If God sees only the blood of Christ when He looks at us then it no longer matters whether we bear fruit. We remain in the vine because God cannot see whether or not we are bearing fruit.

There is no neglecting of our salvation because we are covered with the blood, so what is there to neglect?

There is no drawing back to destruction because whether we press forward or draw back is not important. God sees us only through the blood.

There is nothing to overcome. Christ has done it all for us.

There is no need to pray or meditate in the Scriptures. In fact, most of the Scriptures no longer apply.

There is no need for repentance. Of what are we to repent? Are we to attempt to improve on the righteousness of the blood of Christ?

The old covenant demanded righteous behavior. The new covenant demands only that we make a formal statement concerning our belief in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice. From then on we can rest in the fact that no matter what we do, God sees only the righteousness of His Son.

It appears likely that this covering will last throughout eternity such that the new Jerusalem will be populated by sinful, disobedient people whom God sees as righteous with the righteousness of Christ.

The Lamb of God never took away the sin of the world. In the case of His followers He concealed the sin so God could not see it and judge it.

This is what is preached today. It is not always drawn down as fine as this, but this basically is what is believed. It is a masterpiece of satanic deception.

The blood of the cross is the centerpiece of the Christian salvation. The blood of the cross cancels the guilt of our sin by balancing the scales of Divine justice. The blood of the cross enables us to walk before God without condemnation provided we are obeying the law of the Spirit of Life; as long as through the Spirit of God we are overcoming the passions of our evil nature.

The blood of the cross makes it possible for us to be cleansed from all unrighteousness as we confess our sins.

The body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ are the food we must eat and drink continually, in the spirit realm, if we are to have eternal life; if we are to be caught up to the slain Lamb when He appears in the sky.

But it is not true that we are "under the blood," except in the sense that as we live in the light of God's perfect will the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanses us from all unrighteousness.

How is this different from what is preached today? It is different in that today we are claiming that no matter how we live, God cannot see us because we are covered with the blood of Christ. But the Scripture teaches differently. It teaches that as we walk in the light of God's will, which includes confessing our sins when the Spirit of God points them out to us, the blood atonement keeps us in a righteous state because we are walking in obedience to the Lord.

We are not covered by the blood, except in the above sense.

God does not see us through the blood, except in the above sense.

What appears to be an innocent and holy concept completely destroys the work of moral transformation, the bringing forth of a new creation, that is the purpose of the new covenant.

How do these time-honored traditions destroy the work of moral transformation?

The idea that we are screened from God's sight by the blood of Jesus makes it possible for us to live however we please with the assurance we will hear nothing negative at the Judgment Seat of Christ—the Judgment Seat concerning which Paul knew the terror of the Lord.

To be continued.