Cleansed to Come Home Forever

“Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Command the sons of Israel that they send away from the camp every leper and everyone having a discharge and everyone who is unclean because of a dead person. You shall send away both male and female; you shall send them outside the camp so that they will not defile their camp where I dwell in their midst.’ The sons of Israel did so and sent them outside the camp; just as the LORD had spoken to Moses, thus the sons of Israel did” (Numbers 5:1-4).

• Every leper: “When Jesus came down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him. And a leper came to Him and bowed down before Him, and said, ‘Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.’ Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, ‘I am willing; be cleansed.’ And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus said to him, ‘See that you tell no one; but go, show yourself to the priest and present the offering that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them’” (Matthew 8:1-4).
• Everyone having a discharge: “Jesus got up and began to follow him, and so did His disciples. And a woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years, came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His cloak; for she was saying to herself, ‘If I only touch His garment, I will get well.’ But Jesus turning and seeing her said, ‘Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well.’ At once the woman was made well” (Matthew 9:19-22).
• Everyone who is unclean because of a dead person: “When Jesus came into the official’s house, and saw the flute-players and the crowd in noisy disorder, He said, ‘Leave; for the girl has not died, but is asleep.’ And they began laughing at Him. But when the crowd had been sent out, He entered and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. This news spread throughout all that land” (Matthew 9:23-26).

All that makes us unclean by the standard of the Law is cleansed by the touch of the Lord Jesus Christ. Put your faith in Him and be cleansed, be whole, be lifted up; in Him we are brought home into the camp of the covenant people of God, never to leave again.

Of Cleansing and Holiness

“Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, ‘I will dwell in them and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,’ says the Lord. ‘And do not touch what is unclean; and I will welcome you. And I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to Me [Isaiah 52:11],’ Says the Lord Almighty. Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1).

“Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, ‘Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.’ And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God...the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it; and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life” (Revelation 21:9-11,23-27).

What cleanses us? It doesn’t start on the outside. In fact, cleansing the outside appearance alone is the sure recipe for hypocrisy (Matthew 23:25,26). Besides, our uncleanness doesn’t start on the outside (Mark 7:18-23). We continually need Christ, the Bridegroom of the Church, to cleanse us by His Word (Ephesians 5:26; cf. Ezekiel 16:9), just as He has cleansed by His blood shed on our behalf (Hebrews 9:22; 1 John 1:7,9). “And God, Who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith” (Acts 15:8,9; cf. Matthew 8:2,3; Mark 1:40,41; Luke 5:12,13; 11:39-41; Acts 10:15; 11:9).

Father, we are cleansed by the Word and blood of Your Son, applied to us by the gift of the Holy Spirit. Help us to be holy as You are holy (1 Peter 1:14-19). Give us a greater desire for You than for the things from which You have cleansed us. If it is the not the result of Your gracious cleansing, we don’t want it. If it is not Your holiness, teach us that it has no place in Your Church. Give us wisdom who know little of holiness to know it, discern it, and desire it in love and truth.