[Jesus Christ] who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. Titus 2:14 (NASB)
Now we will look at another salvation paradigm – clean versus unclean. The Jewish ceremonial law made a clear distinction between that which was holy or set apart and fit for God’s service and that which was not. Animals, people, and objects could be clean or unclean. Unclean people and objects could become clean through ritual washings and other prescribed acts. Some of the things that could make a person unclean are listed below.
- Touching something that is unclean – Lev. 5:2
- Menstruation (issue of blood) – Lev. 12:2
- Leprosy (skin disease) – Lev. 13:3
- Bodily Discharges – Lev. 15:2
- Eating an unclean animal – Lev. 20:25
- Sexual activity – Lev. 15:18
- Sin – Ezra 9:11
- Demonization – Luke 9:42
The unclean person or thing had to be isolated to prevent the contamination of those who were ritually pure.
In this way, you will keep the people of Israel separate from things that will defile them, so they will not die as a result of defiling my Tabernacle that is right there among them. Leviticus 15:31 (NLT)
If a person was in a state of being unclean, he or she was not fit to serve the Lord. This was one reason the priest refused to help the injured man in the parable of the good Samaritan. He would have contaminated and disqualified himself from priestly service.
Say to them, 'If any man among all your descendants throughout your generations approaches the holy gifts which the sons of Israel dedicate to the LORD, while he has an uncleanness, that person shall be cut off from before Me; I am the LORD. 4 'No man of the descendants of Aaron, who is a leper or who has a discharge, may eat of the holy gifts until he is clean... Leviticus 22:3-4 (NASB)
In light of this, it is understandable why the woman with a bloody discharge was terrified when she was asked if she had touched Jesus’ garment. Under the Law, her action would have defiled Jesus. And consider that Jesus was and is God’s tabernacle, where God dwelled in all fullness. She would have been worthy of death for touching the tabernacle! But what actually happened?
But the woman fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. 34 And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be healed of your affliction." Mark 5:33-34 (NASB)
This account reveals that Jesus has the power to deliver us from uncleanness. Instead of being defiled by being touched by this unclean woman, Jesus healed and restored her to ritual purity.
Jesus also taught us that uncleanness does not come from what we touch or eat but from what is within us.
And He said* to them, "Are you so lacking in understanding also? Do you not understand that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him, 19 because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated?" (Thus He declared all foods clean.) 20 And He was saying, "That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. 21 "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, 22 deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. 23 "All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man." Mark 7:18-23 (NASB)
The Old Covenant type of ritual defilement pointed to the much larger issue of internal defilement through sin. Sin is what separates us from God.
Going much deeper than individual sins, our “sin nature,” which is sometimes called the “old man” or the “flesh,” is the internal inherited cesspool of corruption that generates our lawless behavior.
Every human being is born into this world in a state of uncleanness because of original sin.
For I was born a sinner— yes, from the moment my mother conceived me. Psalms 51:5 (NLT)
Jesus redeemed us from this internal defilement by taking our defilement into himself when he hung upon the cross.
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NASB)
Thus we see the divine exchange. Christ took our defilement, and we received His cleanness.
But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, 31 so that, just as it is written, "LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD." 1 Corinthians 1:30-31 (NASB)
Sanctification is a state of holiness or being set apart to God, the opposite of defilement.
It is essential that we accept by faith what Christ has done for us. Our holiness does not depend on our own performance, nor can it be accurately discerned by how we feel.
A person, who has been made to feel “dirty,” “tainted,” or otherwise defiled must bring that to the cross and leave it there. In addition, such a person must retrain the mind and conscience to accept our God-given state of holiness in the Lord.
For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? Hebrews 9:13-14 (NASB)
Click here to see the other articles in this series.
Questions for Further Study and Discussion
- How would you minister to a victim of sexual abuse who still feels “dirty” because of what was done to him or her?
