What is ablution? Does the Bible talk about ablutions?
-
- 0
Ablution is a ceremonial act of washing. What’s being washed could be parts of the body or sacred containers. In many religions, ablutions prepare people to approach God. The term ablution does not appear in Scripture, but the Bible does make numerous allusions to the practice. Ablution in Scripture reveals truths about God’s holiness, human depravity, and the cleansing blood of Christ.
Ablution was a vital part of Israel’s ceremonial practices, and the laws given to Israel included rules about maintaining purity. For example, the priests were commanded to wash their hands and feet before entering the tabernacle or drawing near the altar. Exodus 30:20 says, “When they go into the tent of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn a food offering to the Lord, they shall wash with water, so that they may not die” (ESV). God’s holiness demands purity in His presence, and that purity was symbolized by ablution.
The Israelites were also instructed to wash their garments after being exposed to unclean things, such as corpses or certain diseases (see Leviticus 15:5–13; Numbers 10:11–12). Ablution reminded the Israelites of the gulf between God’s holiness and the corruption of human depravity. Sinful humanity could not approach God without ablution.
Ablution was not intended to be an end in itself. Outward cleanliness is nothing without inward repentance. Isaiah 1:16–17 declares, “Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good” (ESV). According to Scripture, physical ablution should be paired with a spiritual, inward cleansing—a riddance of sin.
The New Testament references ablution, but the focus is on an inward renewal rather than an external washing. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for being obsessed more with the details of the Mosaic Law than with the condition of their hearts. In Mark 7:6–8, Jesus quotes Isaiah: “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (ESV). Defilement comes not from unwashed hands but from a sin-infested heart.
The ultimate ablution is the washing away of sin by the blood of Christ. Hebrews 9:13–14 contrasts the ceremonial washings in the Old Testament with the finished work of Christ: “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” (ESV). Christ’s sacrifice surpasses Old Testament ablutions in quality, effectiveness, and permanence.
Faith in Christ’s finished work cleanses one from sin, but the believer must continue to grow in holiness. James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (ESV). Spiritual ablution is not limited to a one-time event but is a continual process of sanctification or becoming more Christlike: “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean” (John 13:10, ESV).
Biblical ablution reveals God’s holiness, illustrates human depravity, and points to the cleansing blood of Christ. The Bible is uncompromising about the need for spiritual purity. In Christ, sinners discover complete ablution. His blood frees us from sin and empowers us to be like Him. We also have the promise of eternal life. Let us pursue holiness, reflect God’s glory, and be ambassadors of His grace in a needy world.
Ablution is a ceremonial act of washing. What’s being washed could be parts of the body or sacred containers. In many religions, ablutions prepare people to approach God. The term ablution does not appear in Scripture, but the Bible does make numerous allusions to the practice. Ablution in Scripture reveals truths about God’s holiness, human…
Ablution is a ceremonial act of washing. What’s being washed could be parts of the body or sacred containers. In many religions, ablutions prepare people to approach God. The term ablution does not appear in Scripture, but the Bible does make numerous allusions to the practice. Ablution in Scripture reveals truths about God’s holiness, human…