Introduction
Illustration: How Do You Get Into Heaven?
This question will bring a variety of answers. A confusion of views is evident in the following sampling of opinions gathered for the Radio Bible Class program ’Sounds of the Times’: (responses are mine)
· "God wouldn’t send you to hell." (New York) – Yes He would.
· "I’ll cross that bridge when I get there." (Boston) – Not if you don’t accept Jesus Christ before you die.
· "You have to believe in God." (Miami) – The devils believe and tremble.
· "There is nothing I can do about it." (New York) – Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.
· "I don’t dare say that I know I’m going." (Los Angeles) – These things have I written that you may know that you have eternal life.
· "Keep the Ten Commandments." (San Francisco) – You can’t and you don’t.
· "How I live my life...being kind to other people." (Boston) – Kind people go to hell if they don’t know Jesus.
· "I couldn’t care less." (Boston) – Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
· "Be a good person." (Gainesville) – Good people go to hell every day.
I. WASHING IS SYMBOLIC. John 13:15
Example - NT:5262 - hupodeigma (hoop-od’-igue-mah); from NT:5263; an exhibit for imitation or warning. The idea here is for believers to follow this pattern of loving humility.
A. Washing Is Symbolic Of Condescension. John 13:4
1. He riseth from supper: symbolic of the fellowship He enjoyed with God in eternity past. John 17:5
a. Jesus Christ stepped down from His place of glory at the throne of God, voluntarily and temporarily suspended the use of many of His divine attributes, and came to earth to live as the God-man; fully divine yet fully human.
2. He laid aside His garments: symbolic of His leaving heaven to become a man.
a. Jesus Christ came to redeem us from sin. Galatians 4:4-5
b. He became sin for us so that we could be righteous in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21
3. He took a towel and girded Himself: symbolic of the kenosis; the perfection of divinity taking on the likeness of human flesh. Romans 8:3-4
B. Washing Is Symbolic Of Cleansing. John 13:5
1. Water speaks of our need for sanctification and purification. Ephesians 5:25-26
· sanctify – NT:37 - hagiazo (hag-ee-ad’-zo); from NT:40; to make holy, i.e. (ceremonially) purify or consecrate; (mentally) to venerate.
· cleanse - NT:2511 - katharizo (kath-ar-id’-zo); from NT:2513; to cleanse (literally or figuratively).
· Word - NT:4487 - rhema (hray’-mah); from NT:4483; an utterance (individually, collectively or specifically); by implication, a matter or topic (especially of narration, command or dispute); with a negative naught whatever.
Note: The significance of rhema (as distinct from logos) is exemplified in the injunction to take "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God," Eph 6:17; here the reference is not to the whole Bible as such, but to the individual scripture which the Spirit brings to our remembrance for use in time of need, a prerequisite being the regular storing of the mind with Scripture. (Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Copyright (c)1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
C. Washing Is Symbolic Of Concession.
Note: The dusty and dirty conditions of the region necessitated the need for footwashing. Although the disciples most likely would have been happy to wash Jesus’ feet, they could not conceive of washing each other’s feet. This was because in the society of the time footwashing was reserved for the lowliest of menial servants. Peers did not wash one another’s feet, except very rarely and as a mark of great love. Luke points out that they were arguing about who was the greatest of them, so that none was willing to stoop to wash feet. When Jesus moved to wash their feet, they were shocked. (The MacArthur Study Bible, note on John 13:4,5.) John 13:6, 8-9
1. We don’t know the mind of Peter, necessarily, but his objection probably stems from pride and embarrassment.
2. He was indignant that Jesus would stoop so low as to perform the task of a slave.
3. He failed to see beyond the humble service to the symbolism of spiritual cleansing involved.
4. The reality for the Christian is that we continually need to confess our sins and allow the Lord Jesus Christ to not only forgive us, but to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
II. WASHING IS NOT BATHING. John 13:7
Note: What was it that Peter did not know? That Jesus was not referring to the act of washing Peter’s feet is obvious. Peter knew that Jesus was washing his feet. But when faced with the possibility of being rejected, he asked Jesus to wash not only his feet, but his head and hands as well. The key to understanding what Peter did not know is found in verse 10. John 13:10
· He that is washed – from the Greek word louo (loo’-o); NT 3068; a primary verb; to bathe (the whole person; whereas NT:3538 means to wet a part only, and NT:4150 to wash, cleanse garments exclusively).
