The Cleansing Blood

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1 John 1:7 – … the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.


1 John chapter one is a great chapter. In the first two verses we see God’s infinity and incarnation; that God as great as He is, came down to earth for sinners like us. But in verses three and four we see the incentive of the book – “fellowship.”

After salvation, the most important thing for a person is their fellowship with God. This fellowship with God is possible even though we are still sinful because of the cleansing blood of Jesus.

His blood offers a continuous cleansing. The word “cleanseth” is in the present tense. It has power not only to save but to cleanse you after you are saved! If the blood of animals in the Old Testament covered sin, “How much more shall the blood of Christ…purge your conscience” (Heb. 9:14)? It has power and it offers a promise that God will not break.

His blood promises a complete cleansing. “All sin” is what the verse says! The promise is not partial excluding some sins like ones we think are too heinous or wicked. William Cowper (1731-1800) had it right with his hymn:

The dying thief rejoiced to see that fountain in his day

And there may I, though vile as he, wash all my sins away

He pardons us at salvation by clearing our record, but he purifies us through sanctification by cleansing us daily.

Finally, this is a conditional cleansing. You will notice the small word “if” used in verses six through ten. You must acknowledge your sin instead of deceiving yourself (vs. 8). Then you must affirm it by confessing it (vs. 9). And ultimately you need to accept God’s forgiveness by faith. He cannot lie! “He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us!”