Wednesday, April 06, 2005

Our Bodies Have Been Washed With Pure Water

"Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for He is faithful that promised;)" Hebrews 10:22-23

This Truth is something I want you to take notice of and really hold on to, the Truth that our bodies, our flesh, have been washed with pure water. Our flesh has been cleansed by Jesus’ sacrifice as well, not just our spirits. The Blood of Jesus is so powerful that it has saved our entire person. The power of the cross and the sacrifice of Jesus saved our spirits, our souls, and even saved our bodies. "For we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones." Ephesians 5:30 Think about it, when Jesus was here manifested as a man He was constantly dealing with fleshly woes. God clearly knew we had problems with our flesh, so it only makes sense that He would do something about it. What kind of Father would keep allowing his kids to suffer at something that he had the solution to? God had the solution because He equipped Jesus with it; Jesus was able to overcome the flesh by the power of God that was within Him. Jesus was perfect because God’s Spirit birthed Him, He was One with it, and we are now born again of that very Spirit, so that we too may be one with Him.

We have read over and over again that we are the Temples of the Holy Ghost and we have seen that God proclaims that there is no fellowship between light and darkness. “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” 2 Corinthians 6:14 We have seen that God is Light and that in Him there is no darkness at all. “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is Light, and in Him is no darkness at all. 1 John 1:5 So if we are now in Him, born of Him, and if we are His Temple, and if we are now members of His flesh, of His bones, and of His body, how is it that our flesh could not be pure as well? If the Blood of Jesus did not purify our flesh, than we would not be able to house the Holy Ghost, we would not be able to have fellowship with God, and we would be divided against ourselves. Jesus said that a divided house cannot stand. "And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand." Mark 3:25 The materials that made the Ark of the Covenant weren’t anything special until the Spirit indwelled that box, and then they sure were! Well how much more effect will the Holy Spirit purify the human vessels that He now indwells?

After all that we have learned, it can only be that when we said yes to Jesus, we were made whole, our whole spirit, our whole soul, and our whole body. That is the power of the Blood of Jesus Christ! "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He that calleth you, Who also will do it." 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 God will also do it, read that again, “Who also will do it!” There are absolutely no doubts written here, read the verses before and after it, no hesitations, and no stipulations; just free and simple grace, absolute salvation through Jesus Christ.

Why is this so important to come to accept Truth? "This is the covenant I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. Having therefore, brethren boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus. By a new living way, which He hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, His flesh;" Hebrews 10:16-20 The Truth will set us free!

God wrote boldness, a-men we now have boldness, because of the Blood of our Savior Jesus. Through Christ we now have boldness to enter into the Holiest. The Blood of Jesus allows us to not just be holy, oh no, the Blood allows us to go into the holiest! The Blood gives us the ability to be completely unified with God, in constant fellowship with Him wherever He is! I don’t know about you, but most of the Christians I meet are hung up on holy, let’s move past that beginning principle and let’s go on to perfection, let’s go to holiest! The church is sin focused, we preach about the consequences of it, the destruction of it, the hurt found in it, and we never seem to get around to the Blood allowing us to have boldness to go to the holiest place. I saw this and I thought a-men Father, holy isn’t good enough, with You we need to be in the holiest and we should be bold and expect it and desire it. We can’t get there on our own, even at our best, as Jesus said that John the Baptist was. We fall short of even holy. But the least in Jesus’ Kingdom is far greater than John, with the Blood of Christ we have boldness to enter the holiest!

Greatness has been freely bestowed on us. God has placed His laws on our hearts and in our minds, and our sins are remembered no more. We have the mind of Christ, and God’s Laws are now on our minds and they are in our hearts, you see where I am going? God tells us that He remembers our sins no more. This is His New Testament Law of Liberty. “So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.” James 2:2 We are now under the Law of Grace, which means we have gained favor with God without any works, our righteousness is based on Jesus’ works not on our keeping ordinances and commandments. The Law of Liberty proclaims that Jesus has paid the price in full; this is what God has placed in our hearts and in our minds, the Law of Liberty through Jesus Christ, Grace! The Law of Love, which encompasses every other commandment. God has also empowered the Law of Forgiveness under the New Covenant, and that Law is now in our hearts and on our minds. This Law governs God, it is His desire, it is Jesus’ desire, think of the price that He paid to obtain us. Remember how David wrote that blessed is the man who God never counts his sin against him? Well that is you and I! This is in your mind, this is in your heart, its been born into you, its part of your Godly DNA. It may not be mature, but it’s in there, and faith, or maturity comes from hearing the Word. We should be as God is in this world and if He doesn’t remember, than we shouldn’t remember. As far as the East is from the West, so far should our sins be removed into the sea of forgetfulness!

