DOES Jesus Really Save?

Next time you decide to examine someone, examine yourself. Next time you decide to judge someone, judge yourself. If by chance, you find yourself judging others, keep in mind that you are putting the blood of Jesus on trial. You are questioning whether or not sin was conquered on the cross and whether or not the blood of Jesus washes away our sins.

by Dr. Henry Johnson

For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. It seems like people forget this simple verse. The reason I say this is because of the way many people act towards others who are being saved. If a person comes out of a dark background and is saved, he or she seems to always be looked upon based on what used to be rather than what the Lord has done. People want to say I remember when... When we are first saved, we weren't pure and our souls were blacked with sin. We were focused on getting our lives straight with the help of the Lord. We were very sensitive to sin in our lives. We were constantly in prayer seeking strength to overcome our sinful nature. Our focus was on living a life of holiness. We didn't have time to look at someone else and judge them because we knew that we ourselves had fallen short of God's glory, and staying in His will and staying away from Satan's grasp is a full-time job. Something seems to happen as we mature in the Lord: we don't spend much time focusing on our sinful nature, but instead become self-appointed judges. We look at other people and seldom have anything good to say about their walk with the Lord. All we see is what is wrong in their lives, as if we ourselves were perfect. Is there something wrong in the process of our maturation that we forget that we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God?


There is an email that I recently received that really has made me take inventory of myself. I would like to share it with you:

One night in a church service a young woman felt the tug of God at her heart. She responded to God's call and accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior. The young woman had a very rough past, involving alcohol, drugs, and prostitution. The change in her was evident. As time went on she became a faithful member of the church. She eventually became involved in the ministry of teaching young children. It wasn't very long until this faithful young woman had caught the eye and heart of the pastor's son. The relationship grew and they began to make wedding plans.

This is when the problems began. You see, about half of the church did not think that a woman with a past such as hers was suitable for a pastor's son. The church began to fight about the matter. So they decided to have a meeting. As the people made their arguments and tensions increased, the meeting was getting completely out of hand. The young woman became very upset about all the things being brought up about her past.

As she began to cry, the pastor's son stood to speak. He could not bear the pain it was causing his wife to be. He began to speak and his statement was this: “My fiancé's past is not what is on trial here. What you are questioning is the ability of the blood of Jesus to wash away sin. Today you have put the blood of Jesus on trial. So, does it wash away sin or not?"

The whole church began to weep as they realized that they had been slandering the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Too often, even as Christians we bring up the past and use it as a weapon against our brothers and sisters. Forgiveness is a very foundational part of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. If the blood of Jesus does not cleanse the other person completely then it cannot cleanse us completely. If that is the case, then we are all in a lot of trouble.

Far too often, we who have been saved forget that we have a past. Our past certainly was not without sin. Romans 3:23 makes that very clear. We all have sinned. David speaks of the sin nature we have in Psalms 51:5. He says “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” Everyone of us is infected with sin as a result of the original sin in the Garden of Eden by our mother Eve and our father Adam. We can't escape the curse of sin. It is in us at birth. We are born with AIDS (all in deep sin) and with HIV (Hell in view). Since we are born this way, why are we so judgmental? We all are in need of a cure.

The cure is Jesus. It is His precious blood that was shed for our sins. The crown of thorns pressed into His head so His precious blood could cleanse our evil thoughts. The nails in His hand so His precious blood could cleanse our evil touch. The piercing in His side so His precious blood could cleanse our strange affections. The nails in His feet so His precious blood could cleanse our evil walk. It is the blood of Jesus that has washed away the multitude of our sins. Why then are we putting His precious blood on trial simply because we want to put ourselves in the position to judge people? The blood of Jesus was shed to cover all of our sins!

Next time you decide to examine someone, examine yourself. Next time you decide to judge someone, judge yourself. If you spend more time in self-examination and judging yourself, you won't have time to judge others. If by chance, you find yourself judging others, keep in mind that you are putting the blood of Jesus on trial. You are questioning whether or not sin was conquered on the cross and whether or not the blood of Jesus washes away our sins.

We often sing a song with these words - What can wash away my sins, nothing but the blood of Jesus; What can make me whole again, nothing but the blood of Jesus; O precious is the flow that makes me white as snow; no other fount I know, nothing but the blood of Jesus. We need to remember, if the blood of Jesus doesn't cleanse the other person completely then it cannot cleanse us completely. If that is the case, then we are all in a lot of trouble.

Just Keeping It Real!

Reverend Dr. Henry Johnson
6 December 2002
doctorj@praisenet.org
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