Covered Was Good, Washed Is Better

Accepting Christ as Savior, being Saved or Salvation keeps believers from eternal separation from God in a real, horrible, but deserving afterlife. However, salvation does not keep Christians from sinning. The encounter that we have had with Jesus should spur us to not only live a sin-less lifestyle, but to become a new creature in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).

The price for this salvation was the highest - the life's blood of God's Word, made flesh - Christ Jesus. From before the beginning, God's plan started with a demand for blood (1 Peter 1:19-20; Revelation13:8; Ephesians 1:4). Hebrews 9:22 references Leviticus 17:11 as it says,

"In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness."

Before Jesus arrived on the scene, many times during each day the priests of Israel had to present blood offerings on the altar for sins committed in the Israelite camp. In addition, one particular day, the Day of Atonement, was set aside for the nation and called for the Chief Priest to present blood of the proper animal on the Mercy Seat of the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies. These presentations of blood were coverings. (Leviticus 1-7 and 16)

Though the coverings were good, they were temporary until the next required killing, sacrifice and presentation for sins. The earlier mentioned Leviticus 17:11 passage spells out the need for this requirement -

"For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life."

David had an appreciation for God's covering forgiveness when he recorded Psalm 32:1 - 

"Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered." 

Then in Psalm 51, the entire song speaks to a greater forgiveness to come.

In addition, a real-life illustration that foreshadowed the ultimate blood sacrifice of Christ was Abraham taking his only son Isaac to sacrifice him in obedience to God. But The Lord stayed Abraham's hand and supplied a substitute sacrifice in the boy's place - a ram (Genesis 22). 

Because the payment of sin is death (Romans 6:23), humanity carries their own cross and/or wage(s) to pay for the void between God and man. But the payment by anyone other than The Messiah cannot restore The Relationship. A perfect, sinless, ransom sacrifice is required and none fit that bill except The Son of God, Christ Jesus (Romans 3:23; Ps. 49:7-8; 1 Peter 1:18-19; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15).

Jesus paid it all. When His blood was spilled with the beatings, whippings, crucifixion and spearing - Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, did more than just sprinkle blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel (Hebrews 12:24). His blood washes the believer's history of rebellion or sin away - "as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." (Ps. 103:12) - and that is David speaking prophetically.

After one takes a shower, do you think a normal individual would immediately seek out the most wet, muddiest, filthiest, grimiest - hole in the ground to roll around in with their body? I venture not, with all the potential harm that could be found within.

How about someone who gets over a sickness or disease after a long battle with it - do you think they throw away their medications, stop their exercises, cancel their doctor visits, stop watching their diet and simply have a total disregard for their health? This is not rational and goes along the same mentality of keeping a Christian lifestyle once an individual has accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord.

The belief in Jesus is not just a covering, like in the Old Testament, where you have to come back to God again and again with a sacrifice every time you sin. No, the Christian's past, present and future is made secure through faith in the completed work of Christ. 

Our sin afterward does not threaten the believer's salvation but our rebellion or disobedience will certainly influence the Christian's relationship with God - communication and blessings as a start. The remedy is to "confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed." ("James 5:16)

The writer of Hebrews states -

"He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy." (Hebrews 10:9-14)

Notice the end of the Hebrews 10 passage - "For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy." Christ's death on the cross ("For by one sacrifice") has secured for eternity ("he has made perfect forever") people who have accepted Christ, declare Christ and show Christ through a developmental lifestyle ("those who are being made holy"), a work in progress.

Therefore, our responsibility upon immediately accepting Christ as our Savior is to have our lifestyle and deeds display our choice to follow Jesus. John says, "if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." (1 John 1:7) 

Believers in Christ have a complete and finished washing of the blood of Jesus, through faith in His finished work on the cross and His victory over death, Hell and the grave. Revelation 1:5 trumpets this by saying - "To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood,". 

In addition, not only does God wash us with His Son's blood, He also washes believers with Christ's name and Spirit - a thorough cleansing - 

"But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." (1 Corinthians 6:11)

His blood is active even after His initial Saving Grace. 

"Our transformed lives become proof that grace isn’t just a rescue—it’s a work of God that turns brokenness into beauty, death into life, and ordinary people into living testimonies of God’s power." [https://www.compellingtruth.org/forgiven-why-not-sin.html] 

His blood continues to act as a purifying agent keeping us from sinful traps as long as we do our part and "walk in the light" showing the world and our own family that Covered Was Good, Washed Is Better.