Topical Encyclopedia
Definition and SignificancePurifying, in the biblical context, refers to the process of making something ceremonially clean or free from impurities, both physically and spiritually. This concept is deeply rooted in the Old and New Testaments, where purification is often associated with religious rituals, moral cleansing, and the sanctification of individuals and communities.
Old Testament ContextIn the Old Testament, purification is primarily linked to the ceremonial laws given to the Israelites. These laws were designed to maintain holiness and cleanliness among God's people. The Book of Leviticus outlines various purification rituals, including those for individuals who have become unclean through contact with dead bodies, skin diseases, or bodily discharges (Leviticus 11-15). The purification process often involved washing with water, offering sacrifices, and waiting for a specified period.
For instance,
Numbers 19 describes the use of the "water of purification," made from the ashes of a red heifer, as a means to cleanse those who had come into contact with a corpse. This ritual underscores the importance of purity in maintaining a relationship with God and participating in communal worship.
New Testament ContextIn the New Testament, the concept of purifying takes on a more spiritual dimension. Jesus Christ's sacrificial death and resurrection are seen as the ultimate means of purification for believers.
Hebrews 9:13-14 states, "For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that their bodies are clean, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, purify our consciences from works of death, so that we may serve the living God!"
The New Testament emphasizes the internal aspect of purification, focusing on the heart and conscience. In 1
John 1:7, believers are encouraged to walk in the light, as "the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin." This purification is not merely external but involves a transformation of the inner person, aligning one's life with the holiness of God.
Purification and BaptismBaptism is a significant New Testament ordinance symbolizing purification and the washing away of sins.
Acts 22:16 records Ananias instructing Saul (Paul), "And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized, and wash your sins away, calling on His name." Baptism represents the believer's identification with Christ's death, burial, and resurrection, marking the beginning of a new, purified life in Christ.
Moral and Ethical PurificationBeyond ceremonial and ritualistic aspects, the Bible calls for moral and ethical purification.
James 4:8 exhorts believers, "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded." This call to purity involves repentance, turning away from sin, and seeking to live a life that reflects God's holiness.
Eschatological PurificationThe theme of purification extends to eschatological hope, where believers anticipate a future state of complete purity and holiness.
Revelation 21:27 speaks of the New Jerusalem, where "nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who practices an abomination or a lie, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life." This ultimate purification is the fulfillment of God's redemptive plan, where His people are fully sanctified and dwell in His presence eternally.
ConclusionThe biblical concept of purifying encompasses both the physical and spiritual realms, highlighting the necessity of holiness in the life of believers. Through the sacrificial work of Christ, believers are called to live purified lives, reflecting God's holiness and preparing for the eternal purity of His kingdom.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
(
p. pr. & vb. n.) of Purify.
Greek
2512. katharismos -- a cleansing... of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration: katharismos Phonetic Spelling:
(kath-ar-is-mos') Short Definition: cleansing,
purifying, purification Definition
...2508. kathairo -- to cleanse
... Cognate: 2508 -- make clean by (removing undesirable elements); hence, "pruned
(purged)"; eliminating what is fruitless bypurifying (making ). See 2513 ()....
48. hagnizo -- to purify, cleanse from defilement
... Word Origin from hagnos Definition to purify, cleanse from defilement NASB Word
Usage purified (2), purifies (1), purify (3),purifying (1). purify oneself....
Strong's Hebrew
2892. tohar -- purity,purifying... 2891, 2892. tohar. 2892a . purity,
purifying. Transliteration: tohar Phonetic
Spelling: (to'-har) Short Definition: clearness. clearness, glory,
purifying...2893. tahorah --purifying, cleansing
... 2892b, 2893. tahorah. 2894 .purifying, cleansing. Transliteration: tahorah
Phonetic Spelling: (toh-or-aw') Short Definition: cleansing....
2892a. tohar -- purity,purifying
... 2892, 2892a. tohar. 2892b . purity,purifying. Transliteration: tohar Short
Definition: purification. Word Origin from taher Definition...
