The main focus of the the Bible is reconciliation to God by cleansing us from sin.
God sent Jesus and Jesus sends us as His ambassadors, emissaries.
We are not reconciled, cleansed from sin by works of righteousness, but by faith in the finished work of Christ.
The Bible is God's instrument of cleansing.
THE MAIN THING...
Different people and different churches may focus on different Bible truths, but God's main focus is the Reconciliation of the World through the Cleansing from Sin.
2 CORINTHIANS 5:18-21
18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us; we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.
21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
MAN'S FAULTY ATTEMPT...
Other religions try to obtain or attain cleansing through works of personal righteousness, to no avail. I have seen people climb mountains, on their knees and crawl, in order to worship at some “shrine,” in hopes of being cleansed from sin, to no avail. People wash in the filthy waters of the Ganges River seeking cleansing of the soul, all to no avail.
GOD'S SOLUTION...
God gave His Son as a Sacrifice, and faith in Christ and His work of redemption is all that God requires. We come to that faith through His Word.
ROMANS 10:9-17
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the Scripture saith, Whosoever believes on him shall not be ashamed.
12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?
17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
INITIAL CLEANSING FROM SIN...
When we are saved (born again, converted) we are cleansed from all of the sins we have ever committed. In His Parable of the Vine and the Branches, Jesus said that the branches (believers) are clean because of the Word He spoke to them.
JOHN 15:3
3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
ENTIRE CLEANSING FROM SIN FOR BELIEVERS...
Fruitful branches, though initially clean, must be purified or thoroughly cleansed in order to bear much fruit.
JOHN 15:2
2 Every branch in me that bears not fruit he takes away: and every branch that bears fruit, he purges it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
In His prayer (Jn. 17) Jesus said that His disciples were not of this world, even as He is not of this world. They were saved at that time, they were already clean through the Word which He had spoken to them. However, He also pointed out that they needed a further cleansing and He prayed for those believers and for all subsequent believers to be sanctified.
JOHN 17:6, 8-9, 14-18
6 I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gave me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gave them me; and they have kept thy word.
8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gave me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.
9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.
14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
15 I pray not that thou should take them out of the world, but that thou should keep them from the evil.
16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
Paul Tells Believers We Should Be Entirely Sanctified (Cleansed).
1 THESSALONIANS 5:23-24
23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
24 Faithful is he that calls you, who also will do it.
Cleansing From Sin And Purification Of The Heart Required And Provided.
PSALMS 24:3-4
3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place?
4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.
JAMES 4:8
8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
This Complete Cleansing Comes Through Faith.
ACTS 26:18
18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
CONTINUAL CLEANSING FROM SIN...
Continual Cleansing From Sin Comes By A Constant Application Of The Word Of God.
PSALMS 119:9, 11
9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.
11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
Cleansing From Sin Through A Continual Washing With God's Word.
EPHESIANS 5:25-2725 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
The Cleansing From Sin Is As Continuous As Our Walk With Christ.
1 JOHN 1:7
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin.
THE MAIN THING...
Different people and different churches may focus on different Bible truths, but God's main focus is the Reconciliation of the World through the Cleansing from Sin.
2 CORINTHIANS 5:18-21
18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us; we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.
21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
MAN'S FAULTY ATTEMPT...
Other religions try to obtain or attain cleansing through works of personal righteousness, to no avail. I have seen people climb mountains, on their knees and crawl, in order to worship at some “shrine,” in hopes of being cleansed from sin, to no avail. People wash in the filthy waters of the Ganges River seeking cleansing of the soul, all to no avail.
GOD'S SOLUTION...
God gave His Son as a Sacrifice, and faith in Christ and His work of redemption is all that God requires. We come to that faith through His Word.
ROMANS 10:9-17
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the Scripture saith, Whosoever believes on him shall not be ashamed.
12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?
17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
INITIAL CLEANSING FROM SIN...
When we are saved (born again, converted) we are cleansed from all of the sins we have ever committed. In His Parable of the Vine and the Branches, Jesus said that the branches (believers) are clean because of the Word He spoke to them.
JOHN 15:3
3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
ENTIRE CLEANSING FROM SIN FOR BELIEVERS...
Fruitful branches, though initially clean, must be purified or thoroughly cleansed in order to bear much fruit.
JOHN 15:2
2 Every branch in me that bears not fruit he takes away: and every branch that bears fruit, he purges it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
In His prayer (Jn. 17) Jesus said that His disciples were not of this world, even as He is not of this world. They were saved at that time, they were already clean through the Word which He had spoken to them. However, He also pointed out that they needed a further cleansing and He prayed for those believers and for all subsequent believers to be sanctified.
JOHN 17:6, 8-9, 14-18
6 I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gave me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gave them me; and they have kept thy word.
8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gave me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.
9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.
14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
15 I pray not that thou should take them out of the world, but that thou should keep them from the evil.
16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
Paul Tells Believers We Should Be Entirely Sanctified (Cleansed).
1 THESSALONIANS 5:23-24
23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
24 Faithful is he that calls you, who also will do it.
Cleansing From Sin And Purification Of The Heart Required And Provided.
PSALMS 24:3-4
3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place?
4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.
JAMES 4:8
8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
This Complete Cleansing Comes Through Faith.
ACTS 26:18
18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
CONTINUAL CLEANSING FROM SIN...
Continual Cleansing From Sin Comes By A Constant Application Of The Word Of God.
PSALMS 119:9, 11
9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.
11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
Cleansing From Sin Through A Continual Washing With God's Word.
EPHESIANS 5:25-2725 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
The Cleansing From Sin Is As Continuous As Our Walk With Christ.
1 JOHN 1:7
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin.
