Made Clean By the Word

John 15: 3, You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. NKJV

As Christians, we have been redeemed from sin through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Satan no longer owns you; now that you have received the Holy Spirit, you belong to God. Does that mean we are made perfect because of the blood of Christ? No, it does not. We have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus, but at the moment of salvation, we were not made perfect or mature. Jesus told His disciples, who had remained with Him over three years that they had been made clean by the Word He had taught them.

When we're only taught the principles of salvation, but never taken on into discipleship it can cause us, "believers," to think that we have achieved all that is required of us from the Lord. If all you know about your walk with the Lord is based on salvation teachings alone, and you practice those principles that have been imparted into your life, it can cause you to feel as though you have "arrived."

This is why Jesus requires believers to continue in their faith by hearing and keeping the Word of God in their everyday lives after they become born again. Even though we've been cleansed from dead works through the blood of Christ, and our spirits have been regenerated through the Holy Spirit, our souls are yet to be purified. As I wrote previously, the disciples had been with Jesus for almost forty-two months. During this time, Jesus had taught them many truths that had transformed their carnal minds. Through the truths that He revealed to the disciples, they learned the importance of following God's Law and not the traditions of the elders. As Jesus continued to teach the disciples, they became clean in their souls from the pollution of the world's ways, which defiles the soul.  

One day, as Jesus was teaching in the temple, some Jews believed His teachings. He told those Jews, who believed on Him to continue in His teachings, and they would become true disciples. You see; there is so much more to being saved than just becoming born again. Now that we are saved, we must continue living in His Word and keeping His teachings in our hearts and lives. This will purge our souls from the fleshly ways that we walked in as sinners. 

We're all fine (or believe we're fine) until we look in the mirror and see the dirt on our faces. In much the same way, we must look into the Word of God so that it might reveal to us what is hidden just out of our sight... but that others can see very plainly. The Word of God will purge your soul and make you free from deceptive pride and fleshly lusts.

Lord Show Me through Your Word,
Pastor Asa Dockery