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Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Radio Programs In Africa

For the past few days I've been recording radio programs to be broadcast across Africa and possibly other places. My relationship to Trans World Radio through my friend, Bill Mial, has been the hand of our Father at work. God is using Bill and Joan Mial to impact people around the world with the message of the grace walk.

The plan is to produce radio programs which will air in numerous languages. The content for the programs will come from the 101 Lies Taught In Church videos I did on youtube and am now working on in book form.

The approach in the programs is to follow the path Jesus took when He said, "You have heard it said that . . . but I say to you." I'm starting the programs with "You may have heard ... but the Bible says..."

The first two foreign languages being discussed are French and Vietnamese. It's thrilling to see how passionate our loving Father is about spreading the message of His loving grace.

Here's one of the chapters from the working manuscript:

Our Sins Are “Under The Blood of Jesus”

Just as there are trite statements in all cultures that sound true on the surface, but don’t necessarily convey the truth, so it is in the church world. We’ve heard some things said in church that have been stated so often and sound so logical that we believe they must be true. This is one of those statements. Take a close look at that statement: Your sins are under the blood of Jesus. What could possibly be wrong with that affirmation?

There’s a very good question you should get in the habit of asking, that will help you cut through the fog of vague and confusing talk. It’s simply to ask, “What do you mean by that?” Ask people what they mean by a phrase or term, and you’ll finally be able to pinpoint what the controversy or teaching is really saying. Often you’ll discover that you actually agree with what a person is trying to say, even though you disagree with how they say it. Other times, you’ll discover that what sounds good on the surface actually disguises a serious error beneath. Either way, you’ll not discover what you’re really dealing with until you ask people to clarify what they mean. Many of our shorthand expressions and clichés serve to promote errors and reinforce misunderstandings.

In this case, what someone usually means by saying that our sins are under the blood of Jesus is that we are forgiven. I would certainly do nothing but agree with that assertion, but I do have a problem with this way of trying to say it. It communicates a serious misunderstanding about the work of Christ.

TAKE A FRESH LOOK AT THE SCRIPTURES

It is important to understand a major difference between the Old and New Covenants and how they describe the process of sacrifice and forgiveness. In the Old Testament period under the Law of Moses, forgiveness was indeed offered people of faith, but the dominant concept was that of atonement. Atonement literally means “a covering.”

You may remember how the priests would offer sacrificial animals for the sins of the people. There were many, many types of sacrifices, offered continually. There were daily, weekly, monthly, and annual sacrifices. The most important day of worship for ancient Israel was the annual observance called Yom Kippur, literally, “The Day of Atonement.” This was the one and only day of the year when a human representative, the High Priest, would enter the Holy of Holies, the innermost room of the Tabernacle or Temple, and approach the Ark of the Covenant.

The Ark represented the foundation of God’s very throne. When the blood of an innocent animal was poured on Ark, the Judgment Seat became the Mercy Seat. Men’s sins were considered “covered” by the blood, and the people were counted forgiven by God — for now only, however, because no sacrifice under the Law ever provided for tomorrow’s sins. At best, they were temporary and up-to-date.

However, things have changed with the coming of the new covenant. The Law’s observances were only shadows and previews of the work of Christ, who would accomplish a far greater work.

Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.Hebrews 9:23

Jesus’ offering of Himself was truly a “better sacrifice,” but that’s not all. Remember the scene when Jesus showed up at the Jordan River where John the Baptist was baptizing? John said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!” (John 1:29). That Old Covenant prophet, John, understood better than many Christians today that Jesus came to do something different than previous priests had done. He didn’t come to hide away our sins from God’s sight by putting them under the blood of a sacrifice. He came to do away with them completely. As John wrote, “And you know that He appeared to take away sins” (1 John 3:5).

The book of Hebrews teaches that Jesus was an infinitely better sacrifice than any of those offered in the Old Testament. In fact, He was the perfect sacrifice. When He offered Himself for our sins, His shed blood didn’t just “cover” our sins. By His sacrifice, our sins were taken away.

Hebrews 9: 26 says,But now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.

