A New Purity: Create In Me A Clean Heart
With his blood Jesus secured the promises of the New Covenant for his people (Luke 22:20).
One of those promises is a New Purity: "I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you" (Ezekiel 36:25).
Lately, God has exposed some uncleanness, some idolatry, in me. Perhaps he's doing the same in your life. Now, if you're like me, you wonder "If I've been cleansed, why do I still have these idols, all this nasty uncleanness in my heart, head, and hands?"
The truth is, I have been cleansed (1 Corinthians 6:11; Titus 3:5; Hebrews 10:22), I am being cleansed (1 John 1:7-9), and I will one day be completely clean forever (Revelation 21:27).
I live in that "already but not yet" chapter of the Story in which I am already clean, but am not yet finished being cleaned. I'm reminded of what Jesus said to Peter that same night he said that his blood would pay for the promise of a New Purity: "The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean . . ." (John 13:10). I have been cleaned from sin and idolatry once and for all, but I still pick up sin and idols like feet collect dirt and dung on a dusty road in first century Jerusalem.
That means I'm in constant need of continued cleaning, as these verses suggest:
"Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work" (2 Timothy 2:21).
"Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded" (James 4:8).
But my pursuit of cleanliness is to be based on the promise that I am already clean, that I already have a New Purity because of the blood of Jesus:
"Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God" (2 Corinthians 7:1).
So, here's a prayer that I will use to help me pursue purity based on the promise that I am pure. It's Keith Green's version of "Create In Me A Clean Heart," a song based on Psalm 51:1-13:
One of those promises is a New Purity: "I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you" (Ezekiel 36:25).
Lately, God has exposed some uncleanness, some idolatry, in me. Perhaps he's doing the same in your life. Now, if you're like me, you wonder "If I've been cleansed, why do I still have these idols, all this nasty uncleanness in my heart, head, and hands?"
The truth is, I have been cleansed (1 Corinthians 6:11; Titus 3:5; Hebrews 10:22), I am being cleansed (1 John 1:7-9), and I will one day be completely clean forever (Revelation 21:27).
I live in that "already but not yet" chapter of the Story in which I am already clean, but am not yet finished being cleaned. I'm reminded of what Jesus said to Peter that same night he said that his blood would pay for the promise of a New Purity: "The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean . . ." (John 13:10). I have been cleaned from sin and idolatry once and for all, but I still pick up sin and idols like feet collect dirt and dung on a dusty road in first century Jerusalem.
That means I'm in constant need of continued cleaning, as these verses suggest:
"Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work" (2 Timothy 2:21).
"Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded" (James 4:8).
But my pursuit of cleanliness is to be based on the promise that I am already clean, that I already have a New Purity because of the blood of Jesus:
"Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God" (2 Corinthians 7:1).
So, here's a prayer that I will use to help me pursue purity based on the promise that I am pure. It's Keith Green's version of "Create In Me A Clean Heart," a song based on Psalm 51:1-13:
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