NO AMOUNT OF ELBOW GREASE

“What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.”

Great words from an old song. And so true. We were born sinful creatures. Stepping into the world in need of redemption. Unable to accomplish this for ourselves, we were doomed to be punished for the sin we were born into. Worse yet, we were not even looking for a way out. Our hearts were in rebellion to God and happy to be so. Still, God loved us and wanted to make us worthy to be in His favor. So, he sent His son to die for us even when we were cursing Him.

Romans 5:8 – KJV – But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Oh what grace this is! We did not deserve it and God certainly had no obligation to save us, but he LOVED us. It is all because of His Grace and His Mercy that we can approach Him at all.

Ephesians 1:7 – KJV – In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

You see, when sin entered into the world, it stained Adam and Eve and all future generations. Sin is a stain unlike any other. It is not like a grass stain or some type of food stain on your clothes. For these, you just have to get the right detergent and it will come out. Sin will not come out of our hearts through any amount of Tide or Gain or anything like that. No amount of elbow grease (works) that we can apply will do the job. We can not clean our filthy rags with any righteousness that we can generate.

Isaiah 64:6 – KJV – But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

This was a hopeless situation for us. We have no power to fix it.

This leads me to another group of scriptures that I love. I call these the “but God” verses. These are the ones that describe something impossible and then say, “But, God……”

Ephesians 2:4,5 – KJV –But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

We have been invited to live with Him because He is rich in mercy. We love Him, because He first loved us. The only way to overcome our sin and Satan is through the blood.

Revelation 12:11 – KJV – And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Cherish His grace today and do not forget His Love.

“Oh precious is the flow, that makes me white as snow. No other fount I know. Nothing but the blood of Jesus.