The self-judgment-by-comparison-to-the-Word program the Apostle Peter was referring to in his letter to the church en masse was also addressed by the Apostle Paul in a letter to the church at Ephesus (5:26). In his epistle he told the Ephesian church to continually practice spiritual cleansing “by the washing of the water by the Word.” It takes an honest person to compare one’s “walk” to the “walk” prescribed by the Lord to determine if one is living up to His Biblical standard and, if not, to right one’s spiritual ship. Being in continuous touch with true saints in the churches, both Peter and Paul knew that there was much ship-righting/soul-washing needed within professing Christendom. Knowing that such heart checks were being neglected throughout the system, Paul wrote the following to the church at Corinth in his first letter to them: “If we judge ourselves (by God’s Word) we will not be judged (negatively) on the Day of Judgment. When we are judged by the Lord (by comparing our lives to His commands) we receive whatever discipline we need so that, if we make the needed changes, we will not later be judged and condemned along with the unchurched world (1 Cor. 11:31,32). Note two things: 1) Paul included himself (“we”) in his admonition to judge ourselves and make the proper adjustments. And 2) if we fail to do so we will be cursed along with the godless world. In the eyes of God, to have His Word and fail to know, believe and obey it makes one even more evil than the one who denies His existence, for “… unto whom much is given, much is required” (Lk. 12:48). He has given us His Word; He requires us to know, believe and obey it.

So how does one have sin and error washed out of his heart by God’s Word. Relative to their cleansing abilities, spiritual water and physical water are much alike. Physical water being poured into a dirty glass will eventually cleanse the glass. In order to receive sin cleansing in the spiritual sense we must continually take in God’s Word–His symbolic “water” by which we can recognize sin and error and eliminate it. I have found that church people spend more time reading books, magazines, newspapers, watching t.v. and movies, recreating, visiting, etc. than they do studying God’s Truth. That combined with the fact that they are not hearing His Truth from pulpit and podium means that they neither know, believe nor obey the Truth, all three of which are necessary for salvation. God’s self-judging/Word-washing commands are exactly that–COMMANDS. There is no option provided by the Lord. One either follows His orders or burns along with the rest of the world. Remember that in the Lord’s sheep fold (His church, His people) there are goats, tares, fools, bad fish, etc. See The Church, The Gospel And The Goats.

The first order of business for anyone who has made the walk-Word comparison and has found him/herself wanting is to determine how he/she came to know, believe and obey the lies, deceits, smooth things, etc. that resulted in his/her fallen spiritual condition. The answer is always the same–he/she has been duped by Satan through his false prophets. Having concluded that truth, his/her next move is commanded by God: “Come out of her, My people … touch not the unclean thing.” Then, and only then God tells us, will He be our God and we will be His people (2 Cor. 6:17). To come to the Truth concerning one’s evil condition, then go back into the very institution that infected him/her with that condition makes one like the sow that returns to her mire and the dog that returns to its vomit (2 Pet. 2:22). To be continued. L.J.