Gal 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, (20) Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, (21) Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Noah Webster defines uncleanness as:
UNCLE’ANNESS, n.
- Foulness; dirtiness; filthiness.
- Want of ritual or ceremonial purity. Lev 15.
- Moral impurity; defilement by sin; sinfulness.
- Lewdness; incontinence. Col 3. 2 Pet 2.
When I think of unclean, I think of a dirty house. But when the Bible was written, it had a deeper meaning. Do you recall an old saying, “Cleanliness is next to godliness”? Some think that this is in the Bible, but it isn’t. This phrase can be found in a sermon done by John Wesley in 1778 sermon. I doubt he had a clean house in mind when he said this.
The word uncleanness can be found in 24 verses in the Old Testament and 11 in the New Testament. The Old Testament’s use of the word referred to anything that came from the body was considered unclean; i.e., an issue of blood, or anything oozing from the flesh. There was a specific way to deal with this according to Levitical Law. No one was to come in contact with the individual and the body, clothing and anything touching the clothing had to be washed. Then a sacrificial offering had to be taken to the High Priest to finish the “cleansing” process.
The New Testament, however, mostly refers to uncleanness with defiling the body with sexual sin. (Rom 1:24, 2 Cor. 12:21, Gal. 5:19, Eph. 4:19, Eph. 5:3, Col. 3:5) There are a few verses that refer to the deceit, sinful desires, and hypocrisy. (Matt. 23:27, Rom. 6:19, 1 Thess. 2:23, 1 Thess. 4:7 and 2 Pet. 2:10)
No matter how you look at uncleanness, it is a sin against God! The Old Testament viewpoint is really quite interesting as it reveals to us just how vile and wicked man is. The only way to make it right with God was to clean the body, his clothing, his home and then bring a sacrifice to God atone for the uncleanness. Look at it in this way as born-again believers. When we come to salvation in Jesus Christ, we acknowledge His perfect atonement for our disgusting sins. He died for my sins; He shed His blood for my sins; our sins were nailed to the cross and Jesus took those sins out of the way! (Col. 2:14) Furthermore, God does not remember those sins any longer! The sacrifice for our sins was performed by God Himself through Jesus Christ! If they were nailed to the cross and forgiven, then why should they reappear? (Isaiah 1:18, Psalm 103:12) Our flesh is no longer unclean but has been made new at our new birth. (2 Cor. 5:17)
There will come a time when it will be too late for you to repent. You will remember each opportunity you were given by God to be saved; you will remember each time you laughed it off and ignored it. Please Reader, if you are guilty of this sin, it’s not too late. Repent of it and accept Christ into your life. (Act 16:31, Rom 10:9) I want to be sure that anyone who reads the posts on this blog can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are going to Heaven. Have you received Christ as your Saviour? If no, your sins are not covered by His sacrificial offering of Himself. You have not been redeemed by His blood. God will do what He said He would (Ecc. 3:14). It is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!
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