Daily Bread – September 1, 2022 (The Fifth Day – Genesis 1:20-23) 1 John 3:3 – And everyone that has this expectation in Him purifies himself, even as He is pure. Shared Calling With Jesus To Purity It is of the utmost importance we recognize how a person is purified. Only by the blood of Jesus Christ is one made pure (1 John 1:7,9, 2:2). The word ‘hagnizein’ is a rare word in the Greek New Testament. It is used in the Old Testament for ritual purification, one example being in Exodus 19:10-11 where God commanded Moses to make the people pure because the Lord was going to appear before all of the people. The Levites also had to purify themselves before going into the presence of the Lord (Numbers 8:21). The concept of ritual purification is further emphasized by the following word used to describe the ritual purity of Jesus, ‘hagnos’. The word ‘hagnos’ (ritually pure) is never used in the Gospel to describe the purity and holiness of Jesus. A closely related word yet distinctively different is ‘hagios’ (holy). The first time that ‘hagno appears in the New Testament is in 2 Corinthians 7:11 to describe the true heart and repentance of those at Corinth. It is used in 2 Corinthians 11:2 by Paul in the context of that which is pure or chaste (2 Corinthians 7:11, 11:2; Philippians 4:8; 1 Timothy 5:22; Titus 2:5). The way it is used by both James and Peter also denotes a person who is chaste as being of pure thoughts and clear of any immorality (James 3:17; 1 Peter 3:2). We are called to walk in the same obedience and purity that Jesus walked in (1 John 2:6, 1:7; 1 Peter 2:21). Blessings, Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
Daily Bread 9/1/2022
