The Blood Leaves A Stain

I was cleaning out my refrigerator one morning and in the back of the fridge, I noticed an old wine glass with a little bit of wine leftover in it.  I knew it had been in there for a few weeks, completely forgotten.  I pulled it out and poured the wine out.

After pouring out the wine, I noticed a stain in the glass.  I swished water around a few times to rinse out the stain.  It wouldn't budge.  The bottom of the glass stayed dark.  I put the glass by the edge of the sink and thought, "the wine leaves a stain."  Suddenly the Lord spoke loudly to my heart, "The Blood leaves a stain."

I love that the Father speaks to His children during every day moments.  He uses insignificant details in our lives to show us just how much He is listening.  He cares about our very thoughts!

The Hebrew Word for stain is the verb כתם (katam).  This verb is found in Jeremiah 2:22.

"For though you wash yourself with lye

And use much soap,

The stain of your guilt is [still] before Me [and you are soiled and dirty],” says the Lord God." (AMP)

The stain of our sins, of our guilt, of our iniquities (which is the word used in many translations), leaves a mark.  Sin leaves a residual trace in our bodies and on our lives.  It's hard to remove the stain that sin leaves on us.

But what the Lord said to me in that moment is that His blood also stains.  His blood leaves a mark, a stain on our lives!  There is nothing we can do to remove it or change it, it's simply there the day we submit our lives to Christ and invite Him to be our Savior.

No longer are we marked by the stain of our sin.  Now we can boldly declare that we are redeemed through the staining blood of Christ!

There are many songs that talk about how we are washed with the blood.  It's true.  We are washed clean from our sinful stains.

1 Corinthians 6:11 (AMP)

"And such were some of you [before you believed]. But you were washed [by the atoning sacrifice of Christ], you were sanctified [set apart for God, and made holy], you were justified [declared free of guilt] in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the [Holy] Spirit of our God [the source of the believer’s new life and changed behavior]."

Whenever I would hear previous pastors talk about being washed, it was always in the context of coming to the table for communion.  Often they would say something like this, "before you come to the table, confess your sins and let the blood of Jesus wash you clean."  It always made me feel not good enough or worthy enough to partake of the blood. 

This teaching is not only incorrect, it's straight up dangerous because it makes you believe as though you must partake of the washing of your sins by first confessing.  However, 1 John 1:7 says, "But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin."  The word here for cleanse is in the Greek tense for present and continuous action.  This means that once we receive Christ we are cleansed, and the blood continually cleanses and cleanses us from every sin, every evil thought, every evil practice, forever! 

The first part of this verse says "if we walk in the light as He is in the light."  The if here means that we have come into alignment with Christ by receiving His perfect sacrifice for ourselves.  We recognize that He is our Savior and we receive it.  That's how we are in the light!  We walk in the light by receiving Jesus as our Savior!  And because we are now in the light, His blood continually cleanses us all day every day.

Take a look at 1 Corinthians 6:11 in the WEY translation:

"And all this describes what some of you were. But now you have had every stain washed off: now you have been set apart as holy: now you have been pronounced free from guilt; in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and through the Spirit of our God."

We have had every stain washed off and we are now set apart as holy.  It is Jesus and His blood which makes us holy.  His blood washes over us and leaves its own stain, the stain of holiness and of righteousness. 

When you come before the throne today in prayer, you can come boldly knowing that the blood of Jesus has left you stained with His righteousness and holiness.  You belong in the presence of the Lord.  Don't come before the Father wondering if He hears you or cares about you, come boldly with confidence because the blood of Jesus, which speaks of better things than that of the blood of Abel. (Hebrews 12:24) 

Did you see that?  The blood of Jesus speaks.  The blood of Jesus has a voice.  The blood of Jesus declares that you ARE righteous!  You ARE sanctified!  You ARE holy!

Don't spend today wondering if you are worthy to come before the throne.  Know today that you ARE worthy.  Jesus made a way and His blood speaks of better things. 

The blood leaves a stain and today that stain declares that you are made perfect in the Beloved. (Hebrews 10:14)

Are you saved?  Have you accepted Christ as your Savior?  If your answer is yes, then know you are stained by the blood of Christ.  All of the promises in the Bible are yours because of His sacrifice.  Need healing?  It is yours.  Need faith?  It is yours.  Just look to the blood, look to Jesus, tell Him of your need and it will be yours.  Just as His blood continually cleanses you, continually come to Him with your need and watch as every need is met and every want is answered by the name and power of Jesus.