In Numbers 19 God shows us that if a man touches a dead body, he is defiled and must cleanse himself with the ashes of the red heifer. The way to apply the ashes is to put them in the running water (Num. 19:17). If a man has any impurity, the water with the ashes can be sprinkled on him, and the man will be cleansed. The work of Christ is completed. There is no need for Christ to be crucified again. Our need now is to apply the ashes to us, that is, to apply the efficacy of this work to us. The way to apply it is to mix it with the Holy Spirit. Only the work of the Holy Spirit can transfer its effectiveness over to us.
Hence, at issue today is not the work of the Lord Jesus. At issue today is the work of the Holy Spirit. There is no question about the Lord's dying for us. The question is whether or not this work has produced an effect on us, whether or not the Holy Spirit has applied the work of the Lord Jesus to us. When we confess our sins, the Holy Spirit applies the Lord's work of redemption to us. He will cause us to think of the Lord and to realize how complete His work is. The Holy Spirit reminds us in our heart of the redemptive work of the Lord. He causes us to remember and to enter into this truth. By this our heart will have peace and joy. The Holy Spirit comes and applies the work of the ashes, that is, the eternal work of the Lord Jesus, to us. The Lord has accomplished all the work. There is no need to ask for anything or to do anything. Now when we confess our sins, the Holy Spirit comes and causes us to consider this truth so that we can receive the benefits of the Lord's redemption.
Not only does the Old Testament show us the cleansing by the death of the Lord Jesus, but in the New Testament the Lord Jesus also did something to show us the same thing. John 13 shows us a picture of what a Christian should do when he sins. John 13:1 says, "Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus, knowing that His hour had come for Him to depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the uttermost." After this word, the Lord Jesus did something which shows not only His love, but His love to the uttermost. John 13 is different from John 3. John 3 is about God's initial love. John 13 is about God's uttermost love. Once God loves His children, He loves them to the uttermost.