The Priests
If you want to be in God’s inner circle, any sin or worldliness cannot enter.
Once that sin is confessed and cleansed, we are pure.
In the Old Testament most people were not able to come into the inner courts. This was reserved for the priests.
We are now considered priests. Jesus has made the way.
The priests ministered to God, they satisfied His requirements of sacrifice
and purifying, cleansing sin with the burnt offerings.
Those sacraments are symbolical for us.
The purification process begins
when we realize and accept Christ’s sacrifice for our sins.
He does cleanse our hearts and souls.
He washes us and we are new creatures.
We are not to entangle ourselves with the world. We still do.
We are not to touch the unclean things. We still do,
whether intentionally or unintentionally.
Holiness is a process.
We have access to the Father through the blood sacrifice of Jesus His Son.
He has made a way.
It is up to each of us to surrender hidden sin that we struggle with.
Could be anger or haughtiness,
or an array of other things that God might reveal to us.
But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light,
we have fellowship one with another,
and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.
If we say that 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 that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
1 John 1:7-10
It is a little hard to understand.
If we have been cleansed from sin,
why do we need to keep confessing and asking for cleansing?
The answers are in the word.
They are vast and complex and simple at the same time.
Aaron was the first High Priest.
Aaron was Moses’ brother, he was also his mouthpiece.
It’s baffling to me that God let Aaron be the High Priest
when he had led the people in making the golden calf while Moses was absent.
God forgives. God also teaches.
His heart is that we learn. He reveals things in us, in our ways of thinking,
in our ways of treating others and God desires that we learn His ways.
God does not condemn us when He sees a flaw in us.
He shows us and He also shows us how to deal with that flaw.
He reaches down to us, to give us a hand up.
That way, we climb higher towards Him in a greater way.
The goodness of God leads us to repentance.
Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? Romans 2:4
He teaches us, He leads us and guides us. God is on our side.
He wants us to be successful in our walk with Him.
A definition of success in Jesus means to know Him in His fullness
and to partake in His Holiness.
But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us,
Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ,
(by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together,
and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
That in the ages to come He might shew the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:4-7
The work is God’s. But we cannot pretend like it does not need to be done.
Our participation is required to be pliable before the Lord
as He makes us new creatures
and helps us to become spotless and without wrinkle.
That He might present it to Himself a glorious church,
not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing;
but that it should be holy and without blemish. Ephesians 5:27
We cannot get there by our own efforts.
We cannot get their by our own merits.
We cannot become perfect and holy unto the Lord
by anything we do in the flesh or even in the spirit apart from Jesus.
We cannot be holy priests unto Jesus on our own.
All the glory is His.
Jesus is our High Priest.
We are likened unto priests whose duties in the Old Testament included ministering to the Lord and making a way of purification for the people
through the sacrifices they made unto the Lord.
They kept things clean and pure in the Lord’s Temple
and were only allowed in with their particular garments
and after they had performed particular rituals.
These duties and sacraments are all symbolic.
Jesus spoke in parables and if we were to study the different rituals,
we would see there are hidden meanings
in each of the sacraments the priests performed.
The Holy of Holies was the place where the Lord dwelled.
Only the priests were allowed to enter one time per year.
If we are the Temple of the Lord, that is, if He dwells in us,
He also wants us to be Holy in our innermost being, whatever that entails now.
It is somewhat different for each one of us in some respects
as we deal with different uncleanness.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter,
but within they are full of extortion and excess.
Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter,
that the outside of them may be clean also. Matthew 23:25-26
Christ has made a way.
He has atoned for our sin and we have access to the Father.
The veil in the Temple was torn,
all of these symbolical and real changes that occurred
when Jesus gave His life as a sacrifice for our sins.
Clinging to sin or any uncleanness can keep us from perfect fellowship.
Jesus is coming back for a church without imperfection.
Keep in communion with Jesus
and be open to His Spirit that there may be more work to do.
He will show you and He will cleanse you and He will help you to be victorious.
Hiding or ignoring sin is offensive to God.
Wash you, make you clean;
put away the evil of your doings from before Mine eyes;
cease to do evil;
Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed,
judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.
Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord:
though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;
though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Isaiah 1:16-18