The Water And The Blood; Or, Complete Purification

This is he who came by water and blood---Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood.

(1 John 5:6 ESV)

Our subject this morning from a sermon by George Burder is The Water And The Blood; Or, Complete Purification and our text is 1 John 5:6: This is he who came by water and blood---Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood.

In these words the apostle John, evidently alludes to a fact which he witnessed at the cross, where he beheld the heart-breaking spectacle---the crucifixion of his beloved Lord. He notices this special circumstance in his Gospel history, "One of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water."(John 19:34) The evangelist considered this to be peculiarly important, for he adds, "He who saw it has borne witness---his testimony is true."(John 19:35)

It was a law of the Jews, that the body of a malefactor should not remain all night on the tree, but it must be taken down before sunset, and buried; it was, therefore, common, in order to hasten the death of the criminal, if not actually dead before the sun was setting, to break his legs; and this was done in the case of the two thieves who suffered with our Lord; but when the soldiers came to the middle cross, they concluded from his appearance that he was actually dead: yet, one of the executioners, either maliciously, and insultingly, or to please the rancorous Jews, or to more fully ascertain that he was dead, pierced his sacred side with a spear.

Whatever might have been the soldier's motive, an important fact was thereby established---it was put out of the power of the Jews to pretend that Christ did not positively die; for had not this fact been unquestionably certain, they would have had some plausible pretense for denying his resurrection from the dead; but the piercing of his side, and its effects, as here related, provided a most certain proof that he really and truly died.

In our anatomy there is a kind of bag, called the pericardium, in which the heart is placed, and which contains a small quantity of water---this was pierced, and probably the heart also, in which case death must necessarily ensue, if it had not before taken place.

To this historic fact, the apostle here alludes; and he considers it symbolically. Water, it is well known, has been used in all ages to cleanse the body; and it has also been used religiously, as an emblem of the blood and spirit of Christ, by which the souls of men are cleansed from sin.

The double design of the death of Christ seems to be pointed out by "the blood and water" which issued from his pierced side. The apostle therefore says, "he came by water and blood"---"not by the water only but by the water and the blood"---he came not by water only---he came not only to sanctify them, so that they might be pure and holy in their lives and conduct; but he came by blood also---he came to shed his most precious blood, to atone for the offenses of his people, to make a perfect and satisfactory atonement for sin, and thus,

"To be of sin the double cure,---

To cleanse us from its guilt and power."

The object of this sermon is to show that

The design of Christ's death was to procure both the justification and sanctification of the Church.

The first part of this design is declared by the apostle John in this epistle---"the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin."(1 John 1:7) Let us dwell a little on this encouraging truth; for encouraging it is to all who are conscious of the defilement of their souls by sin. Cleansing is a term which supposes defilement; and sin is in Scripture represented to be horribly defiling, rendering the soul impure, odious, and abominable in the sight of God, who is perfectly pure and holy. So our Lord represented it, when he detected the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, who were scrupulously exact in washing their hands before eating, and in various external ceremonies of purification; but he, the great Searcher of hearts, declares that it is by "what proceeds from the heart" that men are defiled; such as "evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander"---these, said he, "these are what defile a person."(Matthew 15:18-20) These render a man unfit for communion with God in the present world; these disqualify him for admission into the heavenly state, where nothing that defiles can be admitted. Let none, then, deceive themselves in this matter; "If I do not wash you," said Christ to Peter, "you have no share with me;"(John 13:8) and so he says to us all.

And here let us pause a moment; and let each one ask himself---"Am I convinced of the defilement of my nature, and of my guilt as a sinner before God? Shame and self-loathing are the proper effects of such a conviction; but do I feel shame? Do I loathe myself, and cry with the leper---"Unclean! unclean!"(Leviticus 13:45)

When Ezra confessed the sins of his people, he fell on his knees, and spread out his hands to the Lord, and said, "O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens!"(Ezra 9:6)---Do we blush when we recollect and confess our sins?---When Job, though a good man, considered the glorious holiness and majesty of God, and contrasted with it his own sinfulness, he also cried, "Behold, I am of small account!"(Job 40:4) "I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes!"(Job 42:6)---Such was the humility and abasement of ancient saints ---what is ours?