The words “put away” are one word in the Greek language, which means “to disannul, to do away with, to completely destroy.” Jesus didn’t come to cover your sins. He came to take your sin away, and that’s exactly what He did.

As if to make this point unmistakably clear, this contrast is described:

Every [Old Covenant] priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices which can never take away sins; but He, having offered one sacrifice for all time, sat down at the right hand of God … For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. Hebrews 10:11-14

CLARIFY YOUR THINKING

So it’s actually great news to know that your sins are not under the blood of Christ. His blood doesn’t cover them. The blood of Jesus Christ has taken your sins away! Some have said that the doctrine of justification is the teaching that because of Christ’s finished work, our status can be described as “just-if-I never sinned.” It’s really more than that, but that’s a good start. In the eyes of your heavenly Father, you have an unblemished record. He isn’t overlooking anything. He has rewritten your history by taking away the sins of your past and giving you the history of Christ Himself.

Believing that your sins are “under the blood of Christ” doesn’t truly honor the finished work of Jesus. Ironically enough, it actually diminishes His sacrifice. What He did is much greater than most Christians have understood. He doesn’t condemn us for our sins now because there are no sins to condemn. The cross has obliterated them! Your sins have been blotted out and you have been given the righteousness of God in Christ. You don’t ever need to be bogged down with a preoccupation about sins again.

Instead, you can now walk in the confidence of knowing that your life isn’t defined by sin anymore, but by the righteousness of the Christ who has become your very life.
So, though it sounds good to say that our sins are under the blood of Jesus Christ, it is a lie. The Bible says our sins have been taken away from us, forever, by the finished work of Christ at the cross.

7 comments:

  1. This is excellent stuff!
    Thanks Steve.

    I look foward to the completed book. It would have been good if it was called '101 lies said in church' but that might be too provocative title for a publisher.

    Maybe something like "You may have heard it said - (then subtitled) - Clearing away hindrances to freedom"

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  2. Jer 31:31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:

    Hbr 8:8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:

    Both the old and new covenants are with Israel. We are not in a covenant relationship today. We are under grace, both Jew and gentile in the body of Christ.

    We as gentiles never had a covenant relationship with God. We were without God in the world. Why when Paul mentions to Israel that now God is saving gentiles made them want to kill him. Even Peter in Acts 10 said it was unlawful for him go to a gentile. I know we don't see a lot of things the same, I do appreciate your teaching on grace and your book Gracewalk has helped me tell others about it.

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  3. "Having no more consciousness of sins," "let us leave the elemental teachings of Christ..," "..and if God permits such will we do," Hebrews 10:2,17-19; 6:1-3. This scripture helps me know Jesus came to "put away" take away sins. Wishing to comment & help you any way I can: you're a beloved brother, Steve, Agape, David Candel

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  4. faithplusnothing - thanks for your insights. You might be surprised by the things we do agree on.

    My view at this point is that the New Covenant is actually among the members of the Trinity. Like everybody else, I'm growing in my own understanding. I used to believe that the covenant was between God and us but that He carried out all the terms. I've come to see it differently now. We are simply the named beneficiaries of a divine covenant among the members of the Godhead.

    A guy told me one time that he'd never put anything in print or record any audio/video resources because his views changed as he grew. I understand what he meant. At each point in my life, I've taught from where I've been in my own growth continuum.

    As I've grown, there are things I'd say differently today than I did in the past. Not that I think my comments then were "wrong," but at times they were incomplete. As I've grown in my own grace walk, I have come (and am coming) to see more and more of the fullness of Christ in deeper ways than I've previously known.

    I think every teacher of the Bible must experience this. The amazing thing about God's grace is that He uses us where we are at the time.

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  5. THANKS BE UNTO GOD FOR HIS UNSEARCHABLE RICHES IN CHRIST JESUS.

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  6. Oh! Good thoughts here. The covenant WAS between the Father and Son and we ARE the beneficiaries. I like this thought too: we know Christ is our Sabbath, our rest, but do we consider ourselves His inheritance? Do we realize the full measure of what the cross accomplished in restoring and reconciling creation to the last Adam?

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