· Wash his feet – from the Greek word nipto (nip’-to); NT 3538; to cleanse (especially the hands or the feet or the face); ceremonially, to perform ablution.
A. Bathing Is A One-Time Event That Occurs At The Moment Of Salvation. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11
1. From the same Greek root meaning bathe.
Washed - NT:628 - apolouo (ap-ol-oo’-o); from NT:575 and NT:3068; to wash fully, i.e. (figuratively) have remitted (reflexively):
· NT:575; apo (apo’); a primary particle; "off," i.e. away (from something near), in various senses (of place, time, or relation; literal or figurative). In composition (as a prefix) it usually denotes separation, departure, cessation, completion, reversal, etc.
2. The genuine believer has had his sins washed away completely, forever separating him from the power of sin and the penalty of death.
3. Because of his new position in Christ, the believer departs from his sinful lifestyle, ceases from the practice of sin, and displays a complete reversal from the life he once lived. Titus 3:5-7
· Regeneration - NT:3824 - paliggenesia (pal-ing-ghen-es-ee’-ah); from NT:3825 and NT:1078; (spiritual) rebirth (the state or the act), i.e. (figuratively) spiritual renovation; specifically, Messianic restoration.
“New birth” (palin, “again,” genesis, “birth”), is used of “spiritual regeneration,” involving the communication of a new life, the two operating powers to produce which are “the word of truth,” (James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:23), and the Holy Spirit (John 3:5,6).
The new birth stresses the communication of spiritual life in contrast to antecedent spiritual death; “regeneration” stresses the inception of a new state of things in contrast with the old. (Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Copyright (c)1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers).
· Renewing - NT:342 - anakainosis (an-ak-ah’-ee-no-sis); from NT:341; renovation.
Used in Romans 12:2 (the renewing of your mind) to speak of the adjustment of the moral and spiritual vision and thinking to the mind of God, which is designed to have a transforming effect upon the life.
Here it refers not to a fresh bestowment of the Spirit, but a revival of His power, developing the Christian life.
This passage stresses the continual operation of the indwelling Spirit of God. (Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Copyright (c)1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers).
4. Spiritual regeneration, or new birth, results in a new creature that has been imparted with spiritual life.
5. Within one who has been born again, the Holy Spirit continually works to develop the believer into the person that God wants them to be.
6. But one who professes Christ while continuing to display a life of ungodliness, has not been truly regenerated. Hebrews 10:26-27; 1 John 2:3-6
B. Washing Is A Continuous Action That Provides For Restoration. 1 John 1:8-9; 2:1-2
1. Continual confession of sin is an indication of genuine salvation. Psalms 51:1-4
2. “Confess” means that we say the same thing about our sin that God does.
3. Genuine believers will freely confess their sins, and God will faithfully cleanse those who are confessing.
4. In our struggle with sin, Jesus Christ is our advocate.
a. He is our helper, our defense attorney.
b. Satan accuses believers day and night before the Father.
c. Jesus, as our High Priest, stands in our defense, guaranteeing not only sympathy, but absolute acquittal.