If we rightfully feel our sinful defilement, we will certainly be anxious for cleansing. And how can this be obtained? The tears of repentance will not wash away our sins. The water of baptism cannot cleanse our souls. Nor is mere reformation and moral improvement enough. But, consider the divine provision! Behold the precious blood from the wounded side of the Son of God! "This is he who came by blood." He came from heaven on purpose, to give his life a ransom for us. Here, see what sin deserves: "The wages of sin is death."(Romans 6:23)

Justice demands the death of the sinner; but grace provides a substitute: "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"(John 1:29)---who takes away sin "by the sacrifice of himself;"(Hebrews 9:26) for "he himself bore our sins in his body on the tree."(1 Peter 2:24) "He was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities: and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all."(Isaiah 53:5, 6) This is the great leading doctrine of the gospel, and ought to be viewed, in the first place, by everyone who desires salvation.

This is evident from the care which the Author of our religion took to keep up a constant attention to it in his church; for he has appointed the Sacrament of the Supper to perpetuate it. When, therefore, he instituted this ordinance, he said to his disciples, when he gave them the cup, "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins---do this in remembrance of me."(Matthew 26:27, 1 Corinthians 11:25)

In the Old Testament times, blood was shed, sacrifices were offered, and the sinner was taught, that "without shedding of blood there could be no remission;" but, he was taught at the same time that cleansing was attainable by blood; and he was directed to look forward to the time when the Son of God should appear to finish transgression, and "to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness."(Daniel 9:24)

The blood of which we speak, purchases the justification of all who believe. We are said to be "justified by his (Christ's) blood;"(Romans 5:9) elsewhere, to "be brought near by his blood;"(Ephesians 2:13) and again, to be "redeemed by his blood;"(Ephesians 1:7) and, to be "washed from our sins in his blood."(Revelation 1:5 NKJV) All these expressions show that it is by the sacrifice of Christ that sinners are justified, or declared to be righteous.

But it is "by faith" that we are thus justified; Jesus Christ is "the propitiation for our sins:"(1 John 2:2) but it is "by his blood, to be received by faith;"(Romans 3:25) it must be received by every man, for himself in particular. Christ is displayed, to everyone, in the gospel.---"Here," as if God said, "here is my Son, and eternal life through him. Who among you desires to be washed in his blood, and saved from wrath through him?" "I (answers the humble believer,) I desire nothing in all the world so much. I believe the testimony which God gives of his Son. I judge the Lord, who has promised life, through him, to the faithful; and I would gladly receive Christ with my whole heart." "Receive him then (says God) he is yours; he that has the Son has life, and will never come into condemnation."

It is in this way that guilt is taken away from the conscience, and the peace of God is obtained. It is in this way that the mind is relieved from the oppressive burden of sin. For, as the apostle Paul argues "if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God!"(Hebrews 9:13)

The perfect efficacy of this blood is frequently expressed in Scripture in very strong terms---"I have blotted out your transgressions (says God) like a cloud"(Isaiah 44:22)---"though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow"(Isaiah 1:18)---Indeed, (says, the penitent Psalmist) "wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow"(Psalm 51:7) and again---"as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us."(Psalm 103:12) "This is he who came by blood."

But our text adds, "This is he who came by water" also. Some understand this to refer to baptism; but this does not agree so well with the scope of the whole passage; but we will consider it, as proposed in the beginning of this sermon as signifying a second blessed effect of the death of Christ---the sanctification of believers, in virtue of that death. This is the second part of our sermon.

We should study to know the full and complete design of the death of Christ. The apostle John, in our text, seems to be anxious that we should do so. It is, indeed, the weakness of our nature to frequently consider one part of a subject and neglect the other; and it is too often unhappily so in the subject before us.

If we should consider Christ as coming into the world by water only---that is, only to purify us to himself, although this is a very great and glorious design of his death, and an essential branch of his great salvation, yet it is not the whole of it.

And if, on the other hand, we should acknowledge in the death of Christ no other design than to make an atonement for sin, and thereby save us from wrath, we should neglect another and an equally important object of the Savior's sufferings.

