The Church of Christ:  The Purity of the Church

1 John 1:7 says, “If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” Without the death of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Lord’s church would still be in their sins. In other words, Christians would be unclean, unfit and unacceptable before God.

Ephesians 5:25-27 says, “...Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.”

Clearly, the reference to “the washing of water by the word” is a reference to our obedience to God’s Word and our baptism into Jesus Christ (John 3:5; Mark 16:16; 1 Peter 1:22-25; Colossians 2:12). Our obedience is the trigger that activates God’s previously offered grace (Romans 6:17,18). Our sins are forgiven, and we are added to Christ by our faith and baptism into Christ (Galatians 3:27; Romans 6:3,4).

Yet, many mistakenly believe that because they are cleansed of their sins by Christ’s blood they may continue to sin. They often miss the important conditional phrase of 1 John 1:7 which says, “If we walk in the light…” The blood of Jesus cleanses those who do His will. All those who ignore it, disobey it or try to change it will be rejected by God (Matthew 7:21-23).

Thus, the church must always strive to maintain its purity. Christians must “put off” the old man of sin and “put on” the new man that conforms to the image of Christ (Colossians 3:1-14). We must continue to do as Timothy was commanded by Paul, “Keep yourself pure” (1 Timothy 5:22).

Those who obey Jesus Christ and choose to continue in sin put their souls in great risk. The church is commanded to mark and discipline such individuals (1 Corinthians 5:10-13; Romans 16:17). God’s Word compares these types to dogs returning “to their own vomit” and pigs “having washed...to wallowing in the mire.”

To those who compromise their purity, Peter says, “the latter end is worse for them than the beginning” (2 Peter 2:20-22).

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