Being Cleansed by Means of the Word

A warm salutation from the beach to my fellow ATsers on this brisk winter day. May you all have peace. As some may have noticed, and I have brought out before I am reading through the Bible as a project I started on 12/12/2023. This is first and foremost for my own edification and enjoyment, but also a project I decided to upload to YouTube for ATS. Eventually I will have read the Bible and given commentary on it in its entirety, including with all the imperfections that come with it (I've been listening to it and realize how bad my memory is, and I say things I don't even realize. Like I mean to say Exodus and I say Genesis, my mind is so bad) and it will be available for any and all. It is now the 1st day of January, so I'm on day 21. And have reached Leviticus. The book that deals with the things pertaining to the Levitical priesthood. In chapter 16 the law concerning the Day of Atonement is dealt with.

I felt as if this was probably the most significant chapter in my reading up to this point. As the Day of Atonement has to do with the day the High Priest was to offer a bull as a sacrifice for himself and his house, and then a goat for the sacrifices of the sins of the people. One day a year, on the 10th day of the 7th month of the year on the Jewish calendar. It was then and only then when the High Priest alone was allowed to enter into the Most Holy to offer up the blood to atone for the unintentional sins of the people in front of the proprietary covering. This is also where we get the word "scapegoat." For two goats were to be drawn close and lots cast over them. One was to be offered as a sin offering, and the other the priests were to lay their hands on its head and confess the sins of the people and then send it away into the wilderness, Azazel.

These things foreshadowed the better things to come. As the things pertaining to the Levitical priesthood were only types of the realities that were of more superior worth. Aaron's having to sacrifice a bull for both his sins and that of his house and then the blood of a goat for the sins of the people that they commit unintentionally teach humankind that they are in an imperfect state before Jehovah God and need a redeemer for our sins. And the Mosiac Law Covenant could not perfect a person for if that was the case the sin offerings would have ceased but they had to be offered often year after year only covering the sins, but not perfecting from sin.

"Therefore, it was necessary for the typical representations of the things in the heavens to be cleansed by these means, but the heavenly things require far better sacrifices."-Hebrews 9:23.

"For since the Law has a shadow of the good things to come, but not the very substance of the things, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered year after year, make those who approach perfect. Otherwise, would not the sacrifices have stopped being offered, because those rendering sacred service once cleansed would have no consciousness of sins anymore? On the contrary, these sacrifices are a reminder of sins year after year, for it is not possible for the blood of bulls and of goats to take sins away."-Hebrews 10:1-4.

As as the high priest had to bath himself to be clean after atoning for the sins at the Copper Basin of water so a person must bath themselves in the word of God:

"In order that he might sanctify it, cleansing it with the bath of water by means of the word, so that he might present the congregation to himself in its splendor, without a spot or a wrinkle or any of such things, but holy and without blemish."-Ephesians 5:26-27.

So today of course a person needs to exercise faith in Jesus' shed ransom in order to have forgiveness of sins, for he offered up his one perfect human life once and for all times. But notice that we are made clean by the bath of water by means of the word.

Jehovah's word found in the Bible is holy, that is clean, sanctified. In order for one to be justified and cleansed in Jehovah's eyes they need to be bathed by means of his word which teaches holiness and guides a Christian into how they should live their lives as a righteous person, free from blemish in God's eyes.

So the Bible is not just a collection of stories of old, while it is indeed a collection of true stories it is also a cleansing agent, a bath of water that purifies and sanctifies. By means of God's word one acquires knowledge of Jehovah God and his lofty requirements and his holiness, and that of his son Jesus Christ. It guides a person in all the way of truth and righteousness. And the one exercising faith in these things heard and following its direction by cleansing oneself of every defilement of flesh and spirit and repenting of sin, by putting off the old personality that conforms with his former course of conduct that leads to death, and puts on the new personality in true righteousness and loyalty that leads to life, is purified by means of it. It is by means of the bath of the word. So God's word does cleanse the reader. It is alive, and it brings holy spirit into operation into a person's life. This is a miracle.

Reading Leviticus chapter 16 and reflecting on the holy things pertaining to the Levitcal priesthood on the Day of Atonement and the shadow of the realities they represented, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and his officiating in the greater and better tent in heaven before the very person of Jehovah God, and the need to bath oneself and be cleansed by the means of the word really impressed on my mind the need to read God's word daily. These were just some musings from reading this chapter:

Boy, there sure seems to be a lot of threads concerning religion today for some reason. I hope that this is just a new years day deal here on ATS. Not that I am against religious threads, actually I like reading them sometimes to see how others view the world.

a reply to: rickymouse
I can only see three new ones. This one, and two in "Conspiracies in religion".

originally posted by: randomuser2034
I felt as if this was probably the most significant chapter in my reading up to this point. As the Day of Atonement has to do with the day the High Priest was to offer a bull as a sacrifice for himself and his house, and then a goat for the sacrifices of the sins of the people. One day a year, on the 10th day of the 7th month of the year on the Jewish calendar. It was then and only then when the High Priest alone was allowed to enter into the Most Holy to offer up the blood to atone for the unintentional sins of the people in front of the proprietary covering. This is also where we get the word "scapegoat." For two goats were to be drawn close and lots cast over them. One was to be offered as a sin offering, and the other the priests were to lay their hands on its head and confess the sins of the people and then send it away into the wilderness, Azazel.

The practice of scapegoating predates Judaism but served a similar set of magical beliefs.

