The Old Testament spends a lot of time talking about things that are holy and things that are common. It also talks about holy things being clean or unclean. Many Christians don't understand these ideas or, because they come from the Old Testament, think they don't apply to Christians. But as the Apostle Paul said:

Modern Christians tend to think only in terms of sin and repentance but the Bible often uses the terms holy and common, and clean and unclean.

In this lesson we will learn that the concepts behind these terms do apply to Christians. Along the way we will learn to various words the Bible uses to describe these things and we will be prepared to understand the Bible deeper and more completely.

Lesson

We start with "holy and common". Things that are holy are set aside or separated from things that are common. To God the things that are holy are acceptable, honorable, and valuable. The things that are common are not. Instead of "common" we sometimes use the word un-holy. The idea is the same.

We are called to be holy. That is, we are called to be separate from all that is ungodly, all that is evil.

That call to be holy comes in verses from the New Testament but Peter is quoting from the Old Testament. The call to be holy appears many times in the Old Testament so we can't know which one Peter is quoting. Here are some of them:

There is quite a bit to learn from these verses. God says be holy and do not make yourself unclean. From this we understand that to be holy a person must also be clean. We'll come back to that later as we discuss clean and unclean.

We also see that God has "set [us] apart from the peoples [of the earth]." We are to be a people for him. different and separate from the rest of the people on the earth

We also see that we are to "consecrate ourselves". The English language is a bit confusing with how the word holy is used. To "consecrate" means to make something holy. You might think that the verse should say "holy ourselves" but that's bad English, but that's what consecrate means, "to make holy." We also sometimes use the word purify or even "purge". You also might think that when we have been made holy we would say "we are holied" but that's also wrong. Instead we say "we are sanctified" but that's what sanctified means, "made holy." Also when something holy is made common we use the word "defile".

God's instruction to "consecrate ourselves" does not mean that we can make ourselves holy. Only God can make something holy. The instruction is to do our part, which is to remove all uncleanness from our lives. God knows the heart. Hearts that are truly turned to him will avoid defiling themselves and becoming unclean again.

Clean and Unclean

So far we've talked about becoming holy, being consecrated, and we know that only God can make us holy to him. He does this when we repent and turn from our unclean ways with determination to live according to his ways. We've also seen that God wants us to be separate from the ways of the world, to remain clean. This is an ongoing process. Now we'll look more at clean and unclean

In the Old Testament, which really includes most of Jesus' life, there were laws about both spiritual and physical uncleanness. A person who became physically unclean usually became clean in a matter of days which were spent outside of the camp or city. Our relationship to the laws for physical cleanness is different now but they still teach us about the spiritual uncleanness which is the really big problem. Jesus talks about this when the Scribes and Pharisees try to get him and his disciples to observe manmade rules on cleanness.

By saying "Whoever has an ear to hear, let him hear" we know he means that they need to think about what he is saying. There is more to it than appears on the surface. Later, with his disciples he adds more details.

Jesus was mostly talking about spiritual defilement and less about the physical. He expresses the same idea here:

We see the list of things that Jesus says defile a person and make him spiritually unclean which affects the eternal life. But physical uncleanness was also a big problem for some. There were people with persistent conditions, such as leprosy, that made them unclean for as long as the condition persisted. Like all unclean people, they normally stayed outside the city. If they had to come into the city, they had to stay away from people, not touch anyone, and announce to everyone that they were unclean.

Anyone who touched a leper was immediately unclean (physically) and had to spend at least 7 days outside the camp after which the priest would declare them clean if there were no signs of infection. Because of this inconvenience lepers were not welcome in the city.

There are some important things to see here. The man with leprosy does not ask to be healed; he asks to be cleansed. For him the important thing is to be cleansed so he can return to society, probably to a family.

Also note that Jesus touches him. By the laws, this would have made him unclean. Just as with sin, uncleanness defiles the clean. The clean do not purify the unclean - except in this case. Jesus touches the man, cleanses him, and is not unclean himself. A priest could not cleanse the unclean; he could only inspect them and declare that they were clean.

