Clean and Unclean: A Reflection on Infection

I have been dealing with a severe skin condition for nearly three weeks.  It started out as a round spot on my calf about the size of a quarter.  I noticed another similar spot on my other leg, then on my ankle, then another spot appeared on my upper arm.  I had been trying to treat it with anti-fungal creams, thinking that it was ringworm.  I went to the doctor and was diagnosed with impetigo.  I was prescribed a round of antibiotics, which should have gotten rid of it.  Instead, the spots kept multiplying and began to turn into terrible, large angry-looking rashes.  I began to itch and break out on my arms as well.  A return visit brought me a second round of a different antibiotic and a referral to a dermatologist.  I learned that this was contagious and could be spread either by direct contact or indirectly through reusing towels or even clothing.  I was very careful not to spread it and began washing with antibacterial soap.   When I went to see the dermatologist, he said that it looked like I was having some sort of allergic reaction to something and prescribed a couple of steroidal creams.  These finally began to get the itching and pain under control as the rashes slowly subsided.   It appears I had two different problems hitting me at the same time!  

This experience reminded me of our recent daily Bible readings from Leviticus.  In the book of Leviticus, there is a lot of instruction concerning being clean and unclean.  Touching certain things rendered one unclean, which prohibited certain activities and places.  With all of the instruction about being clean and unclean, I became curious how many times the word, “unclean” shows up in the Bible.  A quick search showed that “unclean” shows up 93 times in Leviticus, 15 times in Numbers, and less than a handful in the rest of the books of the Bible.  Purity is a major theme in the Old Testament Levitical law.

I have tried to make sense of the rules for uncleanliness in the Old Testament.  Some of them appear to be hygienic.  Touching a dead carcass would render a person unclean, which fits in with what we know about germs and biology.  Having a skin condition would also render a person unclean.  They had to be quarantined until the skin condition cleared up and they were declared clean again after the prescribed ritual for cleansing. 

However, there are some things that seem to have little to do with hygiene.  There were certain animals that were declared to be unclean and could therefore not be eaten.  For instance, things such as catfish, pigs, and rabbit are all considered unclean.  There does not appear to be any biological reason for this.  Furthermore, under the New Testament, the Bible says, “Do not call unclean what God has made clean” (Acts 10:15).  Things that were considered unclean under the old law are no longer considered unclean under the new law.  Did the biology of the unclean animals suddenly change in the New Testament?  Obviously not.  Therefore, it is apparent that these purity laws were not primarily about physical health and hygiene, although some of them obviously had health benefits.  So, what were they about?  What ties them all together?

According to the Old Testament, the priest was to “to distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean, 11 and to teach the Israelites all the statutes that the LORD has spoken to them through Moses” (Lev 10:10-11).   The Israelites were to be instructed to “distinguish between the clean animal and the unclean, and between the unclean bird and the clean, and you must not make yourselves detestable by means of an animal or bird or anything that creeps on the ground—creatures I have distinguished for you as unclean. You must be holy to me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the other peoples to be mine” (Lev 20:25-26).

This demonstrates that holiness is what ties all of the purity laws together in the Old Testament.  God is holy, and therefore his people need to be holy.  As a result, there was a holiness matrix that applied to every facet of life.  The people needed to approach every part of life with this matrix.  Although some of the purity laws appeared to have a biological component, the primary emphasis is on training for holiness.  Some things were declared clean or unclean for no other reason other than God declared them so.  The overall message is that the people needed to approach all of life in terms of what is holy and clean vs. what is not holy and unclean.

What do we do with this as Christians who look at the world from a New Testament perspective?  After all, what was considered unclean has now been made clean.  In fact, the New Testament explicitly says that “8 Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do” (1 Cor 8:8).  So what should we do concerning these purity laws?  Do we simply cast them aside, or is there something for us as Christians?

Consider what the New Testament says about the Old Testament:

“They [Old Testament rituals] serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things” (Heb 8:5).

“… the law has but a shadow of the good things to come” (Heb 10:1)

“Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor” (Heb 3:24-25).

Passages such as things tell us that the law of the Old Testament was intended to be temporary shadows of what was to come.  It serves as a tutor to teach us about some eternal truths.  What timeless truths do the Old Testament laws concerning what is clean and unclean teach us?  

