Hebrews 9:22 states  "And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood and without shedding of blood, there is no remission" - the question is why?  Why is this the case and why did I choose this for the scripture to identify this blog... the answers are really one and the same.  Or perhaps I should say that they are so closely connected as to be inextricable.  I chose this scripture because it sums up the essence of the Christian faith.  We are blood guilty, you and I, blood guilty rebels against the holiness of the Sovereign God  and certainly, how we see sin and how God sees sin are vastly different.  We often see it as a little mistake, a small indiscretion, a cultural expectation... but God sees all sin as rebellion worthy of death.  And not only that, He sees sin as worthy of eternal death.  It makes no difference how large, how small or how hidden, every single sin is worthy of an eternity in the cauldron of the wrath of God.  By itself, this is very, very bad news for every one of us... for it speaks about each one of us in a way that we cannot begin to imagine.

So what is it that Hebrews 9:22 brings to bear, and how is it that this verse is meaningful in this discussion?  Well, in telling us that without the shedding of blood there is no remission (of sin) it points back to the fact that under the law blood was required to cover over sin... the price of sin is death.   and further, it reminds us that with this provision there is indeed a remission available to us.  This is the essence of the Christian faith, and this is the essence of my life as a follower of Jesus Christ.  I am free because in Him, because of the blood that He shed on Calvary there is remission of sin... the power of sin has been broken in Christ, broken in His death, broken in His resurrection.  To consider this verse is to consider the inescapable fact that God has bought us, He has done all that is needful for our salvation and He has removed forever that sin which kept us from Him... and I am reminded of the terrible price of that remission, the precious blood of Christ poured out for the salvation and succor of a rebel... it is unbelievably rich, unimaginably powerful, unspeakably beautiful... it is the stuff of our faith, it is the stuff of our lives.  There is no other context in which we can ever have meaningful interaction, significant impact or real conversation except in the places where our lives intersect with the eternal. And for all of us, that intersection is always at the foot of the cross.  For without the shedding of blood there is no remission... but with the shedding of His blood; there is full and free pardon for sinners that is rooted in the eternal goodness of our Great God!  So as we sit and share of cup of coffee and exchange ideas, let us always remember that our conversation has meaning only in the places where we touch the heart of God... let us press on together to see the "light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."

Grace and peace to you all

pastor e