CONTINUAL CLEANSING ASSURES FELLOWSHIP

Preached By W. E. Best

There is much discussion as to whether the "blood" of I John 1:7 cleanses judicially or experimentally: "but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin" (NASB). Some say the verb "cleanses" does not mean that the blood is applied to the believer when he sins. They assume that if that were true, the text would read, "If we do not walk in the light, we do not have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin." Their opinion is that the text proves that if we walk in the light, there is no need for cleansing. They believe John was talking about the fact instead of experience. Their opinion is that he was not saying when the blood cleanses, but that it cleanses. However, the truth of Scripture is that John was speaking about the condition of Christians. He never thought of them as sinless, even though they were walking in the light. Only by virtue of Christ's shed blood can there be any walking in the light and fellowship between the perfect God and imperfect Christians.

The study of this subject, like every other, requires discovering established Old Testament principles and following them throughout the Scriptures. Subsequent to Israel's positional deliverance by blood (Ex. 12), provision was made for her worship in the offerings (Lev. 1-5) and her wilderness experience (Num. 19).

The five offerings connected with the tabernacle could not be disregarded by Israel:

1. The burnt offering portrayed acceptance (Lev. 1). The death of Jesus Christ alone satisfied Divine justice. The burnt offering was the foundation for the others. It ascended to God as a symbol of satisfied Divine justice. Furthermore, it pointed to the worshipper's surrender to God.

2. The meal offering (called the meat offering in the KJV) typified the perfect object for the worshipper (Lev. 2). This offering brought Jesus Christ in His personal perfection before the worshipper's apprehension. The hypostatic union of Christ's two natures removed any possibility of Christ having the capacity to sin. Another important observation is that the oblation was all prepared before it was brought to the tabernacle or tent of meeting. Therefore, Christ must be honored in secret before He can be honored in public. Moreover, Christ viewed as sacrifice (John 1:29) differs from Christ viewed as manna, on whom Christians feast (John 6:31-58).

3. The peace offering foreshadowed fellowship (Lev. 3). The leading thought here is the believer's communion in worship. He cannot be at peace with others until he is at peace with God. Leaven was permitted with this offering because sin was in the worshipper's nature (See Lev. 7:11-21; Rom. 7:15-25.) However, no uncleanness was allowed in eating of the offering (Lev. 7:19, 20). Christians allowing the sin that is in them to develop into the form of sins requires confession, forgiveness, and cleansing before they can fellowship in worship. (See I John 1:6-9.)

4. The entire sin offering was for the sinner (Lev. 4:1-5, 13). This offering depicted the worshipper's nature of sin. The first movement in regard to the sin problem was by Jesus Christ. Therefore, the sin offering conveys the idea of propitiation (I John 2:1). It pointed Godward. God dealt with the root of sin in the sin offering.

5. The trespass offering involved restoration (Lev. 5). This offering looked manward. God dealt with the fruit of sin in the trespass offering.

The book of Leviticus has two major divisions: (1) The basis for fellowship was established in the offerings and the law of the offerings (Lev. 1-17). Leviticus 17:11 is the key verse: "For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement" (NASB). (2) The practice of fellowship was the worshippers' obligation (Lev. 18-27). Holiness in the heart and life of the redeemed is both imperative and compulsory. Leviticus 19:2 is the key verse of this division: "Speak to all the congregation of the sons of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy" (NASB). Leviticus means "and He called." God called the redeemed to access, communion, and worship in the first division and to holiness of life in the second division.

Israel's experience in the wilderness manifested the weakness and sins of the flesh. A consideration of the way the flesh manifested itself in the lives of the Israelites will enable Christians to understand the necessity for the purification of themselves and of the Israelites. The children of Israel manifested the flesh when they desired human guidance while Divine guidance was clearly given. Their flesh murmured, lusted, and preferred Egypt's food to God's manna from heaven. Their flesh spoke against the Lord and His servant, Moses. Their flesh rebelled against Divine authority while they professed zeal for the holiness of the assembly. Therefore, no child of God can say that he has not come into moral contact with what Paul spoke of as "the body of this death" (Rom. 7:24). Christians manifest the same things of the flesh that emerged from the Israelites. The fruit of the flesh renders purification necessary. Grace has provided for this purification.

