Dr. Dan Hayden •
When you purify something you take away the impurities. That’s what Jesus does for us. He purifies us—He takes away our sin.
In Hebrews 1:3 it says that Jesus made purification of sin.
This word “purification” (purged) in the Greek New Testament is the word kathatamas, where we get our English word “catharsis,” meaning “a purging; a purifying.”
It is a strong word that does not just refer to a moral renovation, but actually means to expunge an impurity—to take the impurity out and get rid of it.
If you have ever looked at water purifiers for your house, or a mobile unit to take with you on a camping trip, you know that there are good purifiers and not-so-good purifiers. The cheap ones are nothing more than filters to remove material substance from the water. But the more expensive ones actually purify the water. They remove various harmful elements. Yet, no purifier gets rid of all the impurities—only an increasing percentage of them.
On the other hand, when Jesus purifies us of sin it is a complete purging. It is a spiritual catharsis whereby 100% of our sin is eliminated. The Bible says that He did this by dying on the cross for us, by paying the penalty for our sin. He “made ‘purification’ of sins.”
Hey listen—you can’t purify yourself. Why not come to Jesus and let Him do it?