And there is reason to fear that some well-disposed persons have fallen into this error. When there has been, by the grace of God, a very considerable revival of the great and distinguishing truth of the Protestant religion---Justification by faith in the blood of Christ; as men are ever prone to extremes, some have, in their zeal for this doctrine, neglected, if not denied the twin-doctrine, if it may be so called, of sanctification by the Spirit of Christ; which is as if they would say, This is he that came by blood only, and not both by water and blood.

Let us not then separate what God has so closely connected, but let us be concerned to derive from the meritorious death of our Redeemer both these invaluable blessings---justification, of which we have already spoken, and purification or sanctification, of which we will now speak.

The necessity, the absolute necessity of inward purification arises from that pollution and defilement of our nature, which have been already mentioned, and it would by no means be sufficient for our final happiness, that merely the guilt of sin should be removed, and punishment remitted---it is equally necessary that the heart should be purified;(James 4:8) and that we should "be renewed in the spirit of our minds."(Ephesians 4:23) And, that this was the design of the Redeemer's death, appears from the declaration of the apostle Paul to Titus where, speaking of the "appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ", he says---"who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works;"(Titus 2:13-14)---and in another place where he strongly affirms that "by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast," he adds, according to the spirit of our text, and as it were, uniting "the water with the blood," "for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."(Ephesians 2:8-10)

And, as both these blessings were united in the design of our Savior when he laid down his life for us, so are they united in the desires and prayers of every sincere penitent. Observe the case of the psalmist. He begins his prayer by a petition for mercy, and that God would "blot out all his iniquities;" but he afterwards cries as earnestly, "create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me!"(Psalm 51:10)

This cleansing implies more than amendment of life and reformation of manners; for this is possible, even where the love of sin is retained in the heart, and speculative iniquity habitually indulged. It is also far more than baptism, which is but "the outward visible sign of that inward grace" of sanctification of which we speak.

Our Lord, indeed, insists upon being "born of water and of the Spirit,"(John 3:5) which some interpret of baptism. But, that our Lord did not intend baptism by that expression, seems to be plain; for baptism was not then instituted when he made this declaration to Nicodemus: our Lord then declared, with the most awful solemnity, that "unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God;"(John 3:3) but if baptism were meant, it would then follow that no unbaptized person could on any account be saved---which we trust few would venture to assert. It is also implied in our Lord's words, that whosoever is born again will be saved; but who will dare to affirm that every baptized person will be saved?

It is, indeed, true, that baptism is a type or emblem of regeneration; and, as a divine ordinance, representative of spiritual purification, Christ may be said to "come by water;" in the same manner as in the wine, used in the Lord's Supper; and representative of his death, he may be said to "come by blood" yet these are by no means the chief things intended; they are but "a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ."(Colossians 2:17)

This sanctification is a supernatural principle, or habit of grace, implanted and preserved by the Spirit of God in the hearts of believers, whereby they are enabled to live to God, and perform that obedience to him, which he requires and accepts through Jesus Christ,

This purification is, by the mediation of Christ meritoriously---by faith in Christ, instrumentally---and by the agency of the Holy Spirit, efficaciously.

(1.) It is by the mediation of Christ, meritoriously. We owe to Jesus Christ the renovation of our nature in the image of God; for he died to "bring us to God"(1 Peter 3:18)---to redeem us to God(Galatians 4:5)---He "gave himself up for the church, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish."(Ephesians 5:26)

(2.) It is through faith in Christ, instrumentally. Believers only are the subjects of sanctification. "Sanctify them in the truth," said our Lord in his prayer for his disciples, "your word is truth:"(John 17:17) and again he said, "Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you."(John 15:3) It is by a view of Christ, and of the cross of Christ, that the world is crucified to us---that it loses all its bewitching charms, and that we are crucified to the world,(Galatians 6:14) so that they gladly separate themselves from us. It was thus that the primitive Christians "purified their souls by their obedience to the truth."(1 Peter 1:22) It was thus that the idolatrous and vicious heathen "cleansed their hearts by faith."(Acts 15:9)

