Authors: Watchman Nee
When I was in Manila, a knowledgeable sister in the Lord
inquired of me, saying: “No blood was allowed to be drunk during the age of the
flood, neither was it permitted in the age of the law. Even during the time of
the New Testament apostles, blood was still forbidden to be drunk. Why was it
so?” I explained to her that we know that in the Bible there are altogether
four ages. The ages of the fathers and of the law have already passed. Today is
the age of the apostles of grace, and that of the kingdom is yet to come.
During the age of the fathers God had told Noah not to drink blood (Genesis
9:4); and in the age of the law God had also said to Moses not to do so (Leviticus
17:10-12). Furthermore, in relation to the age of the apostles God has given the
same instruction of not drinking blood (Acts 15:20). So I asked this sister if
she had ever drunk blood. “Since the Bible says not to do so, I have never drunk
any blood,” she replied. I said to her, “If that is the case, then I dare not
break bread with you at the Lord’s Table because you are not saved but are condemned
to the lake of fire.” She interrupted me and responded with, “Really? I have
never drunk any blood.” So I said to her that I had drunk blood, and then proceeded
to explain to her how and why I had done so. And upon hearing the explanation,
she now acknowledged that she too had drunk blood.
Yes, the Bible does in fact tell us not to drink blood.
Nevertheless, Christ’s blood is truly
drinkable (John 6:55). It is God’s intention that we are only to drink one kind
of blood. In heaven and on earth, there is this one kind of blood that is alone
drinkable—thus signifying that in heaven and on earth there is but one solution
to man’s sin problem. Only one Savior—and thus only one kind of blood—can
redeem us before God. If man refuses
this
blood, there is no more sin offering (Hebrews 10:26). Apart from this Savior
and His blood there is no other way of salvation for mankind (Acts 4:12).
Thank God, this blood we have drunk. The reason the Bible
forbids us to drink all other blood is for the purpose of summoning us to drink
this one blood alone. Please therefore bear in mind that when the Bible
mentions blood, such speaks directly or indirectly concerning the demand of
God’s righteousness. The blood of Jesus alone can redeem us of our sin and
accomplish God’s redemptive purpose. Through the blood of Jesus, man’s sins before
God are eliminated.
We know that God the Father causes His Son to shed blood
in order that He could righteously forgive our sins. How do we know that the
blood of Jesus is able to wash away sin? Over two thousand years ago Jesus
Christ bore our sins and died on Calvary’s cross. How do we know that God
considers this blood as sufficient, that our sins have been wiped away, and
that all this is trustworthy? Suppose God were to say Christ’s blood is not
efficacious, then what could we do? But we know that this blood satisfies God’s
requirement. This blood shed by His Son is His righteous judgment upon man’s
sin. He himself caused the Lord Jesus to shed blood. Yet how can we know that
this judgment is sufficient, that Christ’s blood has satisfied God’s righteous
demands? Thank God, He not only caused Christ to die, He also caused Christ to be
risen from death. Resurrection is God’s response as to the efficacy of the shed
blood of Christ. The blood has been offered up to God, and He responded with
resurrection as proof of His satisfaction. The blood has been sent from man—even
the Man of God—to
God,
and resurrection is sent from
God to man upon His having accepted the blood.
“If I be lifted up from the earth” (John 12:32a).
So said the Lord Jesus.
For whom and for what was He lifted
up on Calvary’s cross? He was lifted up to God for us and for our sins. God
looked upon His death as sufficient; therefore, He caused Christ Jesus to be
risen from death as His way of giving assurance to all men (Acts 17:31). The
Bible has not so much called people to believe in the
death
of Christ as it has called them to believe especially in His
resurrection. If we read the Bible sufficient enough times, we will be clear
about this.
When we persuade people to believe in the Lord, we
too often call them to believe primarily in the Lord’s death and thus to be
saved through the Lord’s blood.
But where can we find in the Bible a calling
of people to believe in the Lord’s death and in His shedding of blood as the
way to become their Savior? Let me say that many messages being given by preachers
today are without scriptural basis on this point. But I would add that I
request that you not tell others that Mr. Nee has stated that people ought not
believe in the Lord’s death or believe that the Lord’s blood can redeem them of
their sin; for what I have meant to say here is that when certain Bible passages
are used to persuade people to believe in the Lord, these passages do not ask
them to especially believe in the Lord’s death but primarily call them to
believe in the Lord’s resurrection (see, e.g., Romans 10:9). By believing in
the Lord’s resurrection we are being justified (Romans 4:25
)
―
that is to
say, that God now deems us to be “just as if” we had never sinned. Hence, when
the Bible calls people to believe in the Lord, it is not only a call to believe
in Jesus’ death but even more so a call to believe in His resurrection.