5. He is also our “propitiation.” Romans 3:25
a. The word means “appeasement” or “satisfaction,” or “atonement.”
i. The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross satisfied the demands of God’s holiness for the punishment of sin. Romans 1:18
ii. His sacrifice appeased the Father who was offended by our sins. Isaiah 53:10a
iii. Through His death, our atonement is provided; we are granted the righteousness of Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:21
b. The word also means “mercy seat.”
c. “The sins of” (1 John 2:2) in the KJV is italicized, meaning that those words are not included in the original text, but were added by the translators.
i. Including "the sins of" implies that unbelievers have their sins atoned, even though they have not believed, a doctrine known as universalism.
ii. The actual meaning is that Jesus Christ is the propitiation, and the only propitiation, for all of mankind.
iii. He cannot and does not stand as the advocate or propitiation for the sins of those who refuse to believe.
C. Peter Was Bathed; Judas Was Washed. John 13:10-11
Note: If washing is only symbolic of cleansing, why did Jesus say to Peter, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me” (v. 8)? The answer is found in 1 John 1:8-10.
· Everyone who is genuinely saved, because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in their life, will willingly confess their sinfulness before God. 1 John 1:8
Anyone who professes Christ but refuses to acknowledge their sin is deceived about their salvation.
The truth (Jesus Christ Himself) is not in them.
John 14:6
· A genuine believer will continually confess their sins and seek cleansing from the Lord. 1 John 1:9
· Refusing to acknowledge sin in the life of a believer is evidence that a person has never truly experienced salvation that comes from God. 1 John 1:10
· If His word is not in us, then Christ is not in us, and we are unsaved. John 1:1
Note: The word order in the Greek says “and God was the Word.” This is a much more emphatic expression of the deity of Christ.
· Jesus said to Peter, in effect, “Because I am faithful and just to forgive you of your sins and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness, the only reason you could remain unclean would be the fact that you were never bathed. To remain unclean would reveal that the Holy Spirit never indwelt you. The truth is not in you. The Word is not in you, and you have deceived yourself into believing that you have been saved. So, Peter, if I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”
1. Peter was saved; Judas was not. John 17:12
a. “Son of perdition” identifies Judas by pointing to his destiny, eternal damnation.
b. The defection of Judas was not a failure on Jesus’ part, but was foreseen and foreordained in Scripture. Psalms 41:9
2. Peter was clean; Judas was unclean. John 6:70
3. Peter needed washing; Judas needed bathing.
4. Peter died as a martyr for the Lord Jesus Christ; Judas died in shame and disgrace.
5. Peter was bathed and washed, and went to heaven.
6. Judas had clean feet, and went to his own place. Acts 1:24-25
7. You can’t get to heaven with clean feet.
III. WASHING IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF EVERY BELIEVER. John 13:14-15
A. It Is A Responsibility To Ourselves. Romans 6:1-2
1. Paul anticipated that preaching justification based solely upon the free grace of God would be interpreted as a “license to sin.”
2. God forbid/Certainly not [May it never be! NASB, By no means! NIV, RSV] is the strongest Greek idiom for repudiating a statement, and it contains a sense of outrage that anyone would ever think the statement was true.
3. To think that a person saved by the grace of God and indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God could somehow sin with impunity reveals a total lack of comprehension of what salvation is all about.
4. We are dead to sin (not the daily struggle with sin, but a one-time event) because we are “in Christ,” who died in our place. We are, therefore, counted dead to sin, and alive to Christ. Galatians 2:20
B. It Is A Responsibility To One Another.
1. We are charged with the responsibility of restoring those who have fallen. Galatians 6:1-3
2. When one of our members suffers the consequences of sin, it affects the whole body. 1 Corinthians 12:26
Conclusion
Illustration: Hitting My Sister
As I was growing up with a younger brother and sister, one of our favorite games to play was baseball. We had a plastic bat and ball, and we would team up with some of the neighborhood kids and play ball in the back yard.
On one particular occasion my mom took our bat away from us because we were arguing, like all brothers and sisters tend to do. But this did not deter us from playing our favorite game. Mom took the bat, but not the ball. So we took the metal brace from the swing set (the metal bar that is used to brace two legs together on each end) and started using it as a bat.
