What practical steps can we take to maintain spiritual cleanliness today? Leviticus 15:19 and the call to discern purity “When a woman has a discharge, and the discharge from her body is blood, she shall be in her menstruation for seven days, and anyone who touches her shall be unclean until evening.” (Leviticus 15:19) The verse underscores two truths still relevant: God defines what is clean, and contact with defilement matters. While the ceremonial details have been fulfilled in Christ, the underlying principle—guarding holiness—remains vital. Our once-for-all cleansing in Christ • “The blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7) • “By a single offering He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” (Hebrews 10:14) He is the basis of spiritual cleanliness; we begin from acceptance, not from ritual striving. Daily practices that keep us spiritually clean Guard the heart and mind • Proverbs 4:23: “Guard your heart with all diligence, for from it flow springs of life.” • Philippians 4:8 lists the thoughts to welcome; everything else is shut out. Practical step: Monitor media, conversations, and inner dialogue, replacing impurity with truth. Keep short accounts with God • “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) Practical step: As soon as the Spirit convicts, agree with God, repent, and move forward cleansed. Wash in the Word • Ephesians 5:26 speaks of Christ “cleansing her by the washing with water through the word.” Practical step: Schedule Scripture intake that is as regular as physical bathing—read, listen, memorize. Choose separation from defiling influences • “Come out from among them and be separate…Touch no unclean thing.” (2 Corinthians 6:17) Practical step: Evaluate friendships, entertainment, business practices; step back from anything that stains witness or conscience. Practice corporate accountability • Hebrews 10:24-25 urges us to “spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” Practical step: Be known in a local fellowship—small group, Bible class, ministry team—where others notice if your life picks up spiritual dirt. Embrace physical stewardship • “Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit…you were bought at a price.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) Practical step: Hygiene, health, and moral purity testify that the whole person is set apart for God. Conduct regular self-examination • Psalm 139:23-24 asks God to search and reveal any offensive way. Practical step: End each day with a brief review—attitudes, words, actions—and apply 1 John 1:9 as needed. Responding when we’ve been “touched” by uncleanness 1. Acknowledge it—call sin what God calls it (Psalm 32:5). 2. Apply the blood of Christ—He still “cleanses us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). 3. Renew the mind with truth—Romans 12:2. 4. Make restitution or seek reconciliation if others were harmed (Matthew 5:23-24). 5. Resume fellowship and service—“having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us…and our bodies washed with pure water” (Hebrews 10:22). The hope of ultimate purity Revelation 7:14 pictures believers who “have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” One day every trace of defilement will be gone; until then, we live out the holiness already granted, keeping ourselves spiritually clean in a world that desperately needs a glimpse of God’s purity. |
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