The Law on our mind and in our hearts tells us that we are sanctified wholly, that Jesus preserves our whole spirit, soul, and body blameless until the day He returns. The Law of Liberty on our minds proclaims that we now have boldness and access to the holiest through the Blood of Christ! The Law in our hearts cries out that we have been washed in pure water and that our evil consciences are done away with and we have full assurance of this because Jesus is faithful to do it! The law within us teaches that we are sanctified and when any human or devil tries to bring condemnation on us, the law decrees that there is now no condemnation for us. Grace has won, and we know that we can boldly enter the holiest God has because Jesus has given us free access, and not only do we have access, which is great, we know we can boldly enter the holiest because our Father wants us to. God wants us to be in the holiest with Him. How awesome is that?

Let us draw near with full assurance; there is no way that we ever could unless God has given us what we have discussed. God doesn’t mix His Words, if He said come with full assurance; He has provided us a way to have full assurance! He hasn’t left us alone to try and do it with our own abilities, He is right there in us, as a vine is with the branches, so that we can. The new heart, which He has given us, has the complete and perfect capability to have full assurance as He has said! The Holy Ghost is with us, teaching us, strengthening us, and enabling us to come to full maturity, completely filled with the fullness of God, preserved blameless until the Day of Christ! God has spoken it, it’s the Law, and it’s in our hearts and in our minds! Glory be to God!

1 comment:

Steve Finnell said...

WASHING OF WATER? EPHESIANS 5:26 BY STEVE FINNELL

What does the washing of water found in Ephesians 5:26 mean? Should you, as a believer in Christ, look to creed books and Bible commentaries for the answer to that question or should you look to translations of the Bible for truth? Do you want to trust men or do you want to trust God's written word?

Ephesians 5:25-26...just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, (NKJV)

How did Christ sanctify and cleanse the church? The church is the body of Christ. The church is comprised of Christians. How did Christ sanctify and cleanse the church?

Ephesians 5:26 to make her holy and clean, washed by baptism and God's word;(The Living Bible- Paraphrased)

Ephesians 5:26 that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word, (KJV)

Ephesians 5:26 in order to make her holy, cleaning her with the baptismal water by the Word. (Weymouth New testament)

Ephesians 5:26 He did this to make her holy by washing her in a bath of water with the word. (Common English Bible)

Ephesians 5:26 He made the church holy by the power of his word, and he made it pure by washing it with water.(Contemporary English Version)

Ephesians 5:26 In order that he might sanctify it, purifying [it] by the washing of water by [the] word, (Darby Translation)

Ephesians 5:26 He died to make the church holy. He used the telling of the Good News to make the church clean by washing it with water. (ERV-Easy-to-Read-Version)

Ephesians 5:26 He did this to make the church holy by cleaning it, washing it using water along with the spoken words. (God's Word Translation)

Ephesians 5:26 He did this to dedicate the church to God by his word, after making it clean by washing it in water, (Good News Translation)

Ephesians 5:26 He did this to make the church holy by cleansing it, washing it using water alone with the spoken words. (Names of God Bible)

Ephesians 5:26 so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, (New American Standard Bible)

Ephesians 5:26 He did that so that he might make the church people holy, when they were washed with water by God's word. (World English N.T.)

Do you really want leave the interpretation of Ephesians 5:26 to others,why would you not read it and believe what it says?

Is God smart enough to guide men to accurately translate the Bible?

Two choices: 1. Trust God's written word, the BIBLE. or 2. Trust preachers, priests, pastors, Bible commentators, the man on the street, your friends and relatives or creed books, for the truth and nothing but the truth.

Mark 16:16 "He who believes and is baptized will be saved....(NKJV)


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