If we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another. – 1 John 1:7
In Old Testament times, there was a spiritual distance between the people and God. Before entering His presence, the priests were required to wash ceremonially and offer a sacrifice for their sins. Only after doing this could they enter the temple. Women could worship only in a certain area of the temple. Their husbands could travel a little farther toward the altar of God, but the priests were the ones who offered sacrifices for the people. This is not so today. The coming of Jesus Christ ended this rigid form of worship and tore away the veil that separated God from His people.
Today, we are never outside of His presence. Therefore, it’s even more important to be sensitive to His holiness and our need for purity.
The Israelites ritually washed in order to be clean before God. However, after Christ’s resurrection, they didn’t understand that the gift of God’s grace could live with them and cleanse them completely.
Today, we can bow our heads in prayer, ask God to forgive our sins, and be completely assured that He does. We are cleansed—not because we’re special but because His Spirit lives within us.