Grace Purification

I know what it’s like to get my hands dirty. I grew up working on our mini farm and working with my Pappy on the farm. One of my least favorite things was to clean out the barn stalls. We had used hay on the floor of the stall to make it “clean” and warm for the cows and their calves. There would be lots of layers of straw that was soiled by the animals. Every spring we would get a pitchfork and clean it out and then uses a manure spreader to put it on the garden patches to make the soil richer. This was a disgusting and dirty job, but one that was necessary. Today most farmers make the stall openings large enough they can use mechanical equipment to clean them. It seems like I could remember that smell for days.

The Lord understood that there would be dirty jobs. He also understood that there would be times when you accidently became unclean. If you were in the same tent when a person passed away, you would become unclean and needed to go through the purification process. The Lord provided a way that was fairly simple for the people to purify themselves fairly quickly. Check this out….

²⁰ “But those who become defiled and do not purify themselves will be cut off from the community, for they have defiled the sanctuary of the Lord. Since the water of purification has not been sprinkled on them, they remain defiled. ²¹ This is a permanent law for the people. Those who sprinkle the water of purification must afterward wash their clothes, and anyone who then touches the water used for purification will remain defiled until evening. ²² Anything and anyone that a defiled person touches will be ceremonially unclean until evening.” (Numbers 19:20-22 NLT)

This is another ritual that Jesus replaced. We no longer have to go somewhere to be purified. He purifies our heart right where we are. It is not necessary to use certain water for purification. When we sin, we need grace and Jesus delivered grace.  I do think that repentance (recognition) and confession are helpful to our clean up from sin. Grace is the purification process that was done for us.  I am completed covered by grace through the final sacrifice needed for sin and purification.  Jesus completely changed our approach to God – He is directly accessible to everyone. The “unmerited favor” can’t be earned – it is a gift of God. I do believe that our obedience opens the floodgates of grace. But grace is ultimately a gift from the Lord. Without grace, I could never be clean from my sin.  I’m so thankful for the Lord’s amazing love that motivated Him to give His One and Only Son so that we have hope.

Pressing On!

Dwayne