Clean, But Still in Need of Cleansing
“Jesus said to him, ‘The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean.’”
John 13:10
Peter was confused by what Jesus was doing. It did not make sense that the Lord would kneel before him. When Jesus explained that this washing was necessary, Peter swung to the other extreme, asking for his hands and head to be washed as well. But Jesus corrected him. Peter did not need another bath. He only needed his feet washed.
This moment reveals the difference between salvation and sanctification.
When you came to Christ, you were bathed. Completely cleansed. Fully forgiven. Declared clean before God. This was not partial. It was definitive. You were not made mostly clean. You were made completely clean.
Yet you still walk through a broken world. And as you walk, your feet get dirty. You stumble. You sin. You pick up the dust of this fallen world. This does not undo your salvation, but it does disrupt your fellowship.
The solution is not to be saved again. The solution is to be cleansed again.
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
1 John 1:8-2:4
This is why confession is so vital in the Christian life. Confession is not about becoming saved again. It is about restoring closeness with the One who already saved you. It is about bringing your dirt into the light so that Jesus can wash it away.
Some believers live in constant fear that their failures have undone their salvation. Others ignore their sin entirely. But Jesus shows us a better way. You are clean, and when your feet get dirty, come to Him. He is faithful to cleanse you again and again.
The same Savior who bathed you is still kneeling with a towel in His hands.
John 13:10
Peter was confused by what Jesus was doing. It did not make sense that the Lord would kneel before him. When Jesus explained that this washing was necessary, Peter swung to the other extreme, asking for his hands and head to be washed as well. But Jesus corrected him. Peter did not need another bath. He only needed his feet washed.
This moment reveals the difference between salvation and sanctification.
When you came to Christ, you were bathed. Completely cleansed. Fully forgiven. Declared clean before God. This was not partial. It was definitive. You were not made mostly clean. You were made completely clean.
Yet you still walk through a broken world. And as you walk, your feet get dirty. You stumble. You sin. You pick up the dust of this fallen world. This does not undo your salvation, but it does disrupt your fellowship.
The solution is not to be saved again. The solution is to be cleansed again.
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
1 John 1:8-2:4
This is why confession is so vital in the Christian life. Confession is not about becoming saved again. It is about restoring closeness with the One who already saved you. It is about bringing your dirt into the light so that Jesus can wash it away.
Some believers live in constant fear that their failures have undone their salvation. Others ignore their sin entirely. But Jesus shows us a better way. You are clean, and when your feet get dirty, come to Him. He is faithful to cleanse you again and again.
The same Savior who bathed you is still kneeling with a towel in His hands.
Posted in The Word Made Flesh
No Comments