Many to Purify Themselves

 

Many to Purify Themselves

 

John 11:55-56 『Now the Jewish Passover was near, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves.』

When the Jews went to Jerusalem before Passover, they performed rituals such as washing clothes, immersing themselves in water, cutting their hair, and washing the tools to be used for Passover in order to purify themselves. There are several regulations for purification in Leviticus, and the purpose of the Jews going up to Jerusalem for Passover was probably to celebrate the Day of Atonement. They wanted to celebrate Passover, a national event for forgiveness of sins, be forgiven for their past days as sinners, and return to their hometown purified.

1 Peter 1:15-16 "But just as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct; because it is written, 'Be holy (hagios) for I am holy.'" The word holy (hagios ἅγιος) has the same meaning as holiness.

If God is holy, how can humans become holy? You may ask, but holiness is a life offered to God. It is dying on the cross with Jesus Christ. Then, God recognizes us as holy. Therefore, the holy are dead to the world and are distinct from the world. Humans do not become holy on their own, but are made holy by God. In the Greek Bible, God is holy, but the word “holy” is used. This expresses the state of God, and God himself is holy. Therefore, all who are in Christ are holy.

Holiness is not achieved through human effort, but is given by God. The Israelites must have lived according to the procedures set forth in the law in order to be holy. God gave the people such difficult laws because He was saying that they could not become holy on their own. Therefore, through the sacrificial system, He wanted them to realize that they could not become holy without the coming Christ. However, they wanted to find holiness in some formal ceremony.

In today's church community, people talk about living a holy life. If you ask what it means to live a holy life, the answer is to live a diligent church life, study the Bible well, pay tithes well, do volunteer work well, do good deeds diligently, etc.

Holiness means uniting with Jesus Christ and becoming one with God. That is why we become kingly priests. It means that saints are kingly priests. However, the work that saints must do while living in the world is to live as witnesses of Jesus Christ. They are to preach the gospel as witnesses of the cross and resurrection. However, if saints act in a way that is criticized by the world because of the actions of their wicked flesh, they will be shunned by people. That is why Peter orders the saints to act in various ways.

The Role of Husband and Wife, 1 Peter 3:1, “Wives, in the same way be submissive to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives.” The Bible tells us to even pay attention to our outward appearance. It tells us not to dress up with beautiful appearances, but to put on the imperishable beauty of the spirit. It tells us to endure even when we are treated unfairly, thinking of Christ. It tells us to speak good words, not lie, turn away from evil, and act with a good conscience. People outside the church say that they come to believe in God and look to Jesus Christ after seeing the behavior of the saints.

Furthermore, pastors quote the Epistle of James to say that faith without works is dead. James 2:17-18, “Even so faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, ‘You have faith and I have works. Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. ’” Of course, works mean to turn away from legalism.

When we look at the church community by summarizing these words, how many believers will act according to the words? There will be no one, including pastors and believers, who confidently lives according to the words of the Bible. Many pastors say, “Let’s live according to the words of the Bible,” but we sometimes see and hear that they themselves do not live that way. The words they utter come back to them.

The identity of Christianity is that the subject is not me but Christ. God says that those who are in Christ are saved saints. Those who are in Christ are those who believe that they died on the cross with Jesus and were resurrected with Christ. Those who enter Christ are acknowledged by God as holy because of Christ, regardless of how they lived in the world. And the Holy Spirit illuminates the lives of saints through the light of heaven. Therefore, the saints gradually change their behavior from a life of flesh to a life of spirit. This is not accomplished through one’s own efforts, but through the help of the Holy Spirit. In order to do this, one must have the opportunity to look at one’s state in the words of the Bible. This is prayer and worship.

Even if a believer is saved by the grace of Christ and becomes God's people, if spiritual growth is not achieved through the word of God, he or she will still be unable to escape the appearance of the old man. In this case, God has no choice but to raise a thorn through Satan. In order for young children to grow, they should eat fleshly food well, and in order for them to grow mentally and healthily, they should be educated. However, if parents neglect their children during their growth period, they will become problem children. Sometimes, parents have to raise a whip of love for their problem children. The reason God raises a whip of love through Satan's thorn is because the believers are still busy with worldly affairs without knowing God's will.

God acknowledges that they are holy, but if the saints are only engrossed in the world, it is like a shepherd who finds a lost sheep, but the sheep go back to wandering. John 10:27-30 "My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one."

The actions of the saints are not a prerequisite for achieving holiness. If it is said to be a prerequisite, it is no different from other religions. However, since God has said that one is holy, one must now act accordingly as his children. If actions do not follow, are they not children? No, but it is said that God will take the rod of love. Therefore, the saints must abandon their fleshly selves and train themselves to listen to the voice of the spiritual God through prayer and the words of the Bible.

Holiness has already been given to the saints in Christ. Therefore, it is not right to say, “Let us live holy (sanctified) lives.” We should say, “Let us live in a way befitting the holy saints.” How can we live in a way befitting the holy saints? It is possible when we have the heart to revive the spirits of our dead neighbors. Because that is love for our neighbors and love for God.