Christ Our Cleansing

Exodus 30:17–21 “The Lord said to Moses, “You shall also make a basin of bronze, with its stand of bronze, for washing. You shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it, with which Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet. When they go into the tent of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn a food offering to the Lord, they shall wash with water, so that they may not die. They shall wash their hands and their feet, so that they may not die. It shall be a statute forever to them, even to him and to his offspring throughout their generations.””

The basin, likely made from bronze mirrors donated by women, was used for ceremonial washing by the priests before performing their duties. This practice symbolizes purification and the importance of being spiritually clean before serving God. The Bronze Basin was used by the priests to wash their hands and feet before entering the Tent of Meeting or approaching the Altar. It foreshadows sanctification, which is the process of being made holy. In the New Testament, the mirror is a picture of the Scriptures, and we are cleansed by “the washing of water by the word.” Before we can enjoy intimate fellowship with our Creator, we must stop at the Bronze Basin!

If we wonder why this cleansing is so important, turn to 1 John. (1 John 1:5–6 “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.”)

The absolute perfection of God

It is impossible to draw near (“fellowship”) with God if we are in darkness (metaphor for sin)

Sanctified By His Sacrifice

1 John 1:7 “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”

Only the blood of Jesus can cleanse a person from their sin. The word cleanses is present tense, meaning the action is continuing to occur. Whereas we tend to emphasize the once-for-all cleansing provided by the blood of Jesus, this verse instructs us that Christ is continually involved in the sanctification process.

Further, all sin is cleansed by His blood. There is no level or type of sin that is beyond His ability to heal and forgive (key on “save to the uttermost” from Hebrews 4.)

Finally, because of His sacrifice, we have fellowship. I think there is a two-fold fellowship that happens here:

Fellowship with God — this is the framework put in the place from verse 6.

Fellowship with one another.

The blood of Christ sets us free from the mask of pretend holiness we hide behind.

Confession, which we will see in a moment, sets us free from the hypocrisy that tends to dominate the “church world.”

Fellowship with other believers requires transparency and actually fuels the growth process.

When’s the last time we were open, honest, and vulnerable enough to let Christ through His people affect change in our lives? Or, are we happy with some type of pretend Christianity that requires nothing of us other than talking the talk on a Sunday morning?

Washed By His Word

1 John 1:8 “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” And again, 1 John 1:10 “If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

We are our own best lawyers when it comes to dealing with our sin. We rationalize and downplay our rebellion toward God and, in the process, deceive ourselves. Often, we may even use God as a crutch for our sin, naming God as the source of our sin (God told me, etc.) or relaxing His holy demands for some internal desire (God wants me to be happy, etc.) Acceptance is key in true righteousness. Even the Jewish writer Philo stated, “The be aware of what one has done amiss, and to blame one’s self, is the part of a righteous man.”

Where does this awareness come from? Both verses appeal to truth. Consider these verses dealing with God’s word:

2 Timothy 3:16–17 “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

James 1:22–25 “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”

Ephesians 5:26–28 “that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.”

John 17:17 “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”

Those who claim no sin have no truth. Those who are aware of their sin, because the Word of God acts like a supernatural mirror, much like the bronze basin made of mirrors, that exposes all of our flaws, is washed and cleansed by the word.

Cleansed By Confession

1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

The confession of sin is necessary throughout the Christian’s life because it maintains communion with God. If we worry over whether we can come to Him, over whether or not He will receive us when we confess, remember that God is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

It seems safe to say that the person confessing has genuine contrition for their sin. The person who walks in darkness does not confess their sin. They may admit guilt if they are “caught in the act,” but this is worldly sorrow. Regret that comes from God and results in confession and repentance leads to salvation, restoration, and sanctification. Therefore, confession doesn’t involve merely listing off the things we’ve done wrong. There is a genuine ownership that happens as we seek to order our lives according to God’s standards.

Some may ask, “If we are forgiven once and for all when we surrender to Christ, then why do we need to be forgiven again through the confession of sin?” The forgiveness that comes from confession is relational forgiveness, not judicial. Much in the same way that we would forgive a family member, spouse, or friend, often even granting that forgiveness before they ask. The transgression hasn’t ended the relationship, but it can break the fellowship.

The brokenness of fellowship is significant in our pursuit of becoming more like Jesus. The Holy Spirit plays an integral part of our spiritual growth — becoming more like Jesus. When His conviction and shaping and molding is simply cast aside, it hardens us and hinders His working, and when this happens, we are less-likely to produce the fruits of the Spirit. The more it happens, the more we fail to see love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.