Cleanliness is Next to Godliness
Most of us are familiar with the statement, “Cleanliness is next to godliness.” As a little boy, I heard it often, but remember also that there were times when being clean just didn’t factor well into the energetic activities of an inquisitive lad! With new Tonka trucks, dirt was quite appealing. As we grew a bit older, we imagined hidden treasure inside clefts of the rocks, or caves, and of course, that got us dirty. When even older, and with an infatuation for engines (or any greasy part of auto-mechanics) being clean just didn’t factor into the excitement. But still, that statement “cleanliness is next to godliness” hinted with boisterous clarity that filthiness was not permitted where cleanliness was expected.
First, the statement is NOT from scripture. In fact, there is verification that Jesus and His disciples ate with unwashed hands. (Mark 7: 1- 13). No, I’m not recommending that we banish the healthy habit of washing, but there is proof from Scripture that at times, cleanliness has nothing to do with godliness – at least outwardly!
Second, we know that the “filth of the flesh” is an unavoidable reality. It doesn't take much for us to get dirty regardless of what toil we engage in. From simple to complex activities, we accumulate some measure of dirt and for that reason, we bathe to rid our bodies of that filth. We recognize this from our youth up. And though children may give some objections to “taking a bath again,” just wait – teenagers often think they live in the shower!
Third in our introduction, we all recognize the penalties for remaining dirty. There are infections, stenches, and transferring of dirty hands to clean linens or clothes, not to mention the questions from our peers asking, “Why are you so filthy?” While we might be tolerant for a while of those whose cleanliness is less than desirable, few if any of us would tolerate filthiness unendingly!
Certainly, most of us understand the statement, “cleanliness is next to godliness,” and we concur with its benefits. But have we ever applied the statement SPIRITUALLY? If so, have you ever found a way to stay “dirty” and “godly” simultaneously? I would doubt it! We are either for Him or against Him; we either gather with Him or we scatter abroad: we cannot serve God and the flesh! Therefore, we’ll either be clean or dirty, righteous or wicked!
John wrote about this in chapter one of his general epistle. He said, “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” (1 John 1: 6 – 10) Will we sin and soil our garments of white? YES! But we don’t have to wallow in the sin, consistently dwell in it, and endeavor to convince ourselves, “It’s not that dirty.” Just how much sin does it take to ruin our souls? (Galatians 5:9) The object is to STAY CLEAN.
There are so many objects in our culture/society that are considered “acceptable” that to call them “sin” garners all manner of rebuke. It is a reminder of what God prophesied through Isaiah. “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink: Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!” (Isaiah 5: 20 – 23) Later God said, “Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever: That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD:
Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits: Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.” (Isaiah 30: 8-11) Many would prefer staying dirty, away from the sacredness of God and His power, than to hear His word, learn it, and obey it and in so doing, have their sins washed away in the blood of the Lamb.
Think of the abundance of N.T. passages that speak of “spiritual cleanliness.” Acts 22:16 – wash away thy sins; 1 Corinthians 6:11 – but ye are washed; Hebrews 10:22 – bodies washed with pure water; Revelation 1:5 – washed us from our sins in his own blood; 7:14 – washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Being clean in God’s sight is not optional! No soul can enter heaven with the filth of sin! Baptism is the removal of those sins from the old man; repentance and prayer will keep us clean thereafter (Acts 8;22).
Why wouldn’t anyone wish to be clean from sin? Moreover, once cleansed from such filth, why wouldn’t that soul wish to stay clean? (Refer to 2 Peter 2:22) Can we not see that spiritually, cleanliness IS next to godliness? Without this cleanliness, we are stained with sin, we smell of sin, we are repulsive to righteousness which includes God, and we are lost! God has told us how to be cleansed from sin, but He won’t force us into the water! That must be our decision, predicated on our faith that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and our confession of that faith. Further, baptism must be preceded by repentance. We can’t simply say, “I’m sorry,” and let it go! A changing of our will, a changing of our old habits of getting dirty in whatever sin it might be, must cease. From baptism, we rise to walk in newness of life, and it remains our responsibility to keep the soul clean by remaining faithful in ALL we say and do. That dear reader, is what is the righteous understanding of “cleanliness is next to godliness.”