Be Cleansed
For if the blood of bulls and goats, and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies so that the flesh is purified, how much more shall 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
The first-century readers of the book of Hebrews understood how ritual cleansing worked under the Old Covenant. On the Day of Atonement, an animal would be sacrificed on an altar, and the high priest would use the blood or ashes from the animal to impart a ritual cleansing to the entire nation. That cleansing was limited in two ways: it was temporary, lasting only until the next Day of Atonement; and it was ceremonial, so it could not deal with a person’s moral guilt or spiritual defilement.
As believers, we live under a New Covenant. Because of the sacrificial death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, and through the activity of the Holy Spirit, those who come to God in spirit and in truth will not only experience their external sins being washed away, but their consciences will also be cleansed.
I’ve known many people who have been hindered and even stopped from accomplishing anything of significance in their lives because of the guilt that has burdened their consciences. Some have cheated others in business, some have been unfaithful in a marriage, others have committed crimes but have, from the natural standpoint, gotten away with them. But unless their consciences have been totally desensitized, they know that what they have done is wrong, and they fear the consequences of eventual judgment.
A guilty conscience can cause greater problems than nearly any other circumstance people may face. No amount of sacrifice or offerings can change what has already happened. But by accepting the sacrificial death of Jesus, you can be free from the crippling guilt of your past. You may not escape every consequence for your actions, but you will know that you stand with a clean conscience and a pure heart before the throne of grace. That’s true freedom!
Lord, may nothing separate me from You today. Teach me how to choose only Your way today so each step will lead me closer to You. Help me walk by the Word and not my feelings. Help me to keep my heart pure and undivided. Amen.
Further Reading
- 1 John 1:7
- Galatians 5:1
- Isaiah 59:1