Perhaps all this will confuse you. But simply remember
that the blood has its meaning and place primarily before God. Whether it can
redeem man of his sin or not, let God make the determination, for Christ’s
blood does not primarily concern us. Since God looks upon the shed blood of
Christ as sufficient to wipe away man’s sin, He raises Christ from death. Accordingly,
when
we
look at the blood of Christ,
we are assured that the Lord’s blood is dependable in wiping away our sins and causing
us to be justified before God (see again Romans 4:25). The essence of this
Romans 4 verse in the Greek original betokens a balance, as expressed by means
of a set of opposites: on the one hand, Jesus’ death is for the forgiveness and
thus the elimination of our transgressions, but on the other hand, His
resurrection is for our justification.
Now I would like to test our understanding: Was Jesus
delivered up to death first or did we sin first? I believe we all know that
Jesus was delivered up because men had sinned first. That being the case, then
the following sequence will be true as well. We learn from Romans 4:25 that the
resurrection of Jesus is for our justification; and hence, it is because we
have been justified that Christ was
risen
from death. Thus,
the Lord’s resurrection proves that we have
already
been justified before God. The proof of sins forgiven is the Lord’s shed blood,
and the evidence of our justification is the Lord’s resurrection.
For example, I owe Mr. Tang a certain debt that is still
unpaid, and so he takes me to court. The judge condemns me and sentences me to
three months’ imprisonment. I have no means to repay my debt. Mr. Tang is my
best friend, and he also has the means to pay my debt, but instead he offers to
go to jail for me. The moment Mr. Tang is imprisoned I am freed. Yet, though my
body is freed, my heart is not at peace because I still wonder if my case
before the court has been entirely concluded. As long as Mr. Tang remains in
prison my heart has no rest. When will my heart feel peaceful? It will only happen
at the moment of Mr. Tang’s release from prison. Not till then is my case closed
and my heart set free. In other words, Mr. Tang’s release proves that my case has
been totally and satisfactorily concluded. Otherwise, the judge could not and
would not have set him free from prison.
At the moment of Jesus’ death is the very moment that the
problem of our sins is solved. But suppose up till today He has not been
risen
from death; would we not still wonder whether or not
Christ’s blood has satisfied God’s righteous demand? Hence, that is why the
Bible teaches that the Lord Jesus’ death is especially for God and His
resurrection is especially for us. God realizes that if we only believe in the
death of the Lord, our hearts will not be at peace. Consequently, He caused the
Lord not only to die but also to be raised from among the dead. So that when we
see that He has risen, it proves to us that our sin case has been solved; otherwise,
how could God have released Him from death’s prison? Therefore, God’s causing Christ
to be risen from among the dead provides the evidence to us that His judgment against
man’s sin has been concluded. The resurrection of Christ proves that Jesus’
blood has satisfied God’s righteous demand.
God accepts the death of Christ, and we accept the
resurrection of Christ. Hence, God has not called people to believe in Christ's
death; rather, He calls us to believe preeminently in Christ’s resurrection.
For the resurrection of Christ proves that His death is sufficient
for God and by His resurrection we are justified.
So Paul wrote in
Romans that Jesus was delivered up for our trespasses and was raised for our
justification. In order to demonstrate that we have been justified, Jesus must
be resurrected. Jesus as man went to God to pay our debt, offered up His blood
to God, and was judged by God in our stead.
Suppose I owe a brother money but I am unable to repay
him immediately for I do not have sufficient funds. What should I do? I will
slowly accumulate money: I will gather together some money from Shanghai, from
Swatow, from Foochow, from England, the United States,
the
Philippines and from other places. I eventually figure that this total of funds
should be enough, so I take it to Mr. Tang. I give him the money, saying to him
that I have calculated that the funds given him should be sufficient to have
now fully repaid him the loan. So here I would ask: Who is the one to be
concerned as to whether or not the money paid back is sufficient–I or the one
who receives the money? Obviously it is the one who receives the money. He is the
one who must ascertain whether or not these funds gathered from hither and you are
in fact usable to him and that the amount is sufficient as total repayment. On
the other hand, I myself care for nothing except to receive a receipt from him
indicating total repayment of the loan.
Similarly, whether the blood of Jesus is sufficient to
redeem us of our sins is not a matter for us to determine; that is God’s
concern; He himself will see to that. Whereas the Lord’s blood is for wiping
away our sins before God and making repayment of our debt to Him, the Lord’s
resurrection
―
as
it were
―
is a
repayment receipt which God gives to men. Hence, Acts 17:31 declares that Christ’s
resurrection serves both as God’s assurance to men that the blood of the Lord
Jesus has eliminated their sin and as His receipt to men indicating full
repayment.
What, then, do we believe when we believe in the Lord
Jesus? We believe that God has raised Him from among the dead. If you should
ever wonder about your salvation, just look at the repayment receipt God has
given you. Suppose God should say that you are yet to be justified; you can simply
show Him “the receipt of resurrection.” You can boldly say to God: “If I am not
justified, how is it that
You
gave me this
resurrection receipt?” We know the Lord is
risen
and
we have believed in His resurrection; therefore, we are saved.
