Day Six, January 17th – Cleansed in Christ

Fasting Encouragement Day 6 - Cleansed in Christ

Happy 6th day of your fast!! We’re half way through and you’re doing great. If you’re reading this early in the morning, here’s a reminder that there’s prayer at 8:30 a.m. at the church.

I am trusting that you are able to find the time needed to worship, read scripture and to pray.

Get your bible, book or phone, and our scripture today is 1 John 1: 6-10, focusing in on the fact that we are cleansed in Christ.

This portion of scripture includes three claims. Vs 6; “If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.” Vs 8; “If we claim to be without sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” Vs 10; “If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar, and his word has no place in our lives.”

John wrote this letter to the Christian church. In that time one of the most dangerous heresies infiltrating the church was Gnosticism. It’s teaching was that man’s spirit was entirely good but his body was entirely evil. And, so John writes this letter to correct this teaching that had been going around. 

Our culture today is just as enamoured with spiritual teachings that float around. People grab onto them and hold them as truth. The early Christians were just as vulnerable as we are today. We are not to be tossed around by new trends (Eph.4:14).

John addresses these trends that believers thought their spirit would not be affected by what the body did. They didn’t think that they could sin and in that, then what Jesus had taught would be a lie.

In vs.7-9 John encourages them that if we walk in the truth and light of what Jesus taught then three things would happen. One, they can have complete fellowship with one another because there is unity, two, the blood of Jesus would cleanse from all sin, and three, that if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteous deeds.  

As we have been focusing in on God’s glory, his manifest presence over us, and believe that God is faithful and just to forgive us, then when we come before him there is no fear or shame that would cause us to hide from his face.

Prayer: Jesus, cleanse me by Your blood. Remove anything that clouds my vision of Your glory. Restore joy in Your presence.

Blessings,

Al Fraser