The Blood of Jesus – Intimacy

I had the joy and privilege recently of attending a friend’s wedding, or should I say re-wedding (if that’s a word).  This couple had been married, had gotten divorced several years ago and now through a lot of hard work had reconciled their differences and decided to re-marry.  If that isn’t a testament of God’s power to change hearts and lives, I don’t know what is.  The point is that these two people had a broken relationship; they were living separate, detached lives.  Sin does the same thing to our relationship with God, it breaks us apart and alienates us from Him; it divorces us from Him.  But again He doesn’t leave us in that sorry state.  The Blood of Jesus is able to effect a reconciliation between us and God.

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. (Eph 2:13)

…and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, (Col 1:20-22)

This is simply beautiful to me.  I have been brought near to God.  It’s like a friend giving me an all-access pass meet the greatest person in the world.  Something that was completely impossible for me to do on my own, He did for me.  Not only that, but I can approach God knowing that He sees me as “holy and blameless and above reproach” confident in His acceptance.

Because of The Blood any offense between ourselves and God has been removed.  He no longer sees us as enemies or as the “bad guy.”  We move from being at war with Him to being at peace; from being an enemy to being a friend.  And much more than a friend – a much-loved child.  The Blood makes it possible to approach Him without fear of rejection or of being spurned.  Our relationship with Him is solid.

With that reconciliation comes the opportunity for real intimacy, real tenderness with the Father.  Through The Blood, He made possible a closeness that goes beyond just a passing friendship.  He made it possible to share our hearts, lives, fears, worries and joys with Him and hearing Him express His joy in us.  See my post A Conversation to get a glimpse into what this intimacy could look like.

Therefore, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus,   (Heb. 10:19)

We can have the confidence and assurance that we can crawl into His lap and be welcomed and heard.  This is more than theological or church-y language, this is enjoying the kind of relationship we all long for.  And it is possible by the Blood of Jesus.