With a view to purification, God called attention to the perfection of Christ's sacrifice, which was typified by the red heifer (Num. 19:1-22). The red heifer revealed the Israelites' need in their wilderness journey. The one red heifer offering was a standing statue for the Israelites' cleansing of the flesh throughout their pilgrimage in the wilderness. The essential difference between this sacrifice and the sacrifices for worship was that it did not need repeating. The ashes were the memorial of an accepted sacrifice, and the water of separation was for the purification of sin.

The red heifer must be an unblemished female "in which is no defect, and on which a yoke has never been placed" (Num. 19:2 NASB). Without blemish or defect indicates that holiness is a positive virtue. One on which a yoke had never been placed signifies that the principles and customs of the world never controlled Jesus Christ. He had no sin, and on Him was no yoke of sin. Christ's only yoke was doing the will of His Father. The red heifer sacrifice was a female because the redeemed of the Lord are referred to in the feminine gender.

Eleazar brought the sacrifice of the red heifer outside the camp, and she was "slaughtered in his presence" (Num. 19:3). Eleazar contemplated with priestly vision the death and judgment-bearing of Jesus Christ, which was foreshadowed by the sacrifice of the red heifer, as the way God would deal with the sins of the flesh (I John 1:7). How can Christians pamper the flesh when they see it condemned by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ? Imperfections of the Israelites in general and the priesthood were manifested. All are guilty of Christ's death, and they sin daily after regeneration. From the cedar to the hyssop expresses nature from its highest elevation, the priest (Num. 19:6, 7), to its lowest depth, the one who burned the sacrifice (vv. 8, 9).

Cleansing is not optional. The unclean man must purify himself (Num. 19:12). Failure to purify oneself defiled the tabernacle. The person who defiled the tabernacle was cut off from Israel because he did not use the water of separation (Num. 19:9, 13). Purifying is a Divine necessity for all of God's people. The clean as well as the unclean person must purify himself (Num. 19:19, 20). This same principle applies to the assembly (I Cor. 5; II Thess. 3). The clean person represents the Christian who draws near to Christ, and the nearer he gets the more he is affected with a sense of his uncleanness. The deeds of the flesh must be mortified. (See Num. 19:17; II Cor. 7:1.)

The Divine principle of conditional cleansing taught in the Old Testament applies to I John 1:6-7. By no stretch of the imagination can anyone say the red heifer sacrifice of Numbers 19 refers to positional cleansing. Positional cleansing took place for Israel on the night of the Passover (Ex. 12:1-14). Redemption and instruction were connected with the Passover. These were in view of the "holy habitation" (Ex. 15:13). The people must be identified with a new and Divine system. What a contrast to Egypt! A redeemed people alone can have relationship with God's house. No greater contrast could be conceived than that which exists between the house of bondage and the house of God. God's house cannot be approached in a natural way.

The red heifer was God's provision for the condition of a redeemed people in their wilderness journey. Likewise, the cleansing of I John 1:7 and 9 is God's provision for Christians: "…that you also may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ" (I John 1:3 NASB). Fellowship is connected with condition in this Epistle. Discussing fellowship with unregenerate people is nonsense. The only fellowship they know is evil (John 3:19, 20). All evil is classified as darkness (Eph. 5:11). Evil does not always denote immorality. It is anything that dishonors God or His word.

Those who embrace the view that the cleansing of I John 1:7 is positional are forced to be consistent with their teaching of verse 6. They affirm that verse 6 exposes and condemns hypocritical professors, and verse 7 identifies and confirms Christians. However, John's introduction to his first Epistle reveals the privilege of fellowship and provision for failure. Therefore, his teaching by God's direction of the Holy Spirit harmonizes with the privilege of fellowship and provision for failure of the redeemed Israelites. Sin on the conscience before God and sin in the flesh that hinders fellowship differ. Christians' sins can never come between them and God because of the finished work of Jesus Christ, but they can come between them and their fellowship with Him.

