The Blood of Christ: Free and Costly

Consider these verses:

"But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the sprinkling of defiled persons with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a heifer sanctifies for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God."
-Hebrews 9:11-14

"And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified."
-Hebrews 10:11-14

I just love the language of Hebrews 9 & 10 because it seems so clear: If we could have cleansed ourselves by our own sacrifices, we wouldn't have kept offering them! But Jesus offered a sacrifice once. Done. Clean. Chapter 10 continues with instructions in light of Christ's sacrifice. We are to draw near, with assurance and spur one another on to love and good deeds.

My heart is compelled to worship because of what Christ has done. I'm working on planning another worship set for April, and I keep coming back to the blood of Christ and these verses that I read in a quiet time recently. I'm already planning on singing these Hymns:

On Christ the Solid Rock
Nothing But the Blood

Feel free to comment in and add a song that focuses on the cleansing power of the blood of Christ.

Logging? Anyone?

I've decided that rather than post inconsistenly about nothing, I should post inconsistently about verses that I've read that I'm not good at living out. I don't think this will be hard, but I do think it will be productive. As this idea gets going, I hope that this becomes a place where I will be forced to remind myself of the Gospel, and that you will also be reminded.

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye."

Brian Frost says that this passage is quoted most often in our culture, but it is understood the least. This verse is not telling us to turn a blind eye towards unrighteousness, or sin that is present in peoples' lives, but rather to not judge the motives of peoples' actions. That responsibility belongs to the Lord.

Consider this verse, which happens to be my theme verse in life right now:

"Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you"
-Eph. 4:32

God, through Christ has forgiven me of all my sin. He didn't have to, but He did and now I have the opportunity to model that same forgiveness in relationships. So why do I still judge others' motives? Why would I think that God is pleased with my heart when people sin against me, and I say I forgive them, but I'm really holding onto that sin as a cause for thinking less of someone? Is that Christ-like forgiveness? Is that the way he looks at me? (Psalm 103)

Why would I think that it's OK to look at specks of dust in the eyes of others, when I have logs in mine? I think I need to be reminded of the Gospel.