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Home -- Content: Series 7 (Laws) -- Translation: English -- Book: 2 (Gospel) -- Chapter: 13 (Worship 2) -- Text
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The Sharia of Christ in the GOSPEL
F - Commandments of Christ related to our Duties towards God (WORSHIP)

2. RITUAL PURITY


Summary


Matthew 15:10-11, 17- 20 -- 10 When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear and understand: 11 Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man." … 17 Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? 18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. 19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. 20 These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man."
Matthew 23:25-28 -- 25 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. 27 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. 28 Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
Mark 1:4-5 -- 4 John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. 5 And all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.
John 1:33-34 -- 33 I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' 34 And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.
Matthew 8:2-3 -- 2 And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean." 3 Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
John 13:8-10 -- 8 Peter said to Him, "You shall never wash my feet!" Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me." 9 Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!" 10 Jesus said to him, "He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you."
John 15:3 -- You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. (Note: Listen to the word of Christ and you will be clean!)
Hebrews 9:11-14 -- 11 But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. 12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, 14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
Hebrews 10:11-18 -- 11 And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, 13 from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. 14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. 15 But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before, 16 "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them," 17 then He adds, "Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more." 18 Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.
1 John 1:7-10 -- 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 Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

Summary

Muslims have to perform a ritual ablution according to a strict order, before each prayer, and even before they touch the Qur’an. Orthodox Jews, even today, keep their way of ablution as ordered by Moses during their wanderings in the wilderness. This ablution indicates the earnest longing of the soul for external cleanliness, and internal purity. Man knows that he is unclean and polluted by nature, and under this condition, he is unable to approach God in prayer and meditation. However, such ablution is but a mere external washing, a mere application of water to the body, a mere putting away of the filth of the flesh, while the heart remains filled with impurities, injustice, and hatred.

The Lord of the covenant revealed to his prophets that he would make a new covenant with the disobedient, pour his Spirit on every man, and put his law in the hearts of worshipers (Isaiah 43:25, 44:3; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 11:19-20; 36:26-27)

John the Baptist knew that sins should be taken away from the hearts of sinners through public confession and baptism, as he immersed the repentant in the Jordan. He also knew and confessed that no one could purify and renew man entirely except Jesus of Nazareth, through the pouring out of the Holy Spirit into the hearts of the repentant (John 1:33).

Today we know that every sin demands atonement. Only the blood of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, can atone for all transgression and sin. The Spirit of Christ dwells in his followers and resides in them forever that they may experience purification by the blood of Christ, and become sanctified by the Holy Spirit of God.

Today we approach God the Father with joy, because of the atonement of Jesus, and we confess with joy that the Holy One has become our Father. We need to be purified every day by the blood of Christ, even after our initial purification by committing ourselves to our Lord, for no one is good of himself. Our services to God and men are accepted on the basis of continuous purification and sanctification by the grace of Jesus, as we pray as children of God:

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
(Matthew 6:12)

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