Filter by Categories
The Talking Blood (Part Two)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Accepting the blood of Jesus Christ provides redemption and the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace. This acceptance occurs through personal faith and sincere repentance, which God requires for the blood to cover individual sinfulness. The death that produced this blood was unique because Jesus never surrendered His identity as God, lived a sinless life, and fulfilled the specific responsibility assigned within the divine purpose. Only this blood, shed in this one death, covers sins against God, as the Bible states or infers 427 times that death alone atones for such sin. By accepting this blood, believers are released from lifelong bondage to the fear of death and are gathered into one body and family in Christ. Acceptance also imposes a deep obligation to follow wherever He leads, since apart from Him nothing can be done. The blood functions as a continual witness that speaks better things than Abel's, testifying of God's righteousness and testifying on behalf of those who receive it. This testimony neutralizes the death-dealing power of sin, producing atonement that shelters and covers while satisfying divine justice. The process is both completed and ongoing. The crucifixion accomplished propitiation once for all, yet the blood continues cleansing those who walk in the light. Acceptance therefore requires active, faithful, obedient living marked by deep appreciation for the innocent suffering endured. Such acceptance reconciles the believer to God and simultaneously equips that person to become an appeasing force toward others, fostering peace and covering a multitude of sins through love. Without this acceptance there is no justification, no gift of the Holy Spirit, no ongoing sanctification, and no reconciliation with brethren or with God.
Truly Unleavened
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughThe acceptance of Jesus Christ's blood begins with the Passover sacrifice, when the Lamb without blemish was slain and His blood applied as a covering for sin. This past act, accomplished once for all, pays the death penalty and sets believers apart for deliverance. Upon accepting His sacrifice and repenting, the blood covers past sins, forgives them, and imputes Christ's righteousness so that God views the believer as holy and undefiled. This acceptance places the individual under grace rather than under the law's penalty, moving them from slavery to sin into the status of a slave to righteousness. Because the blood of Jesus Christ has been applied, believers truly are unleavened before the Father at all times while the relationship continues. The state is real and present even though human sin remains, for the sacrifice was a completed work that continues to cleanse as long as confession and repentance occur. This covering grants boldness to enter the Holiest and sustains fellowship with the Father and the Son. The timeline moves next to the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which requires purging out the old leaven so that the believer may become a new lump. Though already truly unleavened by the blood, the command remains to remove sin, keep the commandments, and walk as Jesus Christ walked. The blood therefore maintains the state of grace that allows growth toward holiness without spot or wrinkle. The result is preparation to be presented glorious before God, living in sincerity and truth until the eternal inheritance is received.
The Wonderful Ordinance of Water Baptism
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsThe acceptance of Jesus Christ's blood forms a foundational condition for salvation, as His death pays the penalty for sin in the place of the repentant believer, wipes the slate clean of past transgressions, removes the barrier separating humanity from God, and reconciles the individual to the Father. This acceptance occurs through repentance and water baptism, which together express faith in Christ's sacrificial death, burial, and resurrection. At baptism the candidate affirms having repented of sin and having accepted Jesus Christ as personal Savior, thereby entering into a binding agreement in which God promises forgiveness and the gift of the Holy Spirit while the believer commits to lifelong obedience. The blood itself does not confer final salvation or immortal life; rather, it removes the death penalty so that the believer may receive eternal life through the living Christ and the indwelling Spirit. This acceptance is symbolized when the repentant person is immersed, picturing burial with Christ and emergence into newness of life, and it must be accompanied by genuine fruit of repentance and a willingness to count the cost of discipleship. Without this acceptance of the blood, the subsequent receipt of the Holy Spirit and the process of conversion cannot begin, yet the ordinance remains symbolic of the reality that ultimately saves: the resurrected life of the Son of God imparted to those who endure in faith.