Question 70: What does it mean to be washed in the blood and Spirit of Christ?

Question 70: What does it mean to be washed in the blood and Spirit of Christ?

Answer: To be washed in the blood of Christ means that God has graciously forgiven my sins because of the blood Christ shed for me on the cross. To be washed in the Spirit of Christ means that the Holy Spirit has regenerated me and set me apart as a member of Christ, enabling me to gradually die to sin and live a holy and righteous life.

John 3:5 “Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.’”

Believers mistakenly believe that water washes away sins. Therefore, they apply it to the blood of Jesus Christ, claiming it represents the forgiveness of sins. However, 1 Peter 3:21 states, "Baptism, a symbol of this, now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the body but the appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ."

For believers to receive forgiveness of sins through the blood of Jesus Christ, their sinful bodies must first die with Jesus. Thus, the dead are freed from sin. Romans 6:6-7: "For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin."

As believers die with Jesus in their physical bodies, God regenerates them through the Holy Spirit. Being born again means being born again. The doctrine states, "Being washed by the Spirit of Christ means that the Holy Spirit has regenerated me and set me apart as a member of Christ, enabling me to gradually die to sin and live a holy and righteous life."

The Holy Spirit grants baptism in the Holy Spirit and the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a birth into a heavenly body, and the fullness of the Holy Spirit grants believers spiritual discernment and strength to fight the world. While it is true that the Holy Spirit regenerates believers through the baptism in the Holy Spirit, the term "gradual" is problematic. Those who are reborn are distinguished, holy, and righteous. This does not happen gradually. Therefore, believers confuse gradual spiritual growth with instantaneous holiness and righteousness.

Even if believers gradually live a holy and righteous life, they still have not reached perfect holiness and righteousness. 1 Peter 1:16 says, “Be holy, for I am holy.” Therefore, believers who mistakenly believe they must diligently strive for holiness. The Greek version of 1 Peter 1:16 reads, διότι γέγραπται · ἅγιοι ἔσεσθε, ὅτι ἐγὼ ἅγιος. “Be born holy, for I am holy.” For it is written, “Be born holy, for I am holy.” Believers are baptized in the Holy Spirit and are born from heaven, becoming holy and righteous. Hebrews 10:10 says, “And by that will we have been made holy through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

Philippians 3:7-9 “But whatever things were to my gain, those I counted loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have suffered the loss of all things. I count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having my own righteousness that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.”

The Bible says that God’s righteousness is not something that believers can obtain through their own efforts, but rather comes through faith in Christ.

Romans 10:4 "For Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness (eis dikaisinen) to everyone who believes." Regarding "the one who practices righteousness will live by it," Jesus Christ is the end of the law because the law could not achieve God's righteousness. Eis dikaisinen (εἰς δικαιοσύνην) means "by entering into righteousness." In other words, Christ is the end of the law so that everyone who believes may enter into (God's) righteousness.

Believers, while believing they are born again, often feel they are not holy or righteous when they look at their own lives. This leads them to exhibit a dualistic behavior, believing they are righteous through Jesus Christ while simultaneously denying it. The blame for this lies with false prophets who preach false doctrines.

In the hearts of the saints, a new temple descending from heaven is established. That's why you call it a temple. However, there is also an old temple. In the saints, the old temple (the old self) and the new temple (the new self) coexist. In the old temple is the crucified Christ, and in the new temple is the resurrected Christ. The crucified Christ has been judged by God. And the resurrected Christ, as the Son of God, grants resurrection and eternal life to those who enter into Him.

Through Christ in the new temple, the hearts of the saints become heavenly. Ephesians 2:6, "And raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus." This heaven is the kingdom of God within the soul, the third heaven, and heaven itself.

A saint has a physical body and a spiritual body. The physical body (physical mind) is the body of the old self, while the spiritual body (spiritual mind) is the body of resurrection life. Thus, there are two bodies and two minds, and one's identity must be placed in the spiritual body (spiritual mind).

Because the spiritual body is seated in heaven, Satan cannot approach it. It has nothing to do with sin. 1 John 3:9, "No one born of God practices sin, because His seed remains in him. And he cannot sin, because he has been born of God." 1 John 5:18, "We know that no one born of God sins. He who has been born of God keeps himself safe, and the evil one cannot touch him."

God says that he will not hold those born with a spiritual body accountable for their sins through the law. Romans 8:1-2, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death."

However, sometimes believers fall into a carnal mindset. Romans 7:21-23: "So I find it to be a law: When I want to do what is right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see another law at work in my members, warring against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells within me."

When a believer recognizes the physical body as his or her own, everything that originated from that body is revived. Fleshly desires, past memories, bloodlust, anger, etc. are resurrected, turning the mind upside down. The spiritual battle is a battle between the spiritual mind and the fleshly mind within the believer's heart.

A believer must place his or her identity in a heart guided by the Holy Spirit. This happens even to those who are born again. A believer must not engage in the foolish act of seeking the blood of Jesus again for forgiveness of sins. Instead, he or she must remember the death of the old self and pray daily for the guidance of the Holy Spirit, refusing to allow the flesh to function.

When a believer follows the Holy Spirit, their heart becomes heaven (the third heaven). However, when they follow the flesh, their heart becomes hell. If a believer continues to act in a way that succumbs to the flesh, tribulation will ensue. God gives Satan thorns to prick him.