Cleansed by Grace

Under the Law of Moses, any who were defiled or unclean were commanded to wash in water.  Before people went to approach the presence of God to offer sacrifices at the temple were directed to wash in a mikveh.  After a woman's "customary impurity" was complete or the "seed of copulation" went forth from a man, each were required to wash in water.  This washing was more than taking a bath or a shower for hygenic reasons, but it was for ceremonial cleansing in obedience to the Law.

Ceremonial washing in a laver was important for the priests as they discharged their duties in service to the LORD as it is written in Exodus 30:20:  "When they go into the tabernacle of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire to the LORD, they shall wash with water, lest they die."  The need to be washed and purified before approaching God was entrenched in the Jewish Law, and thus the groundwork for John the Baptist was laid long before his arrival to preach repentance of sin and to prepare the way for the LORD Jesus Christ.  Jewish people flocked to the wilderness to be baptised in the Jordan by John and his disciples, and the people were expectant for a Saviour.  The Jewish rulers sent people to inquire of John why he was baptising people if he was not Christ, and he explained it was to make the Messiah manifest to Israel (John 1:19-34).

The commands of the Law of Moses to be ceremonially cleansed were a shadow of what Jesus is the substance, for according to His word sinners can be born again and filled with the living water of the Holy Spirit.  Through the power of the Gospel, Jesus provides spiritual cleansing, righteousness and salvation by faith in Him.  John 3:16 tells us, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."  The Law made no provision for eternal life through washing in water, and being baptised does nothing to save a soul under the new covenant either.  Forgiveness and eternal life is offered as a free gift by grace through faith in Jesus, and all who repent and trust in Jesus have assurance of eternal life--like the robber on the cross who believed in Jesus as LORD.

One thing we do see in the New Testament is people were baptised in water after being born again by faith in Jesus, and this signified being cleansed from sin and raised from death to new life, obedience and identification with Jesus.  The Ethiopian eunuch, the Philippian jailer, the apostle Paul and many others were baptised in water after trusting in Jesus Christ as LORD.  Their forgiveness and salvation came by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit well before they were wet; they were already spiritually cleansed before they came out of the water.  Jesus commanded and ordained all His disciples to go and make disciples of Jesus of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all Jesus commanded (Matthew 28:18-20).

The Jews under Law who washed in water to be ceremonially cleansed, they are a shadow that points to the Saviour Jesus who spiritually cleanses us from within by faith in Him as it says in Titus 3:3-7:  "For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. ⁴ But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, ⁵ not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, ⁶ whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, ⁷ that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life."