Matthew describes the same event, but he uses the word purify instead of cleanse, but those mean the same thing. Luke also uses purify in his account of this event.

We now understand some of the reasons for the laws that God gave concerning physical cleanness and unclean foods. God didn't try to explain to them the science of communicable diseases. Instead he said "don't eat this", "don't touch this", or "get out of the city, away from other people."

Conclusion

We saw that only God can make us holy but it is our responsibility to remain holy, to continue to be holy. We also saw that the reason for this is that God is holy.

We saw that "consecrated", "sanctified", "purified", "purged", and "defiled" are all words associated with "holiness".

We saw that to be holy is also to be clean in a spiritual sense. We saw a list of things that defile us, making us unclean.

We saw that there is also a physical sense to cleanness that benefits the community.

Other verses

Here is a list of many (but not all) verses in the New Testament that use clean, unclean, purify, or defile. Verses with the word purge were not included though in many cases "purge" is used like "purify".

Matthew 10:8 "Heal the sick, purify the lepers and cast out demons; freely you have received, freely give."

John 13:10 Yeshua said to him, "He who is bathed does not need to wash except his feet only, for he is wholly clean. You are also entirely clean, but not all of you." ¹¹ Yeshua had known who would betray him, therefore, he said, "Not all of you are clean."

John 18:28 They brought Yeshua from the presence of Qaypha to the Praetorium, and it was dawn, and they did not enter the Praetorium, lest they would be defiled, until they had eaten the Passover.

Acts 10:14-15 And Shimeon said, "Never, my Lord, because I have never eaten anything defiled or polluted." ¹⁵ And a voice came again a second time to him: "Those things which God has purified you shall not make impure."

Acts 10:28 And he said to them, "You know that a man who is of the Jews is not allowed to join a foreign person, who is not one of his race. God has shown me that I should not say that a man is unclean or defiled."

Acts 15:9 And he made no distinction between us and them, because he purified their hearts by faith.

Acts 15:20 But let it be sent to them that they separate from the defilement of sacrifices and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood.

Acts 20:26 And because of this, I testify to you today that I am pure from the blood of all of you.

Acts 21:28 As they appealed and they were saying, "Men, sons of Israel, help! This is the man who opposes our people, teaching in every place against the law and against this place, and he also has brought an Aramaean into The Temple and has defiled this holy place."

Acts 22:16 And now why do you wait? Arise, be baptized, and be cleansed from your sins while you call upon his name.

Romans 6:19 As a fellow man, I say to you because of the weakness of your flesh, that as you presented your members to the servitude of defilement and of evil, so also now present your members to the servitude of righteousness and of holiness.

Romams 14:14 For I know and I am persuaded by THE LORD JEHOVAH Yeshua that there is nothing that is defiled in his presence. But to the one who regards anything impure, it is impure to him alone.

Romans 14:20 And let us not destroy a Servant of God because of food, for everything is pure, but it is evil to a man who eats with offense.

1 Corinthians 7:14 That man who is an unbeliever is sanctified by the wife who believes, and that woman who is not a believer is sanctified by the husband who believes, otherwise their children are defiled, but now they are pure.

1 Corinthians 8:7 But that knowledge has not been in every person, for there are some people even until now in whose conscience eat what is sacrificed to idols, and because their conscience is weak, it is defiled.

2 Corinthians 6:16-17 And what agreement does the Temple of God have with demons? But you are the Temple of the living God, just as it is said, "I shall dwell in them and I shall walk in them, and I shall be their God, and they shall be a people to me." ¹⁷ "Because of this, come out from among them and be separated from them, says THE LORD JEHOVAH, and you shall not touch the impure thing, and I shall receive you"

2 Corinthians 7:1 Therefore, because we have these promises, beloved, let us purify ourselves from all impurity of the flesh and spirit and let us cultivate holiness in the awe of God.