I was at bat when I swung at a pitch and felt two distinct points of contact; one was with the ball, and the second was with my sister’s head. I didn’t realize that she had walked up behind me, and on my follow through I clobbered her on the forehead with the end of the brace.
I turned around only to discover that my sister was screaming and bleeding profusely. In fact, not much of her face was really visible because she was covered in blood. I knew I was in trouble, so while my sister bled and cried, I pleaded with her not to tell momma. I figured that washing her down with the water hose to get rid of the blood would be enough to take care of the situation. Once the bleeding stopped, I would be in the clear. But in my panic to discover a way to keep from getting a good whipping, I couldn’t see that the greater need was for my sister to receive medical attention. She had to be taken to the emergency room where she received several stitches to bind up her wound.
The point of this story is this. When my mom came out to find out what was going on, she didn’t stop to dwell on how guilty I was for disobeying her, or to find out every detail about what had happened. As soon as she saw the blood, she swept my sister up in her arms, carried her into the house to put a bandage on her head, and drove her to the hospital so that she could get the medical attention she desperately needed. As a matter of fact, the whipping I deserved never came. My mom’s actions showed that her concern for my sister’s health and well-being was more important than trying to blame somebody for the accident that had caused her injuries, or for punishing the one who was responsible.
Pastors need to learn that lesson.
So many times we have been guilty of preaching on sin just so we can point a finger of blame at someone who has stumbled under the load of temptation that Satan brings to bear upon us. God forgive us for our arrogance and our shortsightedness. Forgive us for falling short of our God-given responsibility to preach the gospel to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised (Luke 4:18). Our obligation as pastors is not only to warn people of sin and the consequences it brings, but also to bind the wounds of our brothers and sisters in Christ who have been victimized by the enemy, and to tell those who have never known the washing of regeneration that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay your sin debt, that His blood can wash away all of your sins, and that He rose from the dead to prove that He has power over death, hell and the grave.
Christians need to learn that lesson.
How many of us have been guilty of shooting our wounded? How many have kicked a brother or sister when they were down, rather than bearing their burden, and helping to restore them back into the sweetness of full fellowship with our Lord? We ought to be ashamed, for the Church is to be our refuge, our safe haven, and our place of restoration. But all too often it becomes a place of torment and ridicule because of those who have forgotten to “consider themselves, lest they also be tempted.”
Some of you this morning have been through the ringer in your battle with sin this week. You’re battered and bloodied from the near lethal blows that Satan has inflicted upon you, and you desperately need medical attention, the kind of medical attention that only Jesus Christ can give. So I stand before you today, not with a pointed finger, but with outstretched hands, pleading with you to come this morning and be washed in the pure refreshing waters of God’s abundant grace and mercy. You need to be washed, to clean your feet. You’ve already been bathed in His loving grace and mercy. But you need to come to Jesus, confessing your sins and you will experience complete and total forgiveness and cleansing. Your fellowship will be restored, and your hope will be renewed. You’ve struggled with sin long enough. Now is the time to come back into the grace and mercy of the Lord.
Others of you may just simply be lost. You’ve washed your feet many times. You’ve turned over a new leaf only to find the same old dirty sin on the other side. You’ve attended church, you’ve put money in the offering plate, and maybe even been baptized and joined the church. You’ve worked in the nursery and done other things around the church. But you’ve never trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ to save you from your sins. Friend, let me tell you, because I love you, that if you don’t come to know Jesus Christ in the full pardon of sin, your eternal destination is hell. But if you come, you must come trusting in nothing but the shed blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse you all of your sins. You can’t do anything to earn His favor, and you can’t bring anything with you but a broken heart and a contrite spirit. You can’t get better to come to Him. You can only plead with Him to forgive you as you are, a worthless sinner begging for mercy and pardon. You can only come to Jesus Christ in absolute unworthiness to ask Him for His free gift of salvation; to wash you of your sins through His death, burial, and resurrection.
