch this, it is too high for him to reach. And sometimes, when driven out of every other strong tower, you may be led on to the strongest of them all—”He cannot deny himself” (II. Tim. ii. 13).
He came under obligations to the Father. It was in the heart of the Father to take from under the law those foreseen to be under it, in a way immediately to be explained. But justice said, “What will become of my claims if thine infinitely tender heart of compassion is to be delighted in rescuing these poor creatures from a state of bondage? The Father said to His Son, “I have none but Thee to satisfy justice, and open a righteous way for the flowing forth of the stream of mercy, love and grace.” The Son answered, “Lo I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me) to do thy will” (Heb. x. 7). The consent thus given was recorded in the book of the Father’s counsels; and He who is the Faithful and True Witness, having his eye upon what was there written said—”I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea thy law is within my heart” (Ps. xl. 8).
The Lord Jesus placed himself in this condition of a law-subject, as the Substitute of His people. And from the place, the Substitute takes, you may learn what is the place of the principal. From the obligations under which the Surety comes, you may gather what are the obligations that lie upon the principal. And from what is done and endured, in fulfilment of these obligations, by the Surety, you may learn what ought to have been done and endured by those for whom He stood. “For he hath made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (II. Cor. v. 21).
It is not everyone that is under the law whose blood can be shed. The Angels in heaven are under the law, and will continue under the law throughout eternity: but though they had blood, it could not be shed, so long as they continue as they have done to be conformed to the law. We, in a state of innocence were, under the law, and not one drop of our blood could have been shed had we remained obedient to it. The only situation under the law in which blood can be shed, is that of transgressing the law, incurring guilt in the eye of the law-giver, and offering an offence to divine justice.
The wages that are paid when blood is shed—the wages of death are due only to sin. “The wages of sin is death” (Rom. vi. 23). Now, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, having become capable of losing His blood, of having it shed, could not have it shed, but by becoming sin. Here rises into view the mystery of imputation, placing to His account, the sin of those in whose room He stood; holding Him liable to be reckoned with for it; and exacting from Him this debt to the uttermost farthing.
It is the glory of justice to watch over the rights of Godhead, the claims of law, and the honour of government. It watches over these with infinite ease, jealousy, and purity. If any offence were allowed to pass, if there were any relaxation of the penalty, justice would be compromised. Whereas if its eye is ever open to the observation of all that takes place, if its purposes be firm, and immutable, on every occasion; and if its exactions are inflexible, then its glory shines forth in all possible perfection. Now, infinite wisdom devised the method of imputation, for providing that justice should be seen in the glory that pertains to it: and at the same time, mercy should reach the objects on which it had set itself. “Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land. Mercy and truth are met together: righteousness and peace have kissed each other” (Ps. lxxxv. 9, 10).
He is represented in Scripture as in himself holy, yet as, in some sense, made sin. The only way in which this is conceivable is, that He had the sin of others placed to His account. Their names were removed from the bond, and His name inserted in their place. And thus justice finding His with sin, in this way, laid to his charge, it behoved to deal with Him. “He was delivered for our offences” (Rom. iv. 25).
(2) Blood can be shed only under a sentence of condemnation. In such matters everything is conducted in a clear and orderly way. And, therefore, we are to conceive of Him who has sin placed to his account, as the subject of a judicial sentence. He is looked upon by the pure and immutable eye of justice; account is taken of the sin with which he is charged, and the sentence is pronounced, in conformity with the guilt that attaches to Him, on account of the sin that is found laid on Him by imputation.
Do you know what it is to be reckoned with for even the least sin—for an unholy desire, for a vain imagination, for a wandering look? Do you know what is to be brought to the bar of divine justice, by the light of the word shining in your consciences? And these regarded as the servants of the invisible Judge; so that what they say, according to truth and righteousness, is in effect said by Him, who is the Lord of the conscience? And do you know what it is to consider the guilt which attaches to you for the sin you have committed?
Are there not among you those that have felt this so overwhelming, that you could not support the measure in which the guilt of it was laid upon your consciences; and, at times, an anguish produced in your souls which may fitly be termed “the shadow of death”: “The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell got hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow” (Ps. cxxvi. 3). But what amazement of soul seizes upon you when sin is added to sin till the amount exceeds computation! But look here, at this great sight, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, at the bar of divine justice, having charged upon Him the sins of all that shall be saved by His blood, until the end of time; and found guilty, in the eyes of justice—that is, deserving of punishment! When we get some insight into this mystery; when, through grace, he is brought to see his own sins amongst others, and to consider the contributions which he has himself made to the mighty sum imputed to the Son of God and to the weight of guilt laid upon Him; then the eye affects the heart, and there is something of that godly sorrow which worketh repentance not to be repented of. “And they shall look upon me whom they have pierced and they shall mourn for Him” (Zech. xii. 10). “Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows and yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities” (Is. liii. 4, 5).
(3) Blood cannot be shed but under the curse. The blood is the life. Wherever there is life, there is blessing, and nothing can take the blessing away but the curse. If you could escape the curse; if you could make a covenant with it that you and it should never meet; you might sit down in perfect security and in the enjoyment of everything that deserves the name of blessing: you would be safe in the enjoyment of all your possessions.
