When You Don't Need a Bath

John 13: 10-11

¹⁰Jesus answered, "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you." ¹¹For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

It begins with a bath. That initial coming to Christ, in which we take the place of bankruptcy before Him, coming without any vestige of our own righteousness to offer and allowing Him to cleanse us, is likened to a bath in which we are washed all over, completely, from head to foot.

So Jesus is saying, "When you first come to me, you are bathed; you are clean all over." This is what the Bible calls justification by faith. It is a washing away of of all the guilt and sin of the entire life-past, present, and future. But as you walk through life, Jesus knows your feet will be defiled during your walk, and that needs to be washed away. Thus He teaches us that not only do we need the initial, never-to-be-repeated cleansing, but we also need the many times repeated experience of forgiveness, of coming to Christ for the cleansing away of the defilement of our walk. This determines that we have a part with Him.

In other words, the enjoyment of our relationship with Christ is lost when we are temporarily defiled by wrongdoing in our life. We lose the enjoyment of our relationship with Him. His attitude toward us doesn't change, but our attitude toward Him does.

But Jesus teaches us by this whole process we need only one bath. This is reflected in the truth of baptism. You are baptized once, as the initial act. But the Lord's Supper reflects the washing of the feet, the need for cleansing from sin throughout life.

Thank You, Father, that you have washed away all my sin and guilt, and I now stand righteous in Your sight. Teach me to come to You each day, confessing my sin, allowing You to restore me to that close fellowship with You for which I was made.

Amen!