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`THE WASHING
WATER
WORD'
9
OF
BY THE
`The washing of water by the word' (Eph. 5:26).
And a note on the experimental nature of 1 John 1.
We have now considered the meaning of the terms `accepted', `holy', and `without blame' in Ephesians 1:4-6,
and `unreproveable' in Colossians 1:22. We must next deal with the remaining words of Ephesians 5:26 and 27
which, as we have seen, amplify and bring to fulfilment the original promise of Ephesians 1:4. The words awaiting
consideration are `cleanse', `washing', and `not having spot or wrinkle'.
The word translated `to cleanse' is katharizo, from which is derived our own word `cathartic', a purgative
medicine. The occurrences of katharizo in the New Testament fall into two groups - those that occur in the Gospels
and the Acts, and those that occur in the epistles. In the first group we have :
(1) The cleansing of lepers (Matt. 8:2,3; 10:8; 11:5; Mark 1:40,41,42; Luke 4:27; 5:12,13; 7:22 and 17:17).
(2) The cleansing of `meats' (Mark 7:19; Acts 10:15; 11:9).
(3) The ceremonial cleansings of the Pharisees (Matt. 23:25,26; Luke 11:39).
(4) Peter's application of the spiritual lesson of the sheet with its clean and unclean animals, to the believing
Gentiles - `purifying their hearts by faith' (Acts 15:9).
It will be seen that the word is based upon the same Old Testament ritual, associated with priest and sacrifice,
that we found underlying the words `without blemish'.
When we come to the Epistles, the truth of this katharsis, whether in connection with lepers, meats or utensils, is
applied to the believer :
Katharizo in the epistles.
` Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God'
(2 Cor. 7:1).
` That He might sanctify and cleanse it' (Eph. 5:26).
` And purify unto Himself a peculiar people' (Tit. 2:14).
` How much more shall the blood of Christ ` purge your conscience from dead works' (Heb. 9:14).
` Almost all things are by the law purged with blood' Heb. 9:22).
` lt was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these: but the
heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these' (Heb. 9:23).
` Cleanse your hands, ye sinners' (Jas. 4:8).
` The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin' (1 John 1:7).
` And to cleanse us from all unrighteousness' (1 John 1:9).
It will be seen that the three references in the epistle to the Hebrews make it clear that in this cleansing, purging
or purifying, we have the application of the finished work of Christ to our uncleanness. As Hebrews 9:23 puts it, the
Old Testament cleansings were `patterns' and were accomplished by the blood of bulls and goats that could never
take away sins, but in the offering of Christ we have that complete provision for sin and uncleanness, that will one
day enable Him to present us as `holy and without blemish'.
When we perceive that sanctification is viewed from two different points of view in Scripture, certain passages
that on the surface appear to be contradictory will be found to fall into line. It would be easy, for example, to
institute a comparison between the passages in the epistles that teach unconditional forgiveness, and those that speak
of forgiveness as conditional upon confession and acknowledgment. Yet such a comparison would be quite
inappropriate. We cannot compare standing with state, or the unconditional with the conditional. The same
confusion would result if we attempted to compare for instance, the `presenting ' of Colossians 1:22 with the
`presenting' of Colossians 1:28, or the unconditional basis of inheritance in Colossians 1:12 with the conditional
reward of the inheritance in Colossians 3:24. So, when we come to 1 John 1 , we are in the realm of `manifest' truth.
Not `in the beginning' as in the Gospel, but `from the beginning' (1 John 1:1); not the Word before time began, but