The blood of Jesus Christ, "the Lamb who has been slain" (Rev. 13:8), provided for not only the elect's justification before God, but also their practical sanctification before men. God never devised a plan of redemption whereby the elect could be justified by grace before God without their being justified by their works of faith before men (James 2). The student of Scripture should have no difficulty proceeding from justification to sanctification, thus making the proper distinction between these two Biblical truths.

The following are the three divisions of I John 1:7-(1) There is a condition to be fulfilled: "but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light." (2) There is a fellowship to experience: "we have fellowship with one another." (3) There is an assurance to be realized: "the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin."

The condition imposed on Christians began with "but if we walk in the light." The conjunction "but" (de) shows the contrast between walking in the darkness and walking in the light. Here is another third class condition "if" (ean). The future condition is expressed by the particle ean used with the present active subjunctive of peripateo. Walking in the light is a condition that must be fulfilled before a Christian can have fellowship. The principle of the way this condition is fulfilled is recorded in the Old Testament by types and shadows.

Vessels depicting certain truths that must be observed symbolized Israel's approach to God. Since God is methodical, there is a due order in salvation, worship, and service that cannot be changed. Therefore, no blessing can be experienced without approaching God according to His decreed order (I Chron. 15:13), and no believer is crowned unless he competes according to the rules (II Tim. 2:5). The Israelite worshipper's approach to the tabernacle, the place of God's presence, had to begin with the altar of burnt offering (Ex. 27:1-8; 38:1-5; Lev. 1). This vessel stood just inside the gate to the inner court (Ex. 27:16-21). The outer court symbolized the place where Jesus Christ dwelt among men (John 1:14) and where He offered Himself (Heb. 13:11-13).

Although the brazen altar was not one of the vessels of the tabernacle, it was the connecting link between the presence of God and the congregation of Israel. The sacrifice offered on the brazen altar typified the satisfaction of Divine justice by the death of Jesus Christ. He is the connecting link between the world and the presence of God for the elect.

The death of Jesus Christ gives the redeemed access into the sphere of blessing, which is symbolized by the inner court in the worshipper's approach to the tabernacle. The inner court was for the redeemed elect. Entrance into the sphere of blessing, whether the inner court, the holy place, or the holy of holies, is by God's irresistible grace: "How blessed is the one whom Thou dost choose, and bring near to Thee, To dwell in Thy courts. We will be satisfied with the goodness of Thy house, Thy holy temple" (Ps. 65:4 NASB). Worshippers are protected, not opposed, inside of God's inner court by righteousness, the righteousness of Jesus Christ (Rom. 3:25, 26). Walls of righteousness, which were upheld by the tokens of redemption, shut in the Israelites who were inside the court. This symbolizes the Christian's position in grace.

The next vessel in the Divine order was the laver of brass (Ex. 30:17-21; 38:8). This vessel stood between the gate of the court wall and entrance into the tabernacle. The worshippers' interest in the tent of meeting prompted them to give their mirrors made of polished brass, that had been used for the purpose of vanity, to make the laver of brass. The laver was for the redeemed: "And Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet from it; when they enter the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water, that they may not die; or when they approach the altar to minister, by offering up in smoke a fire sacrifice to the LORD" (Ex. 30:19, 20 NASB). There was no oversight in omitting from the record the size of this vessel. Since God can make no mistake, the size was omitted because there is no limit to the work the laver symbolizes in the lives of God's people. An unlimited provision has been made for the Christian's practical cleansing.

The laver stood in the inner court, not in the holy place. Since the holy place was the place of worship, going into it with defiled hands or feet was fatal to any priest. Until the priest washed himself at the laver, he walked in spiritual darkness outside the tabernacle. He could not enjoy the light from the candlestick in the holy place. Neither could he feast on the bread from the table of showbread. Furthermore, he was deprived of his prayers ascending to God from the altar of incense.

