Blood of Christ

Pastor Martin addresses the origin of the fear of God, demonstrating that it is a distinct blessing of the new covenant, not something that grows on natural Adamic soil. He expounds Jeremiah 32:38-40 to show that God pledges to put His fear into the hearts of His people, then traces how the three ingredients of the fear of God correspond to the three blessings promised in Jeremiah 31:31-34. He culminates with Psalm 130:4 — 'There is forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be feared' — showing that the discovery of forgiveness through the blood of Christ is the very thing that produces true, covenant-rooted fear of God.

Pastor Martin answers the question, by what specific activities does our great priest fulfill His task? He shows from the Old Testament Day of Atonement ritual in Leviticus 16 and its fulfillment in Hebrews that Christ's priestly work consists of two inseparable elements: oblation (the shedding of His blood) and intercession (the presentation of that blood in heaven). He argues that these must never be separated — like inhaling and exhaling, they form one complex priestly activity securing the salvation of God's people.

Pastor Martin drives to the essence of Christ's priestly sacrifice through two key texts: Hebrews 9:14 and Hebrews 7:27 — 'He offered up himself.' He unfolds Christ as both the passive substitutionary victim (Isaiah 53, 1 Peter 2:24) and the active representative priest who bound Himself to the altar with cords of love. Drawing on Hugh Martin, he shows that Christ's death was His grandest doing — not mere passive endurance but the most intense spiritual activity, through the eternal Spirit, offered to God without spot.