[Biblemat] The difference between Forgive and Cleanse

[shewemail at earthlink.net]

Brethren,

The simplest way that I know to explain the difference between "Pardon" 
and "Justification" is to go to the Old Testament.

Under the OT law, a man might working in the field with another man. The 
other man might die suddenly and as he fell his corpse might come into 
contact with the survivor. The survivor would then be "unclean" but he 
would not be "guilty." Thus under the OT law, uncleanness and guilt were 
two separate concepts.

It is much harder to explain the difference between these two concepts 
under the gospel since those whom God forgives, he also justifies. Those 
who are the pardoned are also the justified and those who are the 
justified are also the pardoned. However, the fact is that conceptually 
speaking the NT does make a distinction between the two.

If we can understand that there is a difference between "sanctification" 
and "adoption," certainly it should not be difficult to see that there 
is a conceptual difference between "pardon" and "justification." Yet 
anyone who is pardoned is also sanctified, justified and adopted. "You 
can't have one without the other."

Those who are the priesthood of Christ are also the bride of Christ, but 
conceptually they are separate concepts.

Pardon has to do with transgression while Justification has to do with 
unacceptability. A drinking glass which is filled with mold due to 
sitting unwashed for days can be made acceptable for drinking purpose 
while another vessel no matter how it is cleansed might be unacceptable 
as a drinking vessel to the sensibilities of the average person due to 
the purpose for which it was made.

In 1 John 1:9, the forgiveness part refers to pardon, while the cleanse 
part refers to justification.

Acceptable people do deeds which are acceptable but their acceptable 
deeds are not what makes them acceptable but rather the Royal Decree of 
the Ancient of Days. Those who do deeds which are unacceptable, however, 
are made unacceptable by their deeds.

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