Tag: uncleanness

Repent of Uncleanness

Living in willful uncleanness as a manner of life evidently grieves God (2Co 12:21), yet we may not even be aware of this type of sin. What is uncleanness? How do we avoid it and repent of it?

Though there are about a dozen New Testament references identifying those living in uncleanness as inherently evil, having no inheritance in God’s kingdom (Ga 5:19-21), these passages provide no definition of uncleanness; we find this only in Torah.

Leviticus describes several types of uncleanness: chapter 11 says touching an animal carcass makes us unclean; chapter 15 says having any oozing from the skin or genital area (2), including nocturnal emissions (16-17), sexual activity (18), menstruation (19), or coming in contact with an unclean person, related fluids, or anything they have touched makes us unclean.

So, the biblical concept of uncleanness doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with becoming dirty, as after a long day in the field when one is covered in dust, grime and sweat; it relates more to the kinds of biological contamination which leads to infection and disease when left to accumulate and decay over time.

The proper response when we become unclean is to wash ourselves and all contaminated clothing and wait until the evening before engaging in any temple-related activity. (5-7, 11, 16-18, 31) Cleansing from oozing that continues over time (a running issue, including menstruation) requires a full week after the oozing stops and a small sacrifice at the temple. (13-15, 19, 28-29)

Numbers 19 describes a different level of uncleanness due to touching (11) or being in an enclosed space with a corpse. (14) This type of uncleanness requires being sprinkled with water containing the ashes of a red heifer sacrificed at the temple. (17-19)

Deuteronomy: 12-14 tells us how to properly dispose of bodily excrement so we don’t become unclean: bury it in a dedicated space well away from our living area, which modern toilets conveniently and effectively accomplish for us.

Since the earthly temple is inactive for now, and since it is not necessarily sinful to become unclean, washing ourselves, contaminated clothing and other objects comprises a godly protocol when we do. This is natural for most in first-world countries and should be routine for believers.

Certain types of uncleanness are intrinsic to human nature, such as the female menstrual cycle and marital sexual activity; they’re good and wholesome, designed by God and part of the natural rhythm of life. (He 13:4)

Uncleanness becomes sinful when we neglect to follow God’s prescription for dealing with it as well as we can and maintain lifestyles free of unnecessary uncleanness. (1Th 4:7) Wanting to live in a state of uncleanness, as an end in itself, is certainly contrary to the spirit of Torah and characterizes the spiritually corrupt. (2Pe 2:10) Such a lifestyle is not Love (Ro 13:10); it’s rooted in selfishness and indiscretion.

Repenting of uncleanness evidently requires a change of mind about the spiritual aspects of physical cleanliness, making it a point to become familiar with God’s instructions and obey them. Perhaps there’s wisdom in the old adage, “Cleanliness is next to godliness.”

And as with most all of God’s instructions related to physical things, there are spiritual principles embedded within them. As we live in a world of spiritual darkness and uncleanness, we invariably react in ways which are misaligned with Torah; unholy feelings and attitudes ooze out from our fleshly nature, and we cannot help but become spiritually contaminated. (Ro 7:18)

As we reflect on our lives (Ps 119:9), we can often identify areas or instances where we have become spotted by the flesh. (Ja 1:27) The remedy is to regularly bathe our hearts, minds and spirits with Scripture, asking God to sanctify and cleanse us with the washing of the water by the Word as we meditate on His Way (Ep 5:26), displacing uncleanness with truth as God speaks the Word into us by His Spirit. (Jn 15:3) We should be doing this daily, not letting spiritual uncleanness accumulate, harden and fester within us.

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Put Apart Seven Days

Certain commands in Torah relating to uncleanness appear cumbersome, inconvenient, and obsolete today, yet this concept of uncleanness is repeated in the New Testament as if it were eternally relevant. (Ep 5:3) As with many of God’s laws, the benefits of observing them are not easily understood.

As an example, laws regarding menstruation require a woman on her period be put apart for a week. (Le 15:19) If this is a quarantine, requiring the woman to be physically isolated and left alone whenever she’s on her monthly cycle, this may seem cruel, unnecessary, and terribly inconvenient for both the woman and the rest of her family.

However, the Hebrew word for apart is נדּה (niddâh), the same word for the menstrual fluid (Le 19:24), so the word itself evidently doesn’t require the woman be physically separated from others, simply identified as being on her period: set apart from others in this sense. This is actually helpful to the woman; others in the family understand she’s under additional physical and emotional stress and give her additional space and mercy.

Additionally, the law specifies that everything the woman sits or lies on during this time becomes unclean, tainted or polluted, and that anyone touching these objects must bathe and wash their clothes and is unclean the rest of the day.

Without access to recent advancements in feminine hygiene, from what we know scientifically, this practice of actually separating objects potentially contaminated with menstrual discharge seems very healthy for preventing disease, and providing a separate physical space for the woman during this time certainly helps contain the uncleanness.

Yet even with advanced hygiene it’s not generally an imposition for all in the home to bathe and/or shower daily and to wash the bedsheets and clothes as the cycle ends. Nothing here is terribly onerous, needlessly inconvenient or necessarily troublesome.

Toward the end of the immediate context, comprising similar laws relating to bodily discharges, we see the ultimate and primary application: when we’re interacting with the physical presence of God in the earthly temple, this kind of uncleanness can be lethal. (Le 15:31)

We may infer from this what we will, but the implication seems to be that we all become unacceptably unclean in just living life in this filthy world and are in constant need of purification. To followers of Christ, this is no surprise: we’re in continual need of cleansing and forgiveness. (1Jn 1:8-9) Perhaps these kinds of laws are given partly as a cyclical physical reminder of God’s holiness (Is 64:6) and of our innate uncleanness apart from Him. (Is 6:5)

Apart from the earthly temple, the impact of uncleanness evidently vanishes in the ceremonial context; what remains is simply physical hygiene, the spiritual lessons we might infer from this, and respecting God’s commands as well as we can because we love Him and delight in His laws. (Ro 7:22)

Becoming ceremonially unclean isn’t sinful; after all, the human body is simply functioning according to God’s perfect design. What is sinful is neglecting to take appropriate steps to manage the uncleanness and limit its impact in our family and community, thereby promoting unnecessary uncleanness and exposing others to harm. (Ep 5:5) This violates the law of Love. (Ro 13:10)

All of God’s laws are faithful (Ps 119:86), truth (151), and righteousness (172); in keeping them as intended there is great reward. (Ps 19:11)

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