2891. taher -- to be clean or pure
... clean (2), pronounces him clean (1), pronouncing it clean (1), pure (2), purge
(1), purged (2), purified (5), purifier (1), purify (5),purifying (1), remain (...
2403. chatta'ah -- sinful thing, sin
... habitual sinfulness), and its penalty, occasion, sacrifice, or expiation; also
(concretely) an offender -- punishment (of sin),purifying(-fication for sin...
Library
Purifying the Soul
... THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PETERPURIFYING THE SOUL. '... ye have purified... truth.
We have here. II.Purifying through the Spirit. I have...
ThePurifying Influence of Hope
... I. JOHN THEPURIFYING INFLUENCE OF HOPE.... 'Purifying' they need because they are impure,
and growth is only half the secret of Christian progress....
ThePurifying Hope
... SERMON III. THEPURIFYING HOPE. Eversley, 1869.... There are very few religions which
have not madepurifying of some kind a part of their duty....
ThePurifying of the Temple.
... Section 117. ThePurifying of the Temple. DURING the feast of the Passover Jesus
appeared at Jerusalem in his prophetic calling, and accredited it by miracles....
Whether Faith Has the Effect ofPurifying the Heart?
... OF THE EFFECTS OF FAITH (TWO ARTICLES) Whether faith has the effect ofpurifying
the heart?... Therefore faith has not the effect ofpurifying the heart....
July the Twenty-FirstPurifying the Sanctuary
... JULY The Twenty-firstPURIFYING THE SANCTUARY. 2 CHRONICLES xxix.1-11,
15-19. Worship has vital connections with work. There are...
Of Malachi's Prophecy, in which He Speaks of the Last Judgment...
... Book XX. Chapter 25."Of Malachi's Prophecy, in Which He Speaks of the Last Judgment,
and of a Cleansing Which Some are to Undergo byPurifying Punishments....
The Apostolic Experience
... knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did
unto us; and put no difference between us and them,purifying their hearts by...
Sanctified by God the Holy Ghost.
... knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as He did
unto us, and put no difference between us and them,purifying their hearts by...
The Man Sent Ahead.
... John baptized. That is, he used apurifying rite in connection with his preaching....
But in the first use of it, by John and Jesus, it was apurifying rite....
Thesaurus
Purifying (17 Occurrences)...Purifying (17 Occurrences). Mark 7:19 because it doesn't go into his heart, but
into his stomach, then into the latrine, thus
purifying all foods?" (WEB YLT).
...Purification (25 Occurrences)
... 1. (n.) The act ofpurifying; the act or operation of separating and removing from
anything that which is impure or noxious, or heterogeneous or foreign to it...
Purify (39 Occurrences)
... Numbers 8:7 And thus shalt thou do unto them, to cleanse them: Sprinkle water of
purifying upon them, and let them shave all their flesh, and let them wash...
Thirty (189 Occurrences)
... John 2:6 Now there were six water pots of stone set there after the Jews' manner
ofpurifying, containing two or three metretes apiece. (See NAS RSV NIV)....
Fulfilled (143 Occurrences)
... Leviticus 12:4 And she shall then continue in the blood of herpurifying three and
thirty days; she shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary...
Nonimmersionist
... for the most part simply ceremonial purifications; for while it is true that both
in the cult of the Mysteries and beyond it a mode ofpurifying after great...
Non-immersionist
... for the most part simply ceremonial purifications; for while it is true that both
in the cult of the Mysteries and beyond it a mode ofpurifying after great...
Purim (5 Occurrences)
View (86 Occurrences)
... for the most part simply ceremonial purifications; for while it is true that both
in the cult of the Mysteries and beyond it a mode ofpurifying after great...
Zephaniah (11 Occurrences)
... 3:1-8 is so similar to chapter 1 that its originality cannot be seriously questioned,
but 3:1-8 carry with them 3:9-13, which describe thepurifying effects of...
Resources
What are indulgences and plenary indulgences and is the concept biblical? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is the significance of the refiner's fire and launderer's soap in Malachi 3:2? | GotQuestions.orgShould a Christian be a prepper or in any way involved with doomsday prepping? | GotQuestions.orgPurifying: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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