WITHOUT......

                          

A little boy was once visiting a nearby city. On his return his father asked him about his trip. The boy replied that he had seen many wonderful things in the City which he can do without! Those among us born in the forties and fifties had to live without many amenities and conveniences that the present generation can't live without--like airconditioner, washing machine, refrigerator, LP gas, internet connection, mobile phone, bottled water etc. I had not seen an electric bulb until I was fourteen. According to the scriptures, there are certain assets a Christian can't do without, if he wants to live a life that honours God. Let's consider a few of them:

1. WITHOUT the Precious Blood of Jesus

Hebrews 9:22

 "In fact, we can say that according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified by sprinkling with blood. Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins". 

St Peter    writes "God paid a ransom to save you ..... it was not paid with mere gold or silver... It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God" (I Peter 1:18-19 NLT)

 

 The first reference in the Old Testament to blood is found in Genesis 4:10 where Yahweh rebukes Cain and says “What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground” might be figurative but is highly illustrative. 

Judaism kept the perception of blood and blood-related ceremonies uncontaminated by the practices of parallel religions down the centuries.  In the transition from the Old Testament to the New Testament practice, we see an exaltation of the conception of blood and blood ceremonies.  

“Apart from shedding of blood, there is no remission” says Hebrews 9:22. The exaltation and dignifying of this idea finds its highest development  in the vicarious shedding of blood by Christ Himself.  In John 6:53  Jesus said “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you”.  This is the climactic expression of blood rites recorded in the Bible. The fact that Jesus Christ shed His blood for us means a lot:

Christ has paid the penalty for our sins in full and we do not have to pay the penalty.   Jesus died for us. His vicarious death on the cross and the blood He shed cleansed us of our sins.  “If we are living in the light, as God is in the light, the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin’’(I John 1:7).

Through His blood-soaked death on the cross and His subsequent resurrection, Jesus neutralized the control Satan had over mankind. The Apostle John says “they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony" (Revelation 12:11). Since the blood has washed away our sin and guilt, Satan's power has been undermined and his accusations are ignored by God. 

The precious blood of Jesus Christ has radically transformed the lives of everyone who believes in what He did. By the blood, the curse of the law being satisfied, the purifying Spirit is obtained for the internal cleansing of our natures. The blood which He shed sealed up and finished the sacrifices of the Old Testament. The benefits procured by His blood, prove that He is the Saviour of the world.

2. WITHOUT faith in Jesus

So, you see, it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that there is a God and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him (Heb. 11:6)

Of the about twenty  Gospel passages where the word ' faith' occurs, only one (Matthew 23:23 )  carries the meaning of "fidelity." All the others conspicuously demand the sense of "reliance," "trust." The same is true of the apostolic writings. In them, the words "reliance," "trust," precisely fit the context as alternatives to "faith".

Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3 ). In due season He died for the ungodly (Romans 5:6 ); while we were yet sinners He died for us (Romans 5:8 ); we are justified in His blood (Romans 5:9 ), and it is through Him that we are saved from the wrath (Romans 5:9 ). While we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son (Romans 5:10 ), being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus whom God set forth as a propitiation

(Romans 3:24, 25). There is no reconciliation, no justification, except through and by and for Christ.

 

Faith and not works are the means of justification. See Romans 3:22 , 3:25 , 3:26  3:28 , etc. which rests upon the pure grace of God and is His gift (Ephesians 2:8 ). Rendering faith the only instrument of justification is not arbitrary, but because, being the receptive attitude of the soul, it is in the nature of the case the only avenue through which Divine blessing can come. The gifts of God are not against the laws of the soul which He has made, but rather are in and through those laws. Faith is the hand outstretched to the Divine Giver, who, though He sends rain without our consent, does not give salvation except through an appropriate spiritual response.

This faith is not simply belief in historical facts, though this is presupposed as to the atoning death (Romans 3:25 ), and the resurrection (Romans 10:9 ) of Jesus, but is a real heart reception of the gift (Romans 10:10 ), and is therefore able to bring peace in our relation to God (Romans 5:1 ). The object of this faith is Jesus Christ (Romans 3:22 , etc.), through whom only comes the gift of righteousness and the reigning in life (Romans 5:17 ). The redeeming act of Christ is itself the work of God (2 Corinthians 5:19 ), whose love expressed itself toward us in this way (Romans 5:8).

 

3. WITHOUT the Presence of Jesus

Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful without me. (John 15:4)

The branch cannot bear fruit of itself, apart from  (“except it abides in”) the vine. It has no original source of life. The sap flows from the vine to branch and tendril and leaf and fruit. The branch of itself is a lifeless organ, and only fulfils its functions when it is connected with the vine. So in the spiritual life, men apart from Christ have no original source of life and fruitfulness. The true life flows from Him to every branch that abides in Him, quickening by its power the whole man, and making him fruitful and good. The man who lives without faith in God may be said to exist, rather than to live, and misses the true aim of his being.

Jesus Christ is the Vine, the true Vine.  Believers are branches of this Vine. The root is unseen as our life is hidden with Christ; the root bears the tree, diffuses sap to it, and in Christ are all supports and supplies. The branches of the vine are many, yet, meeting in the root, are all but one vine; thus all true Christians, though they may differ vastly from each other, meet in Christ. Believers are basically weak and have to be propped up in order to be productive. 

We must be fruitful. From a vine we look for grapes, and from a Christian we look for a Christian temper, disposition, and life. We must honour God, and do good; this is bearing fruit. And even fruitful branches need pruning; for the best of believers have notions, passions and habits that require to be taken away. This is the sanctification process which Christ takes care of. The word of Christ  spoken  has a cleansing virtue, as it provides grace, and removes corruption. And the more fruit we bring forth, the more we abound in what is good, the more our Lord is glorified. In order to fruitfulness, we must abide in Christ, must have union with him by faith.

True Christians find by experience, that any interruption in the exercise of their faith causes their holiness to decline and corruption to enter into  their religious lives. Those who abide not in Christ, though they may flourish for awhile in outward profession, yet come to nothing. The fire is the fittest place for withered branches; they are good for nothing else. Let us seek to live more simply on the fullness of Christ, and to grow more fruitful in every good word and good work so that our joy in Him and in His salvation will be complete.