Biblical Cleansing

SCRIPTURE READING: Psalm 19; 1John 1

Biblical Cleansing

1Corinthians 6:11

 Sin has tainted all of mankind. Indeed, sin has even ruined mankind. As a race, we are broken, depraved, and destroyed. As individuals, we are each of us lost, undone, and even dead spiritually. The state or condition of men is sometimes referred to in the Scriptures as “Filthy” or “Unclean.” The spiritual condition of man is often referred to as “Sick” or “Diseased.” We each have a great need for Cleansing! It does us no good to clean ourselves after the flesh – washing our hands will not attain any eternal or spiritual good! All of the moral cleansing, or the religious cleansing will also not avail us of Heaven. We each need the Cleansing that is described for us and provided for us in the Holy Word of God. We need Biblical Cleansing. We need the cleansing of the Word – both the Incarnate and the Written Word!

The Cleansing that Comes from God

 The Cleansing that Comes from God, is something that is necessary in the life of any Child of God. In fact, I can say without hesitation that no human being can be considered a Child of God without the Cleansing that Comes from God. Men are Dirty.Only God is able to fully Cleanse men from their own Filthiness. The World is Dirty. Our Focus must be on something or Someone not of this world, in order that we might be Cleansed from it. Only a Cleansing Power greater than, and fundamentally different from this world, can save us, cleanse us, and make us whole. Sin is Dirty. The Law of God, and broken man’s attempted obedience unto It, reveals to us that the filth and contamination of sin cannot be removed through works or deeds of men. In the end, and in order to be saved, men must turn unto God, and cry out unto Him to do what needs to be done. He alone can save us from Satan, sin, and self! He alone can cleanse us from the Damning powers and filth of sin! Job 15:14-16; Ps. 14:2-3; 53:2-3; 19:12-13; Ezek. 36:24-27; 37:22-23; 1Jn. 2:15-16; Jn. 17:6, 14-17; Ps. 51:2; 1Jn. 1:7

The Cleansing that Men must Perform

      There is a responsibility to be Clean that is laid upon us. Our God is Naturally Clean and Holy. Men are naturally Dirty and unrighteous. It is in His Word that we are exposed to Righteousness and are made Clean.It should be our desire to Cleanse ourselves, and to Consecrate ourselves, and to set ourselves apart for the work of the Lord. Would you desire to be used of the Lord in the Service of the King? Well, the Lord will not use you to your full potential, nor will he fully bless the use of any individual, if you are not Cleansed and Set Apart and Sanctified to His Use. Perhaps we can say that the Glory of God is Greater when His Tools that He makes use of are clearly understood to be His Tools. The world will know, and will see His Hand at work, even as He makes use of vile, imperfect men, who are made clean in the service of the Lord. Ja. 4:8; Ps. 19:7-9;  1Chron. 29:5; 2Cor. 7:1

Conclusion

 The servant who is first Cleansed in an Eternal sense, in the Blood of Jesus Christ, and in the Saving Power of God, must still maintain cleanliness, and must still be washed and set apart on a regular basis, so that he can be cleansed from the defilement of sin, and the contamination of the flesh. Every confession of sin, is a profession that we need Jesus Christ, and that we are trusting His Blood to cleanse us - from sins past and future. Even though Jesus Christ and His Cleansing is Eternally Effective, we find that the Cleansing that we seek to accomplish is not so long lasting. And even though the Cleansing that Jesus Christ has performed only needed to be done once, we need to oftentimes Confess and be Cleansed from sin. Heb. 9:24-28; 10:11-14; Jn. 13:5-11; 2Pet.2:7-8; Heb. 12:1; Rev. 22:11