Many people make an adventure into the Christian religion and later withdraw or else enter into a stagnated experience. There is a reason for this sorrowful effort. Some go the first mile of receiving Jesus Christ as their personal Savior but have not applied for, received,and retained the Holy Spirit. The first requirement for receiving the Holy Spirit is to be a Christian. Next the new Christian should ask for the Holy Spirit. The candidate for the Holy Spirit must consecrate himself to the will of God and to the usage of the Holy Spirit. When a sinner comes to Christ, he most of the time is not ready to consecrate himself to the service of God. He needs and seeks forgiveness for sins, afterwards he naturally desires to give himself to God for Christian service. He is then ready to ask for the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God will not inhabit an unclean and rebellious body. The body must be clean and consecrated. This means that self must be surrendered and placed at the disposal of the Holy Spirit. Next comes the act of faith. After asking for the Holy Spirit and consecrating yourself to God, then accept by faith that God's promises are sure. There is no greater blessing that God desires to give his children than the Holy Spirit. The formula to receiving the Spirit is known, recognize your need, walk in the truth you know, yield yourself to God, seek the Holy Spirit in praying and asking, then accept him by faith. The Holy Spirit will come and what a difference he will make.
Access to the Father
Christ's shed blood also makes possible our access to the very throne of God the Father. Under the Old Covenant only the high priest could enter the area of the tabernacle known as the Holiest of All (Hebrews 9:6-10). The "mercy seat" positioned there represented God's throne. Leviticus 16 describes the ceremony that took place each year on another Holy Day, the Day of Atonement. At that time the high priest took the blood of a goat, representing the future sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and sprinkled it on the mercy seat so the Israelites could be symbolically cleansed of all their sins (verses 15-16).
Because the blood of Jesus Christ removes sin, making us pure before God, we can enjoy direct access to the Father (Hebrews 9:24). Jesus, as our High Priest, entered into the Most Holy Place through His own blood (Hebrews 9:11-12). We can now approach God the Father without hesitation or fear of rejection, but with confidence and assurance (Hebrews 10:19-22).
Hebrews 4:16 speaks of the confidence we can have when we approach God: "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Jesus Christ makes it possible for us to experience this intimate relationship with our Father.
A relationship leading to a new way of life
The Passover bread reminds us of the close relationship Christians have with Jesus Christ. In Romans 6:1-6 Paul shows that, once we are symbolically united with Christ in death through baptism, "we should no longer be slaves of sin" but "should walk in newness of life." Eating the bread demonstrates our commitment to allow Christ to live in us.
The apostle Paul describes this uniting with Christ in Galatians 2:20: "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." Paul understood that pursuing his own ways was no longer his life's focus. His relationship with Jesus Christ became supremely important to him.
The apostle John tells us what Christ expects of us in our relationship with Him: "Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments ... He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked" (1 John 2:3-6).
The Passover bread reinforces our understanding that Jesus Christ, the true "bread of life," must live within us, enabling us to live an entirely new life. God forgives our sins to sanctify us—to continue to set us apart for a holy purpose, to redeem us (that is, purchase us for a price). We now belong to God so He can fulfill His purpose in us.
