The Nugget:
In the ongoing “Islam and Christianity Debate Group” discussion, the question was raised today: “But God made David a man after his own heart and Abraham father of all nations. Is it the blood of Jesus or the blood of animals or their righteous acts?”
My Response:
Righteous acts, in and of themselves, will get you nowhere with God.
We learn this from a very clear statement found in Isaiah 64:6, “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.”
Scripture interprets Scripture. The unclean thing is expressed even more pointedly and vividly in Ezekiel 36:17, “Son of man, when the house of Israel lived in their own land, they defiled it by their ways and their deeds. Their ways before me were like the uncleanness of a woman in her menstrual impurity.”
We cannot be saved by our own righteousness: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8, 9).
As long as we are living in rebellion against God Himself by refusing to believe in His Son, the One of whom God spoke saying “And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Mark 1:11; see also Matthew 3:17; 12:18; 17:5; Luke 3:22; 2 Peter 1:17), and Matthew gives a fuller account, “While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him” (Matthew 17:5), an account of another occasion when God repeated His approval of Jesus Christ, with the added command, “Hear ye him.”
If we fail to hear Jesus Christ, we fail to hear God the Father who sent him. See John 5:22, “The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son,” and especially John 5:23, “that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.”
The righteous acts of Jesus Himself were necessary to meet the requirements of the Law. The first man, Adam failed to obey God. Jesus Christ, spoken of as the “second man” (1 Corinthians 15:47, “The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven”), perfectly obeyed God, the only man to ever do so.
But the Bible’s message goes deeper than this. Scripture tells us that “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22, KJV; the ESV reads, “Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins,” and the CEV reads “The Law says that almost everything must be sprinkled with blood, and no sins can be forgiven unless blood is offered”).
The Bible is very clear in its stress upon the importance of the blood shed by Jesus Christ on the cross for our redemption, salvation, deliverance. Here are just some of the cross references given at Hebrews 9:14, using the CEV (Contemporary English Version) for greater clarity:
Heb 9:14 But Christ was sinless, and he offered himself as an eternal and spiritual sacrifice to God. That’s why his blood is much more powerful and makes our consciences clear. Now we can serve the living God and no longer do things that lead to death.
Heb 9:12 Then Christ went once for all into the most holy place and freed us from sin forever. He did this by offering his own blood instead of the blood of goats and bulls.
Heb 9:22 The Law says that almost everything must be sprinkled with blood, and no sins can be forgiven unless blood is offered.
Heb 13:11 After the high priest offers the blood of animals as a sin offering, the bodies of those animals are burned outside the camp.
Heb 13:12 Jesus himself suffered outside the city gate, so that his blood would make people holy.
Rom 5:9 But there is more! Now that God has accepted us because Christ sacrificed his life’s blood, we will also be kept safe from God’s anger.
Rom 5:10 Even when we were God’s enemies, he made peace with us, because his Son died for us. Yet something even greater than friendship is ours. Now that we are at peace with God, we will be saved by his Son’s life.
Eph 1:7 Christ sacrificed his life’s blood to set us free, which means that our sins are now forgiven. Christ did this because God was so kind to us. God has great wisdom and understanding,
1Pe 1:17 You say that God is your Father, but God doesn’t have favorites! He judges all people by what they do. So you must honor God while you live as strangers here on earth.
1Pe 1:18 You were rescued from the useless way of life that you learned from your ancestors. But you know that you were not rescued by such things as silver or gold that don’t last forever.
1Pe 1:19 You were rescued by the precious blood of Christ, that spotless and innocent lamb.
1Pe 1:20 Christ was chosen even before the world was created, but because of you, he did not come until these last days.
1Pe 1:21 And when he did come, it was to lead you to have faith in God, who raised him from death and honored him in a glorious way. That’s why you have put your faith and hope in God.
1Pe 1:22 You obeyed the truth, and your souls were made pure. Now you sincerely love each other. But you must keep on loving with all your heart.
1Pe 1:23 Do this because God has given you new birth by his message that lives on forever.
1Pe 1:24 The Scriptures say, “Humans wither like grass, and their glory fades like wild flowers. Grass dries up, and flowers fall to the ground.
1Pe 1:25 But what the Lord has said will stand forever.” Our good news to you is what the Lord has said.
1Jn 1:7 But if we live in the light, as God does, we share in life with each other. And the blood of his Son Jesus washes all our sins away.
Rev 1:5 May kindness and peace be yours from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness. Jesus was the first to conquer death, and he is the ruler of all earthly kings. Christ loves us, and by his blood he set us free from our sins.
You can see by the verses I posted just above from the cross references given for Hebrews 9:14 that this matter of the blood of Christ is the central issue about who Jesus really is, and what He has done for all of us.