Now Jesus Christ has life, and such a life as no other in heaven or earth ever possessed or ever will possess. The Father hath life in himself; but there is, and ever will be a distinction between the sense in which the Father hath life, and that in which Jesus Christ His Son, hath life. The Holy Spirit hath life; but there is and ever will be a distinction between the life which the Holy Spirit hath, and the life which Jesus Christ hath. The Father hath life which cannot be touched, cannot be reached by anything that could affect it. In its own nature, it is infinitely and immutably removed from the possibility of being affected. But the Lord Jesus Christ has a life which may be touched. He hath a life which may be reached, which may be taken away. But in Him you see the principle made good that nothing can take it away but the curse. “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree” (Gal. iii. 13). “Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain” (Acts ii. 23).
(2) In close connection with the shedding of the blood of Christ is its presentation in the holiest of all. We could not speak of this, unless it were shed; but now being shed, it behoved to be presented. The high-priest under the law entered into the holy place made with hands once a year. He was allowed to pass through the veil which separated between the visible, and the invisible, between the great God and his sinful creatures. It was not meet that the veil should be drawn aside, for it was an imperfect dispensation. But to afford a ray of hope that the way at length be opened, the high-priest was permitted to enter once a year. “The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing” (Heb. ix. 8). Nor could he enter without blood. The sacrifice was brought forth; its blood was shed; the life was taken away; the blood was received into a basin; and the high-priest took the basin of blood and entered with it into the most holy place. “But into the second went the high-priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people” (Heb. ix. 7).
In like manner the Lord Jesus, the High Priest of his people’s profession, their covenant head and representative, acting on their behalf and for their good, offered himself on the altar reared by divine justice and received in a basin His own blood. What was the basin? Perhaps it was the confidence that His sacrifice would be accepted of the Father, and accomplish the eternal redemption of all them that obey Him. In His death the first tabernacle was taken down; the veil was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and He engaged His heart to approach to the Lord of hosts. “But Christ being come, an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, he entered in once into the holy place” (Heb. ix. 11, 12). Oh, the solemn hour in which the Father prepared to receive the great Mediator! The court of heaven was filled with the profoundest awe. How stately were His goings, clad in garments of unspeakable beauty! A fragrance of ineffable sweetness rose from them and filled the temple—”All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia” (Ps. xlv. 8). The Father smelled a saviour of rest; and in expression of His satisfaction, and His acceptance of the sacrifice, said, “Sit thou at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool” (Ps. ex. 1). Thy toils are past, they sorrows are ended, thy work is done: enter into rest, till thou receive the full fruit of thy sacrifice. “He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied” (Is. liii. 11).
II. We have to consider, in the second place, the application of the blood of Jesus Christ.
And here the first point of inquiry which offers itself is:
- By whom is this application made?
We answer, by the Holy Spirit of God. There is a fitness in divine arrangements of which we are afraid to speak, but of which we believe faith sometimes catches a glimpse here, and with which the soul will be unspeakably delighted in eternity. It is fitting that the Second Person in the Godhead take human nature, offer Himself in that nature, a sacrifice to divine justice, shedding and presenting His blood. We apprehend it is in this way that the glory of His Sonship is peculiarly to shine forth to the view of creatures. In the Sonship of the Son of God, there is a glory that is known only within the Godhead—”no man knoweth the Son but the Father” (Matt. xi. 27). “The Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God” (I. Cor. ii. 10). But it is Jehovah’s good pleasure to give forth some beams of this glory, without Himself, to creatures: and it is by the mystery of redemption this is provided for. May we venture to say, that but for the redemption of sinners, the glory of the Sonship of the Son of God, must have for ever remained hid from the eyes of men and angels. No wonder then that the angels are represented as stooping down, in an attitude of the deepest interest, to contemplate this mystery—”which things the Angels desire to look into” (1 Pet. i. 12).
The co-relate of the glory of the Sonship is the glory of the Father’s paternity. The Father has a peculiar delight in honouring His Son—the Son peculiarly delights in honouring His Father. “Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it and will glorify it again” (John xii. 27, 28). “Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in Him” (John xiii. 31).
We see a similar fitness in the application of the blood of Christ, as made by the Holy Ghost. In illustration of this doctrine we observe, that He alone is able to apply the blood of Christ. He who is to accomplish this work must search all things: for none but a Divine Person can fully know the blood of Christ. People are apt to think, from the frequency with which this language is used, that they know it. But no one knows it that does not feel his utter ignorance of it—“if any man think that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing yet, as he ought to know” (1 Cor. viii. 2). “I neither learned wisdom, nor have the knowledge of the holy” (Prov. xxx. 3). The more a man knows of this matter the more sensible he is of his ignorance. And his knowledge is very near perfection, when he is near to the conviction that he knows nothing. Men have a great deal to unlearn before they deserve the name of learning—“Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise” (1 Cor. iii. 18). It would be a token for good if any considerable number appeared to have even begun the work of unlearning. But most are so busy learning, they have no time to unlearn; they are so satisfied with their knowledge, they turn away from convictions of their ignorance.