Both vessels outside the tabernacle were made of brass. Brass speaks of judgment. Judgment of sin at the altar portrayed God's punishment of the guilt and penalty of sin. Judgment at the laver symbolized the punishment of the filth of sin. God made the first judgment at the cross, and the second points to the believer judging himself in order to have fellowship with God. The first was positional, and the second is conditional.

Christ's blood is not reapplied every time a sinning Christian confesses his sins. Some believe I John 1:7 has nothing to do with either the unregenerate or cleansing away the sins of the regenerate. Some understand the word "sin" instead of "sins," which are its fruit, to be the root. Their argument is that Christians are not responsible for the presence of their sinful nature because God saw fit to leave it in believers to humble and discipline them. They explain that the blood cleanses in the sense of answering to God for the sinful nature without removing it. Their belief is that Christians mortify their members that are on the earth by taking the pruning knife, like a gardener, and cutting away the suckers from the old stock.

Admittedly, the sinful nature remains in Christians, but the real problem with the preceding belief is that the Greek words for "all sin" (pases hamartias) mean "every sin" in I John 1:7. John was not discussing original sin, but the fruit of original sin in Christians. To state it differently, John was speaking of every manifestation of the sinful principle in Christians.

What the red heifer was to the redeemed Israelites, the continuous cleansing of Christ's blood since Calvary is to the children of God. This practical cleansing does not imply a reapplication of blood every time the sinful principle is manifested by the redeemed. The blood that was shed once-for-all is the basis for Christians' present cleansing. The completed satisfaction has continuous effect for the elect of God. As the sun shines and a fountain flows, the one perfect sacrifice of Christ continues to cleanse the redeemed as they meet the condition for sanctification. As the offering of the red heifer made the water of separation effective for continuous cleansing, the sacrifice of Christ has made the washing of water by the word effective for practical cleansing of the saints (John 17:17; Eph. 5:26).

To "walk in the light" is coordinate with "we have fellowship with one another" (I John 1:7). No one can have fellowship with God without walking in the light, and no one can walk in the light apart from practical cleansing. Conclusively, I John 1:7 affirms the believer's fellowship with God and his being cleansed from every outbreak of the principle of sin in him. As the priests under the old economy were able to walk in the light of the holy place because they had been practically cleansed at the laver, Christians walk in the light of God's fellowship because they have been cleansed from every manifestation of the principle of sin within them.

The principle of sin in Christians is no different from that in non-Christians. Paul spoke of the law of sin in his members (Rom. 7:23). It was a fixed principle that came into the world with him and remained as long as he was in the world. The difference between a Christian and a non-Christian is that the Christian has the "law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus," which made him "free from the law of sin and of death" (Rom. 8:2). Although the principle of sin in the elect is not destroyed when he is regenerated, it is overcome by the indwelling law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.

The sacrifice of Christ condemned, but did not destroy, the law of sin. The work of Christ on the cross for the elect was objective, but the work of the Holy Spirit in them is subjective. The objective work of Christ was the basis for the justification of the elect. The Holy Spirit continues to indwell the elect for progressive sanctification subsequent to their regeneration. This militates against perfectionism. One who has some understanding of the law of sin would be correct to say that unregenerate people do better than is expected. They are without excuse for their sins, but they try to shift the blame to others. For example, following a basketball player's death by cocaine intoxication, people say they will find and prosecute those who gave him the drug. This expressed view would place the responsibility on the person or persons who gave the drug instead of the one who took it. According to this philosophy, God should prosecute Satan instead of those who are the cause of their own depravity.

While the unregenerate do better than expected, the redeemed do not do as well as should be expected. Although Christians are satisfied with what Christ has done for them, they are not satisfied with what they are doing for Him. As the regenerate recognize the indwelling presence of sin, they constantly cry, "Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin" (Rom. 7:24, 25 NASB).