Ancient Greeks practiced scapegoating rituals in exceptional times based on the belief that the repudiation of one or two individuals would save the whole community.[16][17] Scapegoating was practiced with different rituals across ancient Greece for different reasons but was mainly used during extraordinary circumstances such as famine, drought, or plague.[16][17] The scapegoat would usually be an individual of lower society such as a criminal, slave, or poor person and was referred to as the pharmakos, katharma or peripsima.[16][17]

There is a dichotomy, however, in the individuals used as scapegoats in mythical tales and the ones used in the actual rituals. In mythical tales, it was stressed that someone of high importance had to be sacrificed if the whole society were to benefit from the aversion of catastrophe (usually a king or the king's children).[16][17] However, since no king or person of importance would be willing to sacrifice himself or his children, the scapegoat in actual rituals would be someone of lower society who would be given value through special treatment such as fine clothes and dining before the sacrificial ceremony.[16]

Sacrificial ceremonies varied across Greece depending on the festival and type of catastrophe. In Abdera, for example, a poor man was feasted and led around the walls of the city once before being chased out with stones.[16] In Massilia, a poor man was feasted for a year and then cast out of the city in order to stop a plague.[16] The scholia refer to the pharmakos being killed, but many scholars reject this and argue that the earliest evidence (the fragments of the iambic satirist Hipponax) show the pharmakos being only stoned, beaten, and driven from the community.

en.wikipedia.org...

"Therefore, it was necessary for the typical representations of the things in the heavens to be cleansed by these means, but the heavenly things require far better sacrifices."-Hebrews 9:23.

Yet in Isaiah 1:11–31 it states ...

11 What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices says the LORD;
I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts;
I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats.
12 When you come to appear before me, who has required of you this trampling of my courts?
13 Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me.
New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations
I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.
14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates;
they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them.
15 When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you;
even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.
16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes;
cease to do evil.
17 Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.
18 Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.
19 If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land;
20 but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

originally posted by: glend

"Therefore, it was necessary for the typical representations of the things in the heavens to be cleansed by these means, but the heavenly things require far better sacrifices."-Hebrews 9:23.

Yet in Isaiah 1:11–31 it states ...

11 What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices says the LORD;
I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts;
I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats.
12 When you come to appear before me, who has required of you this trampling of my courts?
13 Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me.
New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations
I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.
14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates;
they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them.
15 When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you;
even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.
16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes;
cease to do evil.
17 Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.
18 Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.
19 If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land;
20 but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

Actually I just finished reading Leviticus and talked about the blessing and the curse that was laid out before the Israelites if they listened to God's voice, or disobeyed him:



You may be interested in listening to my entire commentary on Exodus and Leviticus that's as far as I've gotten so far. All that Jehovah was talking about in the beginning of Isaiah he had already foretold in in the curse in Leviticus.

In fact that is what the Law was teaching the Israelites, they needed to be holy and clean. When Jehovah sent the prophet Isaiah to them they had strayed far from his judicial decisions and statues given to them to sanctify them and make them a holy nation. And he was fed up with them and was going to fulfill all the curse as foretold there in Leviticus 26. Give it a listen.

None of this changes what was to come though. Nothing can change God's word from coming to be.

Delete

Are you ready for the return of Jesus Christ? Have you been cleansed by His blood?

God created man in His own image and with His own likeness and set the first man, Adam, in the Garden of Eden to work it and keep it. But Adam sinned, and because of Adam’s disobedience we have all come into this world as sinners by nature and choice. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. The “wages” of sin is death. Thus, we are all justly deserving of everlasting punishment—the destruction of body and soul in hell. But even so, God already had a plan to save and redeem us.

God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us, paying the debt for our sins, so that through Him we may be saved. A “spotless lamb” in which there was no sin, the perfect sacrifice or substitute to take our place. A free gift by the grace of God and not by any merit of our own. For by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.

Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, was crucified and died for our sins, taking upon Himself the punishment we deserve. He was then buried and raised back to life on the third day, in accordance with the scriptures. He then appeared to more than five hundred individuals in the forty days post-resurrection, before finally parting from them and rising to heaven to return to His Father. Fulfilling every one of the many Old Testament prophecies pertaining to Him. He now sits at His Father’s right hand and is awaiting His Father’s instruction to return. This was all recorded in the scripture contained in the Holy Bible, which is the word of God and is able to save our souls.

Jesus Christ promised that all who believe in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace. Upon His return, all the dead will hear His voice and come to life—those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and later, those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. Therefore, fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgement, with every secret thing, whether good or evil. Making sure to be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving ourselves.

Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart in rebellion. Whoever conceals his sins will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy and forgiveness. If you repent and believe in the gospel, putting your faith in Jesus Christ, you will inherit salvation, which leads to everlasting life. With this salvation comes spiritual rebirth; God will give you a new heart and His Holy Spirit, which will give you wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, put His Laws on your heart and mind, guide you into all truth, help you, and comfort you. By the blood of Jesus, sanctifying you and cleansing you of all unrighteousness—conforming you to His image.

In an act of faith, all believers are called to be baptised in water in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. To be buried with Christ by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, you also might walk in newness of life. Having the eyes of your heart enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which He has called you, what are the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power towards those who believe. To be called children of God.

We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the present darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. The devil, who is called Satan, and all His angels (also referred to as demons) have been cast out of heaven for their choice to sin and rebel against God. They are our greatest threat in this world, even though at times it may seem like it’s each other. Satan is the spirit that is now at work in all those who are living in disobedience to God. We must be careful what we believe and verify everything against scripture, for many false prophets and teachers have gone out into the world. But fear not, for God is greater and with us always.

We now await our blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ. He is coming soon with eyes like a flame of fire and all His angels with Him, and every eye will see Him. But concerning that day and hour no one knows—not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. Therefore, those of us who are eagerly awaiting His appearance must be diligent to be found by Him without spot or blemish and at peace. There are some things in scripture that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction. Take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.