What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Oh! precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

For my pardon, this I see,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
For my cleansing this my plea,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Oh! precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Nothing can for sin atone,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
Naught of good that I have done,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Oh! precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

This is all my hope and peace,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
This is all my righteousness,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Oh! precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Now by this I’ll overcome—
Nothing but the blood of Jesus,
Now by this I’ll reach my home—
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Oh! precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Glory! Glory! This I sing —
Nothing but the blood of Jesus,
All my praise for this I bring—
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Oh! precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Words and Music by Robert Lowry, 1876

 

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But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.
Philippians 3:7 – 9

In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
Hebrews 9:22

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace
Ephesians 1:7

But 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

Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.
Isaiah 1:18

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I’m sure you have heard the proverb. There is more than one way to skin a cat. While I’m not exactly sure of the origins of this phrase, I know it means that there is always another way to do something. People all over the world know this, even if they have not heard the proverb. After all, we are always looking for an easier way to reach our end goal. And for the most part, this is true, but not always. That, of course, is what makes this a proverb and not a statement of fact.

So it is with knowing God and drawing near to Him. We are always looking for how to put ourselves “in God’s good graces.” What extra can I do? What can make up for my mistakes? How can I make God love me? When we look around, we find lots of answers to these questions, but the fact is,there is only one answer. This is the question found in the old gospel hymn, “Nothing But The Blood of Jesus.

Robert Lowry does not hesitate to lay out the question from the start. He writes, “What can take away my sin?” This is the ultimate question that each of ask. How can I stand before God? How can I make myself right?

Lowry answers his own question with the words “nothing but the blood of Jesus.” The blood is both joyous and sorrowful. It is a dark reminder of the sacrifice that Christ made on the Cross. That he gave his life to pay the price for the sins of man. (Romans 4:25) It was the only way.

We see the need of the blood of Jesus when we read, “the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” (Hebrews 9:22) And we go on to read in Ephesians 1:7, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.”

No, “nothing can for sin atone . . . Naught of good that I have done.: This is why the Paul writes in Philippians 3:7 – 9 that, “whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.”

And so we see that this same blood is a source of joy, for by it we are made righteous. This is found through faith in the new covenant in the blood of Jesus. As Jesus, himself said in Matthew 26:28, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

It is the Blood of Jesus alone that opens the door. It is the blood of Jesus alone that can forgive our sins. It is the blood of Jesus alone that can bestow on us righteousness. It is the blood of Jesus alone that allows us to stand before God.

Yes, when we have put our faith in Jesus, when we have trusted in His blood, then and only then can we truly sing the words, “Oh! Precious is the flow That makes me white as snow; No other fount I know, Nothing but the blood of Jesus.”

 

 

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