Personal Holiness And Cleansing From Sin
We need cleansing and grace from the Lord to live in this corrupt, polluted world. The psalmist’s plea, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” shows that until God illuminates our spirit and reveals our true nature, we do not fully know ourselves, our hearts or what God knows about us. Men like Judah and David never really saw themselves in the true light until God revealed some hidden and embarrassing truths about them. It was by such revelation they were able to pray and receive cleansing from the Lord. You hardly know yourself sufficiently until the Lord turns His searchlight on you to reveal some secrets about your life.
The psalmist asked, “Who can understand his errors?” and then added by way of supplication: “Cleanse thou me from secret faults”. If David, the inspired writer of many of the psalms, the one who received extraordinary anointing from Samuel the prophet, killed Goliath and did many other exploits through unshakable faith in God could not understand his errors until God, by Prophet Nathan, showed it to him, who can? If a man with such a high profile needed to be cleansed from secret faults, we also need it. Scripture admonishes, “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.” After receiving cleansing, you must resist the devil everywhere and every time he brings temptation your way to defile you.
1. CONDEMNATION FOR CORRUPTION AND HARDNESS OF HEART
AFƆBUO DE MA PORƆEƐ NE AKOMA PIRIMU HO
Genesis 6:5,6,11,12; Romans 3:9-18; Matthew 23:27-33; Romans 2:1-5,8,9; Jeremiah 5:3-7; Zechariah 7:11-13; Hebrews 3:12,13
God condemns, very clearly, the corruption of the heart. This was the reason He wiped out the generation at the time of Noah. “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” The state of things in the world has not changed from what it was in Noah’s time. People still find it harder to do well and much easier to do evil because of the corruptness of the human nature. The Pharisees never ceased to congregate in their Synagogue for worship but “there is no fear of God before their eyes”. Judas Iscariot listened to all the sermons of Christ but there was no fear of God in him. What we hear matters; however, what we allow God to do in our hearts after we have heard His word matters the most. No one will be able to act righteously until they have an encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ and He cleanses and changes them.
Ideas, pictures and plans run through the mind every day and every time. Some of these are defiling and need to be shut out of the heart. But because sinners and careless Christians lack the power to lock the door against unclean thoughts and evil imaginations, it leads to corruption and hardness of their heart. These manifest in acts of adultery, fornication, violence, retaliation, pride, etc. and constitute a stain on the character that must be washed off. More so, those who condemn other people while they continue in the same sin risk the judgment of God if they fail to repent. Hardness of heart will not only lead to missing earthly blessings but also to missing heaven
eventually. The remedy is for sinners to humble themselves and be ready to repent of their sins, confess them to God and ask for cleansing in the blood of Jesus.
2. CONFESSION, CLEANSING AND HOLINESS OF HEART
PAE-MU-KA, NHOHOROHO (NTEHO) NE AKOMA MU KRONKRONYƐ 1 John 1:7-10; 2:1-6; Psalms 51:1-17; 24:3,4
You cannot begin the journey to holiness without first acknowledging your sins and the corruption in your heart. Recognising your depravity is essential to genuine confession, which pleases God and precedes cleansing. To truly confess, you must systematically, patiently, deliberately and analytically acknowledge your guilt, pleading for God’s mercy. As Scripture promises, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”.
When you sincerely confess and plead for mercy, God forgives your sins, cleanses you from all unrighteousness and transforms your life. Just as David demonstrated, sincerity invites God’s forgiveness and cleansing. With a clear conscience, you must then live a life of holiness, free from hypocrisy. God’s gracious forgiveness should compel you to maintain a clear conscience. With your past forgiven, nothing remains but to live in holiness and sincerity for the rest of your life. Confession, cleansing and holiness are not isolated events but a continuous process of surrender, transformation and obedience.
3. CLEAR CONSCIENCE AND HOLINESS WITHOUT HYPOCRISY AHONIM A ƐMU DA HƆ NE KRONKRONYƐ A NYAATWOMYƐ NNI MU
Acts 24:16; Luke 19:8-10; 2 Corinthians 4:2; 1 Peter 3:15-17; 1 Thessalonians 2:10-12; Colossians 3:16,17,23; Philippians 4:8
The goal of every believer should be to pursue a clear conscience and a life of genuine holiness, free from hypocrisy. Such decision, desire and determination require a personal commitment to integrity and righteousness. Sadly, many individuals focus on urging others to make amends while neglecting their need for restitution. They prioritise others’ spiritual well-being over their own, failing to examine their lives. In contrast, our aim should be to “have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men”. Striving for a clear conscience eliminates sin, disobedience, guilt and condemnation from our lives.
Whilst there are those who prioritise a clear conscience, others rationalise wrongdoing and ignore the prompting of their conscience. True transformation begins with making amends, restoring what has been taken unjustly and renouncing “the hidden things of dishonesty”. As we surrender to God’s cleansing and righteousness, holy thoughts and actions will follow. Corruption often starts with our thought patterns, but by focusing on righteousness, we maintain holiness of heart and life. “Think on these things” (Philippians 4:8) and intentionally pursue a life of integrity.