(3.) But it is effectively, by the Holy Spirit, that believers are sanctified. This is his special work; and he is called The Holy Spirit, not merely because he is holy in his own divine nature, necessarily so, but because he is the Author of all the holiness that is to be found in the world; all springs from him, as light from the sun; and it is therefore called "sanctification of the Spirit:"(1 Peter 1:2) in connection with "obedience to the truth."(1 Peter 1:22)

(4.) The sanctification of believers is promoted by the means of grace, as religious ordinances of divine appointment are properly called. Faith itself usually "comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ."(Romans 10:17) This is the "pure spiritual milk,"(1 Peter 2:2) by which believers grow and thrive; and this renders the knowledge of Christ by the gospel so admirably useful, that all Christians may, with holy Paul, "count everything as loss" (Philippians 3:8) for the sake of its acquisition.

The Lord's Supper is one of the most eminent among the means of grace and instruments of sanctification; it not only maintains the remembrance of Christ crucified, but it is calculated to excite hatred to sin, love to the Savior, and brotherly affection to fellow-Christians, while it gives occasion for the renewal of our vows and engagements to be the Lord's. Prayer is a highly sanctifying exercise. Every grace is employed in it, and strengthened by it. Our knowledge, our humility, our faith, our hope, our love to God and man, all are employed, and by exercise increased, in this holy duty. It was said of old, no less truly than proverbially, "Praying will make a man leave off sinning, or sinning will make him leave off praying."

Praising God, by singing psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs, not only makes melody in the ears of God,(Ephesians 5:19) but it is highly beneficial to man; it exalts his conceptions of his glorious Benefactor, reminds him of his obligations, excites his gratitude, and enforces his obedience.

(5.) To these we may add, the various afflictions, with which God, in his holy providence, visits his people. These, indeed, are, for the present, "painful rather than pleasant, but later they yield the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."(Hebrews 12:11) They remind us of the evil of sin, and embitter it to us; they lessen our valuation of earthly things; they wean us from the world, and diminish our dependence on creatures; they blunt the edge of worldly affections, and teach us to stretch our wings, and soar towards the happy world in which afflictions are known no more.

In closing,

1. Let us reflect, with befitting humility, on our natural defilement.

Was it necessary that the Son of God should suffer, and bleed, and die? Is it necessary that the Holy Spirit should exert his divine energy and is it necessary that ordinances and providences should all concur in our purification? How deep then must have been the defilement of our nature! Is all this necessary to make us clean? How humbly then should we walk with our God, that, as it is written we may "remember and be confounded, and never open our mouth again because of our shame,"(Ezekiel 16:63) although the Lord is pacified towards us for all that we have done.

2. And if we are by nature thus defiled, how necessary is it that we should be cleansed! If Jesus does not wash us in his precious blood, and renew us by his Holy Spirit, we can have no part with him, either in this world or in that which is to come. Look then to Jesus for this double cure of sin and seek the efficacy both of the water and the blood; and let no one dare to separate what God has joined. Both are equally necessary; and if we do not have both, we have neither.

Justification and sanctification, though distinct in their nature---the former respecting our state, and the latter our disposition, are equally necessary and essential to our salvation; and both are the free gifts of God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. But seek justification first; and do not suppose you must first be sanctified, in order to recommend you to God, and induce him to show you mercy; but first of all come to God as a guilty sinner for pardon, through the blood of Christ; and then cry to him to be sanctified, as a helpless believer, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

3. Let believers in Christ, already sanctified in part, still look to Jesus for further supplies of grace. Our Lord has pronounced a blessing on those "who hunger and thirst for righteousness;" and he has added a gracious promise to such persons---"they shall be satisfied."(Matthew 5:6) We are apt to sit down with ordinary attainments, and content ourselves if we are like others. But we should press forward towards perfection, and earnestly desire a more complete conformity to Christ our great example; that as he was, we also may be in this world.(1 John 4:17) And let us pray for ourselves, as the apostle Paul prayed for the Thessalonians, "Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:"(1 Thessalonians 5:23) and may we pray in faith, believing the promise added---"He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it."(1 Thessalonians 5:24)

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