Editorial May 27, 1905 Issue

"Ye shall be clean."

John B. Willis

One of the distinctive features of the Temple service as ordained by Moses, was its requirements with respect to personal and ceremonial cleanliness, and the more one meditates upon the symbolic and suggestive meanings of these requirements the more significant they are seen to be. Their inclusiveness is indicated by Jesus' words when he said, "He that is washed ... is clean every whit," and further by his scathing condemnation of those who, while painstakingly scrupulous as to externalities,—"the cup and platter,"—were indifferent as to the inner life,—the thought and motive.

His teaching that purity must characterize every aspect of the Spirit-impelled life, the within and the without, the impulse and its expression, the thought and its statement, was clearly apprehended by Paul, when, after giving the most glowing picture of our possible spiritual achievements, he exhorts that we "cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."

The recognition of the unseemliness of material disorder—dirt—grows in human sense with the advance from a crude to a cultured civilization, and a people's rank is, therefore, accurately determined by their interest in sanitation. Paul's injunction, however, takes note of both "flesh and spirit,"—person and mentality. It lays emphasis upon the comprehensiveness of the purity of the Christ-ideal, over against the old Phariseeism, still extant, which takes the utmost care to keep itself from pollution without, while constantly indulging defilements within.

Enjoy 1 free Sentinel article or audio program each month, including content from 1898 to today.

Send a comment to the editors
NEXT IN THIS ISSUE
Editorial
Divine Deliverance
May 27, 1905
Contents

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit