Christian Cleanness. Christians are not under the Law and its cleansing requirements, even though such Law and its customs were still in force in the days when Jesus was on earth. (Joh 11:55) The Law had “a shadow of the good things to come”; ‘the reality belongs to Christ.’ (Heb 10:1; Col 2:17) Hence, Paul wrote concerning these purification matters: “Yes, nearly all things are cleansed with blood according to the Law [Moses sprinkled the book, the people, the tent, and the vessels with blood], and unless blood is poured out no forgiveness takes place. Therefore it was necessary that the typical representations of the things in the heavens should be cleansed by these means.” “For if the blood of goats and of bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who have been defiled sanctifies to the extent of cleanness of the flesh, how much more will the blood of the Christ, who through an everlasting spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works that we may render sacred service to the living God?”—Heb 9:19-23, 13, 14. So it is the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ that cleanses Christians from all sin and unrighteousness. (1Jo 1:7, 9) Christ “loved the congregation and delivered up himself for it, that he might sanctify it, cleansing it with the bath of water by means of the word” in order for it to be spotless, holy, and without blemish, “a people peculiarly his own, zealous for fine works.” (Eph 5:25-27; Tit 2:14) Every member of this Christian congregation, therefore, should not “become forgetful of his cleansing from his sins of long ago” but should continue to manifest the fruitage of God’s spirit (2Pe 1:5-9), remembering that “every one bearing fruit he [God] cleans, that it may bear more fruit.”—Joh 15:2, 3. Christians must, therefore, maintain a high standard of physical, moral, and spiritual cleanness, guarding against “every defilement of flesh and spirit.” (2Co 7:1) In view of what Jesus said, that it is ‘not what enters a man but what comes forth from him that defiles,’ these beneficiaries of the cleansing blood of Christ place the greater emphasis on spiritual cleanliness. They maintain “a clean heart” and “a clean conscience” before God. (Mr 7:15; 1Ti 1:5; 3:9; 2Ti 1:3) To such ones with a clean conscience “all things are clean,” in contrast with faithless persons who are defiled in conscience, to whom “nothing is clean.” (Tit 1:15) Those who want to remain clean and pure in heart heed the counsel of Isaiah 52:11, which says: “Touch nothing unclean; . . . keep yourselves clean, you who are carrying the utensils of Jehovah.” (Ps 24:4; Mt 5:8) Doing this, their “hands” in a figurative sense are cleansed (Jas 4:8), and God deals with them as clean persons.—2Sa 22:27; Ps 18:26; see also Da 11:35; 12:10. On one occasion the apostle Paul, though no longer under the Law, observed the Law’s requirements by ceremonially cleansing himself at the temple. Was this inconsistent on his part? Paul did not fight against the Law or its procedures; he merely showed that obedience to it was not divinely required for Christians. Where its procedures did not violate new Christian truths, there was no real objection to doing what God had prescribed under the Law. Paul took the action he did so that he might not needlessly hinder the Jews from listening to the good news about Jesus Christ. (Ac 21:24, 26; 1Co 9:20) In a similar vein the apostle also argued that food in itself may be clean, but if his eating of it stumbled his brother, then he would refrain from eating. (Ro 14:14, 15, 20, 21; 1Co 8:13) In all of this, Paul showed a great concern for the salvation of others and did everything in his power to bring this about. He therefore could say: “I am clean from the blood of all men.”—Ac 20:26; 18:6.
Posted on: Tue, 27 Aug 2013 01:11:23 +0000
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