2 Corinthians 12:21 Lest when I come to you, my God would humble me and I would grieve over many who have sinned and have not returned from defilement, from fornication and from lewdness which they have practiced.

Ephesians 5:3-5 But fornication, all impurity and greed are not even to be named at all among you, as is appropriate for Holy Ones, ⁴ Neither abusive language, neither worthless words, nor of disgrace, nor of nonsense - these things that are unnecessary, but in place of these, thanksgiving. ⁵ You have known this, that no person who is a fornicator or impure or a greedy person (who is an idol worshipper) has any inheritance in The Kingdom of The Messiah and of God.

Ephesians 5:25-26 Husbands, love your wives, as The Messiah also loves his church and gave himself up for her sake, ²⁶ To sanctify and purify her in the washing of water and in the word.

Phillipians 2:14-15 Do everything without complaining and without division, ¹⁵ That you would be perfect and without blemish as purified children of God who dwell in a hard and crooked generation, and appear among them as lights in the world.

Colossians 3:5-9 Kill therefore your members that are in Earth: fornication, impurity, diseases, wicked desires, greed (which is idol worship), ⁶ For because of these things, the anger of God comes upon his disobedient children. ⁷ And you walked also in these things from the first, when you were employed in these things. ⁸ But now put off from you all these things: anger, fury, wickedness, blasphemy, impure speech; ⁹ Neither should you cheat one another, but put off the old man with all of his ways

1 Thessalonians 4:7 For God has not called you to impurity but to holiness.

1 Timothy 6:14 That you keep the commandments without defilement and without blemish until the revelation of Our Lord Yeshua The Messiah

Titus 1:15 For to the pure everything is pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure, but their mind and conscience is defiled.

Titus 2:14 Who gave himself in our place to redeem us from all evil and to purify a new people for himself, which is zealous of good works.

Hebrews 1:3 For he is The Brilliance of his glory, The Image of his Being, and upholds all things by the power of his word; and he in his Essential Being has accomplished the purification of our sins, and he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

Hebrews 7:26 For because this Priest also was right for us: pure, without malice and without defilement, who is separate from sin and exalted higher than Heaven

Hebrews 9:13 For if the blood of kids and of calves and the ashes of a heifer were sprinkled on those who were defiled and it sanctified them for the purifying of their flesh, ¹⁴ How much more therefore, will the blood of The Messiah, who by The Eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works that we may serve the living God?

Hebrews 12:15 And be watchful, lest anyone among you be found lacking the grace of God, or lest the root of bitterness produce vines and harm you, and many be defiled by it

James 1:27 For pure and holy ministry before God The Father is this: to take care of orphans and widows in their affliction, and for a man to keep his soul without defilement from the world.

James 3:6 And the tongue is a fire and a world of sin; it is like a jungle. And that tongue by itself, while it is among our members, defiles our whole body and sets on fire the successions of generations, which roll on like wheels; it also burns with fire.

James 4:8 Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Purify your hands, you sinners; sanctify your hearts, doubting souls.

1 Peter 3:21 For you also are alive in [water] by that simile in baptism, not when you wash the body from impurity, but when you confess God with a pure conscience, and by the resurrection of Yeshua, The Messiah

2 Peter 1:9 For he in whom these things are not found is blind, because he does not see that he has forgotten the purification of his former sins.

2 Peter 2:13 They are those with whom the payment for evil is evil. A daytime banquet of defilement is considered by them a pleasure, and they are filled with defects. When they celebrate in their love feasts, they indulge themselves

1 John 3:3 And everyone who has this hope upon him purifies himself, just as he is pure.

Revelation 7:14 And I said to him, "My Lord, you know." And he said to me, "These are those who came from great suffering and they have purified their garments and whitened them in the blood of The Lamb."

Home	Our Hope
Bible Study		April 17, 2016
Holy, Common / Clean, Unclean

Introduction

Lesson

Clean and Unclean

Conclusion

Other verses