Ephesians 5:25 ...."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.
This passage of scripture teaches us that a thorough work must be done in our lives as it pertains to the delicate issue of character- building for eternity, a work that cannot be put off for the future, but must rather be addressed on a daily on-going basis. In the passage The Lord is seen to be the One who washes and cleanses the individual members of the church from all unrighteous deeds and ungodly thoughts. But the work of washing and cleansing is just a part of the equation, for it must proceed to the final stages where according to the passage, all spots, wrinkles and blemishes are permanently removed.
When we do our laundry, some of the clothes come out wrinkled, while others may come out with spots, even though they are clean. In order that these imperfections be removed, certain processes must take place. When our clean clothes are wrinkled, we usually apply a hot iron to smooth them out, and as steam and heat are applied in a uniform manner to all areas where the imperfections exist, the material becomes neat and tidy, ready to be worn. The very same process often needs to be applied to our character-building, for although we may have been washed in the blood of the Lamb, and are clean, yet many wrinkles and spots do remain, and in order that these be removed, we are sometimes placed in the furnace of affliction where the dross and imperfections of our characters are taken care of.
Though this process can be pretty trying for us, yet it is necessary that we understand the need for it, so that if trials were to come our way we will not murmur and complain to God about why and what He is passing us through. This process is described in the Bible as "The chastening of The Lord" and every true son or daughter of God is made to pass through one or more of these experiences, for we all have blemishes and short-comings in our characters that cannot be left unattended. Understanding the work of God in this matter will better prepare us to cooperate with Him in eradicating any undesirable traits of character, and will keep us from becoming repeat offenders who will then need to go through the processes again and again. Let's read:
Hebrews 12:5 .... "My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: 6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth" .... 7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons" ..... 11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. 12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; 13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.
Some of us have been made clean through the washing of water and the word, but we may still retain an anger problem, in which short tempers often flare up when our rights are violated, or someone speaks to us in a disrespectful manner. The Christian must keep his cool under all harrowing experiences, lest we be moved to utter words that are unbecoming, such as Peter spoke when interfered with in the judgment hall. Was he then clean and washed? Absolutely! But did he still have some spots and wrinkles in his character which needed to be taken care of? The answer is a resounding yes. Thus it may be with many of us who are striving for the mastery over sinful tendencies and desires which intrude themselves into our consciousness from time to time, and which also find expression in wrong words and deeds when the right triggering mechanisms are put in place.
God is able to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, if we submit ourselves to the necessary processes daily, and He has also promised grace to help in time of need, for the fires of the furnace are not to destroy, but rather to purify. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us to cooperate with God in these processes, so that the character of Christ may be reflected brighter and brighter, in and through us as the days and years roll by. Let's read:
Romans 8:13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!