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The following blog is a summary of a message preached by Pastor Doc Shell.

Watch the Sermon HERE!

Many Christians find themselves stuck in a cycle of trying harder, doing more, and never quite feeling like they measure up. But the Bible points to something far better. The finished work of Jesus on the cross is not just a starting point for your faith. It is the foundation you are meant to build your entire life upon.

Why Do So Many Christians Feel Like They Are Never Enough?

It is a common experience. You have a bad day, fail in some area, or feel the weight of your own shortcomings. Then, almost automatically, you shift into a mode of spiritual penance. You tell yourself that if you read your Bible more, pray longer, give more, or witness more, you will eventually feel good enough to come back into God's presence.

After a few days of effort, you feel like you have done enough. Then the cycle starts again.

This is not what Scripture teaches. It is a religious treadmill, and it is exhausting. The only thing that makes you right before God is being born again through the Spirit, forgiven by the shed blood of Jesus Christ. That is where your salvation is anchored, and it never changes.

What Does the Bible Say About the Power of Christ's Blood?

Hebrews 9:13-14 draws a direct comparison between the Old Testament sacrificial system and what Jesus accomplished:

"For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" - Hebrews 9:13-14

Under the Old Covenant, sacrifices had to be repeated constantly. They were shadows pointing to something greater. Jesus is that something greater. His sacrifice was not temporary. It was final, perfect, and never to be repeated.

As Hebrews 10:14 states: "For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified." - Hebrews 10:14

Four Truths About What the Cross Accomplished

1. The Purchasing: You Were Bought at an Incredible Price

When Jesus died on the cross, He was purchasing your salvation. This is not a metaphor. You were redeemed, bought out of bondage at the highest possible cost.

"Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." - 1 Peter 1:18-19

Paul echoes this in 1 Corinthians:

"Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your Spirit, which are God's." - 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Consider this: a fisherman in the Philippines discovered what he thought was an unusual stone under his boat's anchor. He kept it under his bed for ten years, rubbing it for good luck. When he finally had it examined, it turned out to be the largest naturally formed pearl ever discovered, valued at over $100 million. He had no idea what he had.

Many believers are in the same position. The Spirit of the living God dwells inside of you. His blood was shed so you could have salvation. It is already yours. Already bought. Already paid for.

2. The Pardoning: Your Sins Are Forgiven, Not Just Paused

When you came to Christ, you were not released on bail. You were pardoned. There is a significant difference.

"He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins." - Colossians 1:13-14

A pardon means the charges are dropped. The judgment has been satisfied. You are declared not guilty. Jesus did not simply let you off the hook. He got on the hook in your place. He bore God's wrath for your sin so that you would never have to.

This pardoning brings a threefold deliverance:

  • Freedom from the penalty of sin (Justification): The wages of sin is death, but Jesus paid that wage in full. Your judicial standing before a holy God is righteousness, because of the blood of Christ. Just as if you had never sinned.
  • Freedom from the power of sin (Sanctification): In His resurrection, Jesus imparted His life-giving Spirit to you. As Galatians 2:20 says, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." - Galatians 2:20. Through the Holy Spirit, you now have power over sin.
  • Freedom from the presence of sin (Glorification): One day, when Jesus returns, there will be no more sin, sickness, sorrow, or pain. The former things will pass away. God is committed to completing what He started in you. "He who has begun a good work in you will complete it." - Philippians 1:6

3. The Purging: A Cleansed Conscience to Serve God Freely

The blood of Jesus does not just cover sin. It cleanses. It purges. It removes the infection so you can walk in the light.

Hebrews 10 makes clear that the repeated sacrifices of the Old Testament could never make the worshiper perfect. But the blood of Jesus cleanses your conscience so thoroughly that you no longer have to live with a constant awareness of guilt and condemnation.

This does not mean sin is a light thing. It cost Jesus His life. But it does mean you are not meant to live in a sin-focused state, always afraid you have done something wrong, always wondering if God will hear your prayer.

When you miss the mark, the response is simple and immediate. Agree with God about it. Confess it. Step back into the light. Thank Him that the blood of Jesus cleanses you. Then move forward. You do not need three or four days of spiritual penance before you can feel close to God again. You are His child. You already have access.

4. The Positioning: You Have Bold Access to God

Because of what Jesus accomplished, your position before God has completely changed. You are not a stranger hoping to be heard. You are a child approaching a Father.

"Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus... let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." - Hebrews 10:19, 22

This is the invitation. Full assurance. Bold access. Not because of your performance, but because of His blood.

What Should You Stop Focusing On?

There are three areas where misplaced focus can quietly derail your faith:

  • Too much sin-consciousness: Being so afraid of doing something wrong that you never fully give your heart to doing what is right. The enemy loves to keep you dredging up past failures, making you feel worthless and unusable.
  • Too much Satan-consciousness: Focusing so heavily on what the enemy is doing that you miss what God is calling you to. Deal with the devil when he gets in the way. Otherwise, keep your eyes on Jesus.
  • Too much self-consciousness: Relying on your own moral strength and willpower rather than the grace of God. You cannot crucify yourself. When Christ died, you died with Him. The more you enter into what He has done, the more self is disempowered by grace.

The call is clear. Magnify the promises of God. Praise the person of Jesus. Keep your eyes fixed on Him.

What Does It Actually Look Like to Live by Grace?

Ephesians 2:8-10 brings it all together:

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." - Ephesians 2:8-10

The same faith that saved you is the same faith that sustains you. You are not meant to white-knuckle your way through the Christian life. You are meant to receive grace, be led by the Holy Spirit, and walk in the good works God has already prepared for you. That is what makes them good works rather than dead works. They flow from who you are in Christ, not from what you are trying to prove.

Life Application

This week, make a deliberate decision to get off the performance treadmill. The next time you fail, miss the mark, or feel the weight of guilt, do not spend days trying to earn your way back into God's presence. Instead, quickly agree with God about what happened, thank Him that the blood of Jesus cleanses you, and step back into the light. Practice returning to grace quickly rather than slowly.

Ask yourself these questions as you go through the week:

  • Am I orienting my spiritual life around what Jesus has already done, or around what I still need to do to feel acceptable to God?
  • When I fail, do I run toward God or away from Him? What does my response reveal about what I actually believe about His grace?
  • Where am I relying on my own willpower or moral effort instead of humbling myself and receiving the grace God freely offers?
  • What would change in my daily life if I truly believed I am a purchased, pardoned, purged, and positioned child of God?

God is not waiting for you to do enough. He is waiting for you to trust what His Son has already done. Value the treasure of His blood. Step off the treadmill. And walk in the freedom that was purchased for you at the cross.