His blood can make the foulest clean, His blood availed
for me.
---Charles Wesley, 1739
I have been singing this hymn for most of my life, and other
Christians have been singing it since, well, the mid-1700s when Charles Wesley
composed the text. You can imagine, then, how surprised I was by something new
speaking to me from this page of the hymnal.
I believe most of us are familiar with the idea that
Christ’s sacrifice has freed us from, and forgiven us for, our sins. This act
of Christ’s has removed the separation between us and God. Look closer with me
at the first phrase of the selected verse: He breaks the power of canceled sin. Now I am thinking, what is the power of sin, if it has been canceled by Christ? For me, the power of canceled sin in our
lives is guilt, and the inability to really believe in Christ’s power to
forgive. With the memory of sin, its shadow, hanging over our heads, we continue to live as
sinful, and therefore separated
beings.
And friends, living in the shadow of canceled sin, in guilt, is in no way living as free people. In a way, guilt
is more of a prison than sin ever was---because,
brothers and sisters, we sit in cells with unlocked doors, steadfastly refusing
to step out into the freedom of forgiveness. By letting guilt exercise its
death-grip on our hearts, we hold ourselves hostage.
But we have a great Redeemer. Our gracious Master has not only broken the power of active sin in our lives, but also the power of canceled sin. We are free from sin…and guilt. We
are free.
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