In a Small Restaurant outside Darjeeling

20. The Blood of Christ as it operates Satanward

Satan's most strategic activity in this day is as the accuser of the brethren [Rev 12.10] and it is as this that our Lord confronts him with His special ministry as High Priest 'through His own blood' [Heb 9.12].

How then does the Blood operate against Satan? It does so by putting God on the side of man against him. The Fall brought something into man which gave Satan a footing within him, with the result that God was compelled to withdraw Himself. Man is not outside the garden...because he is inwardly estranged from God. Because of what man has done, there is something in him which...renders God morally unable to defend him. But the Blood removes that barrier and restores man to God and God to man. Man is in favour now, and because God is on his side he can face Satan without fear.

'The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from every sin.' [1 John 1.7 JND]... It is a marvellous thing! God is in the light, and as we walk in the light with Him everything is exposed and open to that light, so that God can see it all - and yet the Blood is able to cleanse us from every sin. What a cleansing!

Some of us...may at times have been tempted to think that there are sins which are almost unforgivable. Let us remember: 'The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from every sin.' All sins, conscious or unconscious, remembered or forgotten, are included in those words - 'every sin'. The Blood cleanses from every sin, because in the first place it satisfies God.

Since God...can forgive our sins on the basis of the Blood, what ground of accusation has Satan? Satan may accuse us before Him, but 'If God is for us, who is against us?' [Rom 8.31]. God points him to the Blood of His dear Son. 'Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth; who is he that shall condemn?'[when God Himself declares there is no 'condemnation'! Rom 8.1; and when 'we are justified by the Blood', Rom 5.9]. Moreover, 'It is Christ Jesus, who is at the right hand of God, who makes intercession for us' Rom 8.33,34.

We need to recognize the absolute sufficiency of the precious Blood. 'Christ...through His own blood, entered in once for all into the [most] holy place, having obtained eternal redemption.' Heb 9.11, 12. Christ stands in the presence of God, and 'He is the propitiation for our sins' 1 John 2.1,2. Note the words of Heb 9.14: 'How much more shall the blood of Christ...' The Blood is sufficient for God!

Satan accuses us in our conscience also... Our temptation is to look within and in self-defence to try to find in ourselves, in our feelings or our behaviour, some ground for believing that Satan is wrong. Alternatively, we are tempted to go to the other extreme and yield to depression and despair. Thus Satan's accusation becomes one of his greatest and most effective weapons.

Now the reason we so readily accept his accusations is that we are still hoping to have some righteousness of our own...Satan has succeeded in making us look in the wrong direction...But if we have learned to put no confidence in the flesh, we shall not wonder if we sin, for the very nature of the flesh is to sin...It is because we have not come to appreciate our true nature and to see how helpless we are that we still have some expectation in ourselves...

God is well able to deal with our sins; but He cannot deal with a man under accusation, because such a man is not trusting in the Blood. The Blood can speak in his favour, but he is listening instead to Satan. Christ is our Advocate but we, the accused, side with the accuser. We have not recognized that we are unworthy of anything but death; that...we are only fit to be crucified anyway. We have not recognized that God has already answered the accuser through the shedding of the precious Blood.

Our salvation lies in looking away to the Lord Jesus and in seeing that the Blood of the Lamb has met the whole situation created by our sins and has answered it. That is the sure foundation on which we stand. Never should we try to answer Satan with our good conduct but always with the Blood. Yes, we are sinful, but, praise God, the Blood cleanses us from every sin. God looks upon the Blood whereby His Son has met the charge, and Satan has no more ground of attack. Our faith in the precious Blood and our refusal to be moved from that position can alone silence Satan's charges and put him to flight [Rom 8.33, 34]. And so it will be, right to the end [Rev 12.11]. Oh, what an emancipation it would be if we saw more of the value in God's eyes of the precious Blood of His dear Son! [our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!]

[Extracted, and somewhat abridged, from The Normal Christian Life by W.N.]