The blood of Christ

At the coffee shop

FOR MY Good Friday reading, I took on “Blood Work: How the Blood of Christ Accomplishes Our Salvation[1]” by Anthony J. Carter. It’s a work that makes the cross its central focus, arguing from Scripture that Christ has died for sinners like us, and has done so out of love for us and for His glory. The statements are simple, the arguments well-reasoned, and the illustrations refreshing, dotted with quotes from famous hymns, both classic and contemporary.

Carter writes:

“To speak of the blood of Christ is to speak of what Christ accomplished for us in pouring His life unto death. Our salvation was accomplished by Christ ‘becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross’ (Phil. 2:8). On the cross, He shed His blood for us. On the cross, He gave His life for us. The blood that Jesus shed on the cross was enough to appease the righteous wrath of God against our sin. It was enough to reconcile us to God. It was enough to cleanse us from the sin inherited from Ada, and the sin we actively commit every day.”

Sin

He does not mince with the topic of sin. Carter writes, “Humanity is in a perpetual, ever-deepening abyss of separation from God because of sin and rebellion.” God’s wrath against sin had to be satisfied, so Jesus offered Himself as the sacrifice—we should have been the ones on that cross. Trusting in Jesus for our salvation brings us comfort.

Comfort in life and death

The book quotes the Heidelberg Catechism, which asks, “What is your only comfort in life and in death?”

The answer:

“That I am not my own, but belong—body and soul, in life and in death—to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with His precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven: in fact, all things must work together for my salvation. Because I belong to Him, Christ, by His Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for Him.”

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[1] Download it here. Get it for free until the end of March—so hurry!