GETTING CLEANED UP SOME MORE

(Continuing from yesterday’s Journal entry)

The apostle Paul wrote, “Husbands love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her; that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word” (Ephesians 5:25-26). All of this ‘cleansing’ by water, and even the ‘water of the word’ are to understand the content of the word. The content is this, and completely this, “‘By this we know we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all.” And, “For by one offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” And, “How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of Man, and regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which He was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace.” And, ‘’Jesus, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood” (Hebrews 10:10; 14,29; 13:10). That is the content and context of the word for cleansing. Blood cleanses. Water washes the word into the cleansed person. The word washes into every struggling corner of our mind and conscience and cleans out the impurity. We are clean by the blood of Jesus, but sanctification is the on going and forever washing with the word into those areas that are less than pure and perfect. Thanks to grace.

“I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” Jesus