DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- A CLEANSED CONSCIENCE

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – A CLEANSED CONSCIENCE

"For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" (Hebrews 9:13-14)

In the Philippines, and other places in the world, there are people called flagallants who beat themselves with whips and rods with the intent of expiating their sins before God. They do this year after year, especially at Easter, hoping that their suffering will somehow bring them peace of mind. But it doesn't. It has to be done year after year because they don't have the confidence of sins forgiven. The Old Covenant did not include flagellation. However, the offering of the sacrifices was for the purifying of the flesh for the same purpose as flagellation. It was to cleanse sin. The problem is that it did not cleanse the conscience, so it had to be done repeatedly.

As Christians, we have the cleansing of the blood of Christ that cleanses us from all sin (I John 1:7). There are Believers who are continually beating themselves up mentally because of their past sins. They do not understand that the sacrifice of Jesus was sufficient to cover every sin that is repented of before God.

The Mosaic Covenant with its sacrifices cleansed the flesh. But the New Covenant that is based on Christ's sacrifice brings us cleansing of our conscience so that we can stand before God with a pure heart. We have a conscience that is cleansed by the blood of Christ, so that we don't have to live under the bondage of past sin. It is not so much that I forget my sin and don't regret my failures. It is that God forgets and I can stand before Him with a clean conscience.

A clean conscience is a treasure to be valued because it frees us from the tyranny of the past to serve the living God. Praise God that Christ's atoning sacrifice cleanses not only our flesh but our conscience.

As the old hymn goes, "Oh the joy of sins forgiven, Oh The bliss the bloodwashed know, Oh the peace akin to heaven, Where the healing waters flow."

Love, Dad