The Holy Ghost alone has power to apply the blood of Jesus Christ. To this work there are greater obstacles than there were to the creation of heaven and earth. Of the purchase of redemption that may be said, and not less also of its application. We ourselves have no power to apply the blood of Jesus Christ. We might as well attempt to form bodies for ourselves, and then to create souls to occupy them. Means have no power to apply the blood of Christ. In reference to this work they have a place; and a becoming place it is which they occupy. But to suppose they can make application to the soul of the blood of Christ, is to abuse them, it is to dishonour them, to thrust them into a place that belongs only to Him who is able to apply it. “So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase” (1 Cor. iii. 7). The Gospel itself is not able to apply the blood of Christ. It too has a place, a very important place in this work; and well adapted it is to fill that place, and to serve the purposes for which it has been framed—”So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void” (Is. lv. 11). But it never was framed—it never was given to holy men to record—it never was committed to faithful men to be preached, that it might be the efficient agent in the application of the blood of Jesus Christ—”the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life” (II. Cor. iii. 6).
It appertains solely to the Spirit of God to apply the blood of Christ to the soul: for He alone is commissioned and empowered to do it. The Lord Jesus told the Jews that He did not come of himself—that it was the Father who had sent Him. In His work, He had respect to the commission which He had received. He acted agreeably to the terms of that commission. And as He had respect to the Father’s will in coming into the world: so He has respect to the Father’s will in the work which He carries on in heaven. In like manner it is said of the Comforter—”Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak” (John xvi. 13). He is represented as the promise of the Father—”And being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me” (Acts. i 4). The promise being given, Messiah asks its fulfilment—”And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever” (John xiv. 16). It is accordingly at the instance of the Intercessor that the Holy Spirit comes to apply the blood of Jesus Christ. He will not come at the instance of any other. Whatever prayer is made in the outer court through faith, must have its counterpart within the veil, by the great Intercessor, else that prayer will avail nothing.
The Father will hear no prayer which men presume to offer apart from the Mediator. He will hear no prayer in which He does not hear the voice of Christ—”the blood of sprinkling which speaketh better things than the blood of Abel” (Heb. xii. 24). He will hear no prayer, but that which is presented in the name of the Lord Jesus. “For through Him, we both have access, by one Spirit, unto the Father” (Eph. ii. 18).
- The blood of Jesus Christ is applied by the Holy Ghost, in and through the means of grace.
To this end they have been framed and set up; and for this end ought they to be administered. In this view they possess great value, but their value depends on their being kept in their proper place. Men may be said to be of value, so long as they keep the place of men; but if they will become gods they deserve to be cast to the moles and to the bats. The means of grace are very valuable, if kept in the place of means; but if they are taken out of that place, and made what they are not, they are robbed of their true value: and it is meet that even He who set them up should blow upon them and blast them. “Behold I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your solemn feasts; and one shall take you away with it” (Mal. ii. 3).
The Scriptures are full of illustrations of this point. The tree of life was a symbol of blessing to our first parents so long as they stood firm to their allegiance. But when they rebelled, it had no longer any place in that dispensation. “So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life” (Gen. iii. 24). If Noah and his family had begun to make an idolatrous use of the ark, by which they were saved from the flood, that ark would have been consigned to flames. In the days of Hezekiah the serpent of brass which had been an ordinance for good to their forefathers had become an object of worship to the children of Israel; And hence we read: “He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it” (II. Kings xviii. 4). The temple on which the Lord had put His name was laid in ruins; and the people that He had chosen to be a peculiar people unto Himself, were scattered to the four winds of heaven; and became a proverb, and a bye-word to all nations. Let not men pride themselves in the means they enjoy, if they have nothing more than means. They need not expect they will always retain them, whether they use them or abuse them. To retain them, if they are abused will be impossible. “Therefore say I unto you, the Kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof” (Matt. xxi. 43).
- The Holy Spirit, in the means of grace, applies the blood of Jesus Christ to sinners.
No others are capable subjects of this application—”they that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick—I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Matt. ix. 12, 13). In the nature of things it is impossible this blood can be applied to any but sinners—sinners of this world—sinners of mankind under a broken law. “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law” (Gal. iv. 4, 5). They, therefore, to whom the Holy Spirit will apply the blood of Christ must be under the law, they must be condemned by the law, they must be exposed to the curse. Now where are they who answer to the description we have now given? Where are they, some may be ready to exclaim, where are they not? It is true you will find them everywhere, where you meet with the children of men—”for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. iii. 23). But where will you find those that seem to have any clear idea of what they are—that, upon intelligent grounds, will acknowledge, that they are what, in Scripture, they are declared to be—and who indicate the least concern suitable to such an admission? Indeed such persons are rarely to be met with, and those who mark the progress of events, cannot fail to perceive, that so far as one can judge, and allowing every consideration its due weight, they are becoming rarer and rarer every day. Still it must be declared, whether men will hear or forbear, that the subjects, capable of having the blood of Christ applied to them are sinners, condemned, accursed, and ready to perish.
(To be continued.)