Purity is still a major concern in the New Testament.  As the Israelites were to be careful not to become unclean by touching or consuming what is unclean, we need to also be careful in a similar way.  For Christians, this is not primarily about a biological or physical contaminant, but a mental, social and spiritual one.  This has to do with the influences in our lives and our behavior.

One representative passage that deals with this in the New Testament is from 2 Corinthians:

“14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, 18 and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty. 7 Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God” (2 Cor 6:14-7:1)

You can see the use of the purity language from the Old Testament in this New Testament teaching.  We are to “be separate” and “touch no unclean thing.”  This passage urges Christians to remember to be clean, undefiled, and holy.  This means being careful about not being yoked together with those who have not accepted Christ as Lord.  This prolonged contact can cause a spiritual impurity that is more devastating that impetigo or any other physical disease.  It can slowly destroy faith in a way that is so slow and gradual that it is virtually undetectable until it is too late.  If this happens, the Bible says that a person is worse off than those who had never become a Christian in the first place.  Consider this passage:

“20 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. 21 For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them” (2 Peter 2:20-21).

Notice the purity language in this passage.  One who had escaped defilement, only to be “re-defiled” is far worse off than those who had never been purified to begin with.  Staying holy and pure is of the utmost importance.  This is why it is so important to remember God’s purity and holiness principles when it comes to dating, marriage, friendships, partnerships, government, etc..  

Of course, this must be balanced with our call to engage the world in Christian service along with the message of Christ.  We must remember that we are called to be the “salt of the earth” (Mt 5:13).  As we engage the world, we must not lose our “saltiness.”  This means that we need to always influence the world with our actions and message and not the other way around. 

Outside influences are not the only thing that threatens our holiness and purity.  Impurity can also come from withing.  Another passage dealing with purity and defilement comes from the book of Matthew.

16 “Don’t you understand yet?” Jesus asked. 17 “Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer. 18 But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you. 19 For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. 20 These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you” (Mt 15:16-20).

It may seem strange that something that comes from within you can defile you.  This reminds me of what the doctor told me about my impetigo.  She said it came from the bacteria that already existed on my body.  When I get a scratch, abrasion, or some other skin break, the bacteria then goes through the opening and causes the infection.  A similar thing happens when we allow thoughts of murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, and slander to come out of the opening of our mouth.  Jesus said that this defiles us.  It is important for us to cleanse ourselves of evil thoughts through prayer and reflection so that they do not go any further and wind up making us unclean with a spiritual infection.  

I am reminded of the saying, “cleanliness is next to godliness.”  Spiritual and purity are of God.  The first step to purity is acceptance of Jesus as Lord.  The New Testament says that only the blood of Christ can purify our conscience (Heb 9:14).  Jesus is the only one that gives us a new heart and a new spirit through his atoning work on the cross.  Only Jesus can save us from the corruption of sin that brings death.  This salvation takes place when we accept him as Lord and accept him in baptism.  The New Testament says that “Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet 3:21).  The water does not cleanse our impure conscience, which is why we must appeal to our Lord for a clean conscience.  Our Lord begins his transforming and purifying work he moment we accept him as our Lord in baptism.

One we have been purified by the blood of Christ, we must stay and grow in that holiness.  Philippians 4:8 says that our minds must dwell on what is pure.  James 4:8 says we must reject being double-minded and purify our hearts.  2 Corinthians 7:1 says that we must cleanse ourselves from every defilement and bring holiness to completion in the fear of God.  2 Timothy 2:21 says that when we have been cleansed from what is dishonorable, then we become a vessel for honor that is useful to our Lord.  With this purity comes a blessing.  Jesus declared, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Mt 5:8).

God had not given us the same kind of holiness matrix that he gave to Israel.  We are not made unclean by physical items or food.  However, we do have a spiritual holiness matrix.  We are called as Christians to distinguish between the holy and the unclean.  We are instructed to be aware of where and how we find sources of impurity.  They can come from around us or even within us.  We are directed to take necessary steps to be purified and to stay pure.  We must cling to what is good and let go of what corrupts us.  As Christians who have been purified by the blood of Christ, we need to engage in ongoing purifying activities that include things such as reflection, repentance, confession, and prayer.