He appeared once in the end of the age to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. That work is finished. It can never be added to, nor taken away from. Its value does not change. But the Spirit of God works in us to show us our need of it: makes us see that we are sinners, that we are lost in ourselves; leads us (perhaps by deep and painful convictions) to the sense that there is no good in us, that when even to will is present with us, how to perform that which is good we find not.
We find not only that we have sinned, but that there is a law of sin in our members, warring against the law of our mind, and bringing us into captivity to the law of sin in our members. But when—really humbled about this, and convicted in our hearts, removing all pretensions of righteousness in ourselves—we turn to Christ, we find that He has died for this very condition. He has been a sacrifice for sin, as well as for the sins that burdened us. He has been made sin for us, and has put it away for us by the sacrifice of Himself.
Thus we get peace and liberty of heart before God, because the sin is put away between us and Him. Christ has made full expiation. Sin does not exist as between God and us.
When He looks on the blood of Christ He cannot see sin in the believer, because when Christ shed that blood He put away our sin. Thus we get liberty and power too; because submitting thus to the righteousness of God, having Christ for our righteousness, we are sealed with the Spirit, which gives us power and shows us Christ. In believing in Him we get peace, strength and joy, and are able to glorify Him.
“Seek ye the LORD while He
may be found, call ye
upon him while He
is near.”