Knowing the truths in the Bible related to what transpired at our salvation is the solid foundation for our Christian life. In a previous mail, nosotros discussed the truth of God'southward forgiveness. Seeing the thoroughness of God'due south forgiveness of our sins reassures us and gives us a manner to become on.

In this post we'll discuss God's cleansing of our sins. God'south cleansing certainly applies to our feel after we're saved, but we'll focus here on the cleansing we received when nosotros were saved.

Why God'southward cleansing is needed

Since God's forgiveness of our sins is so thorough, why do nosotros need cleansing? Although God'southward forgiveness abolished our record of sin and freed us from the penalty of sins, the stains of sin remained with us.

Earlier we were saved, we were filthy before God in our spoken language, our actions, and the thoughts of our eye. Our mouth was unclean with utterances like cursing, lies, obscenities, slander, and mean expressions. We spoke this way because our heart was unclean, for Matthew 12:34 says, "Out of the affluence of the heart, the mouth speaks." Our deeds were filthy, and Paul states in Romans half dozen:19 that we presented the members of our body "as slaves to uncleanness."

Not only so, in God'southward optics even our proficient works were filthy, for Isaiah 64:6 tells us "All of us became like him who is unclean, and all our righteousnesses are like a soiled garment."

Sin left its ugly stain on the states. Nosotros desperately needed God'due south cleansing!

When did God cleanse abroad our sins?

The moment we believed, God both forgave us and cleansed united states of america, as we meet in 1 John i:9:

"He is faithful and righteous to forgive the states our sins and cleanse us from unrighteousness."

God's cleansing accompanies his forgiveness. We never have to wonder whether God however sees the stain of sin on us. He done it away.

How effective is God's cleansing?

We might wonder, is it possible that all the stains of my sins were done away? Does any tinge remain with me?

Two verses in the Old Testament show u.s.a. the ability of God'southward cleansing:

Psalm 51:7—"Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snowfall"

Isaiah 1:18—"Though your sins be as blood-red, they shall be as white equally snowfall; though they exist red similar red, they shall be as wool."

God washes away the stains from our sinful by and then absolutely that we're made equally white equally snow and as wool, which are not dyed white but naturally white. God cleanses the traces of sin from usa so securely, nosotros're every bit clean and white every bit if we had never sinned! His cleansing is utterly effective.

How God cleanses us

God cleanses usa in 2 ways.

1. By the blood of Jesus—to cleanse united states of america of our beliefs and deeds

Hebrews one:3, tells us Jesus, "having fabricated purification of sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high."

Jesus accomplished this purification past shedding His blood on the cantankerous. When nosotros believe in Him, that purification of sins becomes ours, and the stains of our sins are cleansed away from usa.

The claret of Jesus cleanses fifty-fifty our conscience, the leading office of our human spirit. Hebrews 9:14 says,

"How much more volition the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, purify our censor from dead works to serve the living God?"

Previously, our conscience was defiled with sins. But God cleanses our conscience so information technology no longer condemns us of our sins, and we can serve our living God.

2. By life—to deliver u.s.a. from our filthy life and nature

Titus 3:v says, "Non out of works in righteousness which we did simply according to His mercy He saved u.s.a., through the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit."

In regeneration we received God'south life, then the washing of regeneration is a washing of life.

The annotation on regeneration in the New Attestation Recovery Version explains this washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, which go together:

"… Here it [the Greek word for regeneration] refers to a change from i state to another. Existence built-in again is the commencing of this alter. The washing of regeneration begins with our being born again and continues with the renewing of the Holy Spirit equally the process of God's new creation, a process that makes us a new man. It is a kind of reconditioning, remaking, or remodeling, with life. Baptism (Rom. half dozen:3-v), the putting off of the old human being, the putting on of the new man (Eph. 4:22, 24; Col. 3:9-11), and transformation by the renewing of the mind (Rom. 12:ii; Eph. 4:23) are all related to this wonderful process."

We're now in this wonderful process of being washed by the divine life of God and renewed by the Holy Spirit until we become a new creation, a new man. The note continues, explaining what washing and renewing do in united states:

"The washing of regeneration purges away all the things of the former nature of our one-time man, and the renewing of the Holy Spirit imparts something new—the divine essence of the new man—into our existence. In this is a passing from our old state into a wholly new one, from the one-time creation into the condition of a new creation. Hence, both the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit are working in united states continually throughout our life until the completion of the new creation."

God's cleansing is much more than we could accept imagined!

Knowing the truth of God'southward forgiveness and cleansing

We needn't exist haunted by the sins of our past. The Bible assures the states we received the precious blessings of God'due south forgiveness and cleansing when we were saved. Being equipped with the cognition of these blessings unburdens us of lingering fears virtually our sins. God took care of them all.

How about after we're saved? Nosotros go along to experience God's forgiveness and cleansing past confessing our sins to Him to restore our fellowship with God. And we can cooperate with His cleansing of our inward nature by His life by contacting Him in our spirit and enjoying His life in the Word.

Praise the Lord for God's forgiveness and cleansing!

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