Every week, I listen to the sermon podcasts of several well-known preachers. Most of these sermons are very “practical and relevant.” I disagree with very little that is said. However, it occurred to me, something very important is missing from these sermons…blood. Essentially, many preachers have sanitized their theology so much that there is very little talk about the blood of Christ.

Sanitized Theology

That’s probably because people want “practical” lessons. Many church-goers don’t want to hear a bunch of theological mumbo-jumbo about “sanctification, justification, reconciliation, and redemption.” People love to talk about the life of Jesus, but the gory details of salvation are often left out of the discussion entirely.

May I remind us that without the blood, there is nothing. If we sanitize the blood out of Christianity, there is nothing left. Christianity is not a philosophy. The New Testament is a not a self-help book. The principles of the New Testament are meaningless if the cross of Christ is removed from the equation.

Don’t get me wrong, we need practical, relevant, and “how to” lessons. But even the most practical sermons need to be drenched in the blood and point to the cross!

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 2:1–5, “And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”

This isn’t just for preachers, you know. Every Christian needs to understand, the heart of Christianity isn’t teachings about how to be a good person. At the heart of Christianity is God, in human flesh, hanging bloody on a cross. The question isn’t, “Have you figured out the philosophy of Christianity?” The question is, “Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb (Romans 6)?”

Never forget that the power is in the blood (Hebrews 9)!

I love you and the God who died for you loves you,

Wes McAdams

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