The Better Word Spoken

Posted on by Jennifer Arimborgo

Cross at sunrise

“You have come… to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel” (Heb. 12:22-24, ESV).

What did the blood of Abel speak? It cried out in condemnation of Cain. Cain lived out the rest of his days under the dark, heavy cloud of condemnation.

Have you every struggled under the suffocating weight of condemnation? I know I have! You and I may not have shed innocent blood. Regardless, inside our souls, every one of us has heard the voice of condemnation crying out against us. Within our minds, within our hearts, that menacing voice has trumpeted the message of our failures. That voice has sat down oppressively upon our emotions and eaten mercilessly away at our joy.

But you have come. Oh, what glorious news! You have come… to the new covenant Jesus mediated for you. You have come… to the sprinkled blood that speaks an immeasurably better word than the hostile voice of accusation.

The blood of Jesus has its own breathtaking voice. Its voice is louder, better, and exceedingly more powerful than the ugly mutters of condemnation in our souls. Its voice is superior in every way. The blood of Jesus ALWAYS overwhelmingly trumps the voice of the accuser.

Have you ever read the story of the bronze snake? In the desert, the stricken Israelites had merely to look up at that snake Moses had hung on a pole. In doing so, they were saved from their affliction (Num. 21:9). That snake typified how Jesus would become a curse for us as He hung on the cross. Do you deeply understand that He hung there to redeem us from the curse of our condemnation? When we simply look up to Him, His gaze meets ours, and we, too, are instantly saved from our affliction (Gal. 3:13).

Look to Him now. Find the forgiveness in His eyes. Do you see it there? Find the mercy. Find the cleansing. It’s there. It’s for you. It’s available this very moment. Immediately. There’s no price you need to pay. He’s already paid it. Drink in the provision of His sacrifice. Receive it, precious child.

Listen. Listen as His blood proclaims this prevailing word over you: “It is finished! Once and for all… you are made holy, righteous, blameless in My sight. Right now, My precious blood washes your iniquity and your shame away. I have made your spirit perfect. I have purchased and sealed you with My very own life’s blood. You are Mine… forever Mine!”

Even right now, look to Him! “Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame” (Ps. 34:5, NIV).

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Revelation 12:11 says that we overcome the accuser by the blood of the Lamb. In practical terms, how do you apply this verse? What steps do you take to overcome the accuser’s voice when it tries to come against you?

Would you enjoy listening to an audio version of this post? Here it is! (Also available on iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher — I have been releasing these weekly, but they don’t always coincide with the written posts, so make sure and subscribe on one of those three platforms if you’d like to hear them regularly!)

 

25 thoughts on “The Better Word Spoken”

  6. Concerning your Revelation question, I think it’s a matter of focus. Satan can’t accuse us of anything God doesn’t already know about, so the best thing we can say to Satan is “shut up and sit down!” When we fail Him, we won’t achieve the needed reconciliation if our focus is anywhere other than on the face of the Almighty. Hey, if Peter had maintained his focus on Jesus, he would have walked a mile on the water! 🙂 Mike

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  8. When we hear those thoughts of condemnation, we can be sure that these are not coming from God. When we are following the Lord closely, He still corrects us if we need correction, but in a loving and gentle manner that is very different from the voice of “The Accuser”.

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  9. I just now considered that it wasn’t because he was the final sacrifice God would ever require again the Jesus went to the cross. It wasn’t just his “job.” It was because he now UNDERSTOOD, as flesh and blood, that it really was that hard to be sacrificial in our own strength.

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  12. Thank you. Covered over by the Blood of Christ we the children of the New Covenant can boldly come to the Throne-room of Heaven. This is the free Gift of Grace. Follow Christ and let the Spirit ever mould us into His Image. Imperfect people yet ever being changed. Blessings and thank you for your beautiful and encouraging blog.

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  13. Pingback: This is His Covenant, Mediated for You | Christianity 201

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