In the context of the Old Testament, ceremonial defilement refers to the state of being ritually unclean, which prevented individuals from participating in religious activities and required specific purification rites to restore cleanliness. This concept is deeply rooted in the Mosaic Law, where various actions, conditions, or contacts could render a person ceremonially unclean. These included touching a dead body (Numbers 19:11), certain skin diseases (Leviticus 13), and bodily discharges (Leviticus 15), among others.

The purpose of these laws was to set the Israelites apart as a holy nation, emphasizing the holiness of God and the need for purity among His people. The Book of Leviticus, in particular, outlines numerous regulations concerning ceremonial cleanliness, underscoring the importance of maintaining a state of purity to approach God in worship.

However, with the advent of the New Testament and the establishment of the New Covenant through Jesus Christ, the ceremonial laws, including those concerning defilement, were fulfilled and thus abolished. The Gospel brought a new understanding of purity and defilement, shifting the focus from external rituals to the condition of the heart.

In Mark 7:18-19 , Jesus addresses the issue of ceremonial defilement, stating, "Are you still so dull? He asked. Do you not see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can defile him, because it does not enter his heart, but it goes into the stomach and then is eliminated?" In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean, thereby nullifying the dietary laws that contributed to ceremonial defilement.

The Apostle Paul further elaborates on this transition in his epistles. In Colossians 2:16-17 , he writes, "Therefore let no one judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a festival, a New Moon, or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the body that casts it belongs to Christ." Here, Paul emphasizes that the ceremonial laws were a foreshadowing of Christ's redemptive work, which has now been realized.

Moreover, in Hebrews 9:13-14 , the author contrasts the temporary cleansing of the Old Covenant with the eternal purification offered through Christ: "For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that their bodies are clean, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, purify our consciences from works of death, so that we may serve the living God!"

The abolition of ceremonial defilement under the Gospel signifies a profound shift from external observance to internal transformation. The New Testament teaches that true defilement arises from within, from the heart, as Jesus explains in Matthew 15:18-20 : "But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what defile a man, but eating with unwashed hands does not defile him."

In summary, while the Old Testament laws concerning ceremonial defilement served to highlight the holiness of God and the need for purity, the Gospel reveals that true purity is a matter of the heart, achieved through faith in Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice. The ceremonial aspects of the law are fulfilled in Christ, who offers a deeper, spiritual cleansing that transcends the external rituals of the Old Covenant.Acts 10:15
And the voice spoke to him again the second time, What God has cleansed, that call not you common.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Romans 14:14
I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteems any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Colossians 2:20-22
Why if you be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are you subject to ordinances,
Torrey's Topical Textbook

The Sermon on the Mount
... sensual impurity, more than freedom from that ceremonial defilement which the ... given
both the moral and the ceremonial law ... Lamb of God was to be abolished at His ...
//christianbookshelf.org/white/the desire of ages/chapter 31 the sermon on.htm

The Conversion of Cornelius.
... as authorising him to transgress the ceremonial law, but ... not use them for food without
contracting defilement. ... that God himself had abolished the distinction ...
/.../dick/lectures on the acts of the apostles/lecture xiii the conversion of.htm

Letter Lxxv. (AD 404. )
... free both from roughness and from defilement; drinking of ... You will reply: "The
ceremonial observances in which they ... the law which has been abolished, have made ...
/.../augustine/the confessions and letters of st/letter lxxv a d 404.htm

Index i. Of Subjects
... Christ's teaching at, 229-232. Defilement, Rabbinic, degrees of, i.493, 494; ... Incensing,
ceremonial of, i.137, 138. India, Jews in, i.13. ... death then abolished, 439 ...
/.../edersheim/the life and times of jesus the messiah/index i of subjects.htm

Of the Sacraments.
... placed under their eye the uncleanness, defilement, and pollution ... the ceremonies
of the law have been abolished. ... there is nothing in the ceremonial law until ...
/.../the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 14 of the sacraments.htm

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Defilement: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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