This, then, has been a presentation of the two sides of
the Lord’s death and resurrection and also of the two aspects of substitution.
These two aspects are objective in nature. Basically, they have nothing to do
with us, since they have to do entirely with solving the problem of our sins
before God. Whether or not we have been forgiven and justified, such concerns belong
to God alone. May God bless
us.
[*]
“So now it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwelleth
in me.… But if I would not, that I do, it is no more I that do it, but sin
which dwelleth in me” (Romans 7:17, 20).
“Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him
[Christ], that the body of sin might be done away, that so we should no longer
be in bondage to sin … Even so reckon ye also yourselves to be dead unto sin,
but alive unto God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:6, 11).
We have already mentioned the four facets to the death of
Christ: first the blood—that He has died for us so that we may not die and that
this is for the remission of our sins; second, crucifixion is for dealing with
“the old man”; third, the flesh—that He was crucified so that we might receive
life and that through death life is released; and fourth, bearing the cross is
for dealing with the self. To put it another way, we can say that blood is for
the sake of forgiving man’s sins; crucifixion is for dealing with the sin
nature; flesh is to cause men to have life; and cross-bearing is for dealing
with the self. Hence, these various facets to the death of Christ are for giving
man full salvation. Last evening we came to understand how the blood of Jesus
remits or pardons man of his sins before God. This evening we will come to
understand how the cross deals with the sin nature—that is to say, with the sin
which dwells in us.
The Bible shows us two kinds of sins: one kind is that
which is before God and which in the Bible’s original Greek text is cast in the
plural number; the other kind is that which is within us, and this kind of sin is
cast in the singular number both in the Bible’s English versions and in the
original Greek text. Before God are the many sins which we have committed and
all of
which can be numbered.
On the other hand, the
sin within us is that kind which forces us to commit sins, to do many sinful
acts. We must know the difference between the sins before God and the sin in
us. “Against thee, thee only, O God, have I sinned,” said David (see Psalm
51:4a). This is the kind of sin which is before God. But we also find in the
Bible this: “sin which dwelleth in me,” wrote Paul (Romans 7:20b). The sin here
is of another kind. Thus we see that the Bible speaks of two kinds of sin; and
hence, we shall see that the ways of deliverance are also of two kinds. Whereas
the sins before God are to be remitted by the blood, the problem of the sin
within us is to be resolved by means of another way of deliverance.
Now, then, let us see how the sin before God is different
from the sin in man. Suppose a child did not like to go to bed early. He
usually played till ten o’clock. At first his parents said nothing; but as his
body got weaker, his parents ordered him to go to his room at eight o’clock.
That evening he was not able to play outside, but was forced to enter his room.
However, after he closed the door the boy played till ten. Initially his
parents had not ordered him to go to sleep. So if he did not
lay
down to sleep, he had not committed any sin before his parents. If, though, one
day his parents did order him to sleep but he failed to do so, then he would be
committing the sin of rebellion. Such a sin would have originated from his
dislike in his heart to go to sleep early. Now let us suppose that henceforth
the child always closed his room door at 8 o’clock but resumed playing till
ten. And suppose that at first his parents were unaware of it and that upon
noticing that the child remained weak they decided to watch through a window
from outside and found the child not sleeping but playing. The next morning,
therefore, they scolded him. He acknowledged his sin and received forgiveness.
By confessing his sin, he obtained forgiveness; but had his heart changed to
his now liking to go to sleep early? Let me tell you that after eight o’clock,
he would be in bed sighing for he still did not like to go to sleep early.
Please be advised that sin forgiven does not change a
person to be good and not sin anymore. It is not unlike a proud person who well
knows that pride is a sin and receives forgiveness through confession but who
after being forgiven will not immediately become a humble person. It is also
not unlike a person who has the habit of owing debt, always borrowing and
borrowing till he owes ten thousands of dollars. And were he to have a good
friend who would pay back for him all his past debts, would this debtor be
changed to
be
a person not borrowing anymore? Let me
tell you, his old lust shall return and he will borrow again as before. Even
though our outward sins may be forgiven, the inward sin in us still needs to be
dealt with.
Nowadays losing one’s temper is a common failure of many
Christians. When a Christian has lost his temper, he knows he was wrong and
therefore asks God’s forgiveness. But will he henceforth become a patient
person? Let me tell you, even after he has tried to be patient once, twice and
three times, his bad temper will still come back out. Therefore, even if all
the outward
sins
are forgiven because of the Lord’s
blood, the inward sin remains a problem. It still needs to be dealt with. If
this issue is not dealt with, and though you may be saved and born again, you
are no stronger than the people of the world. Unbelievers lose their temper,
but so do you. Unbelievers do wrong, but so do you. Unbelievers are proud, but
you too are proud. There is no difference between you and the world.