"Objective Washing vs. Subjective Washing" for Christians

 

"Objective Washing vs. Subjective Washing" for Christians

 

1 John 1:7 "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin."

Titus 3:5 "He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit."

 

Aspect	Objective Washing	Subjective Washing
Method	Through Christ's blood	Through calling on the Lord's name and in the Spirit
Pathway	At the moment of salvation	In daily life and experience
Explanation	Cleansing from sin positionally	Experiential cleansing in our living
Example	Forgiveness of sins at conversion	Daily experience of cleansing through fellowship with the Lord
Application	Believing in Christ's redemptive work	Continually calling on the Lord and living in the Spirit
Relevant Scriptures	Hebrews 10:29 "How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?" Romans 3:24-25 "and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith."	1 Corinthians 6:11 "And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." Romans 15:16 "to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit."
Duration	Eternal, based on Christ's work	Ongoing, based on our daily experience
Nature	Positional, juridical	Experiential, practical
Realization	Immediate upon believing	Gradual, through growth in life
Basis	Christ's accomplished work	Our cooperation with the Spirit
Result	Justified before God	Transformed in daily living

 

This table illustrates the differences between objective washing, which is based on Christ's redemptive work and occurs at the moment of salvation, and subjective washing, which is an ongoing experience in the believer's life through calling on the Lord's name and living in the Spirit.

 

*Please refer to Life-Study of 1 Corinthians, Message Thirty-Seven: Dealing with Lawsuits Among Believers