Did you know that before 1847, doctors did not wash their hands before and after treating patients? Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis, a Hungarian physician, is known as “the father of hand hygiene.” He discovered how infections spread from one patient to another and implemented hand washing in the maternity ward at Vienna General Hospital.
God directs us to wash our hands. And what does handwashing have to do with winning the war against temptation?
Last week’s post featured scripture from the book of James, “So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world” (James 4:7-8, NLT, emphasis added).
This week we delve into the end of verse 8, “Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.”
Wash our hands
God commanded the priests and the Israelite people in the Old Testament to perform complex purification rites before worshiping Him. (Read Leviticus 11-16 to find out more.) Cleansing of the physical body by washing hands, feet, and clothes with water represented becoming holy enough to enter the presence of God.
The Greek word used here for “wash” is katharizó—physical cleaning of stains and dirt or, in a moral sense, cleansing from future sin.
Because Jesus died to pay the price for our sins and reconcile humanity with God, all past and future sins are forgiven. Therefore, physical handwashing is no longer a requirement to approach God. (However, it is still a good practice.) Instead, we must turn from sin and strive for purity and holiness to honor and glorify God. As Peter wrote, quoting Leviticus 11:44-45, “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy” (1 Peter 1:15-16, NIV).
Therefore, to win the war against temptation, we turn from sin to be holy as Jesus was. Because we are called to be “a chosen race, a royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9).
Purify our hearts
Besides washing, other methods of purification in the Old Testament included sacrifices and offerings as required by God and described in Leviticus. These included burnt, grain, peace, sin, and trespass offerings.
James uses the Greek word, hagnizó, in the phrase “purify your hearts.” This word means ceremonial cleansing in a physical sense by sacrifices, prayers, abstinence, and washings. An alternative meaning which James uses is to cleanse or purify your inward thoughts and emotions.
By definition, something pure is free from contamination and unmixed with extraneous matter. To win the war against temptation, purify our hearts by directing our thoughts and emotions only to God, instead of to ourselves and things of the world.
Do not straddle the fence
Some translations read “double-minded” but I prefer the image of straddling a fence when referring to divided loyalty between God and the world. Balancing on top of a fence sounds unstable, uncomfortable, and dangerous.
When we fill up our time with things of the world—food, alcohol, drugs, shopping, social media, binge-watching Netflix, gossip, pride in accomplishments, and even good things like relationships, work or family, we leave no room for God. Except perhaps an hour or two on Sunday to attend church. Therefore, the things we favor instead of time with God become idols. We straddle the fence by not giving our full time and attention to God.
To win the war of temptation, make sure whose side we are on and whose you are. Make God a priority in our lives. Be all in and get off the fence!
Conclusion
Whew! Following the advice in James 4:8 appears impossible, doesn’t it? Yes, it does to me too. But thank God for His marvelous grace. Even though we cannot measure up, God loves us anyway.
Each day, resolve to win the war against temptation by asking God for His help because we cannot do it on our own.
Encouraging Scriptures for Daily Living
One way to win the war of temptation is to read and memorize God’s Word.
Be one of the first people to receive my gift to you—my new printable, Encouraging Scriptures for Daily Living. I selected short verses easy to memorize. Keep God’s Word with you at all times in your heart.
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I love the way you tied in hand washing with biblical truth! It’s something I’ll think about each time I wash my hands now. 🙂 Thank you, Susan.
Thank you for your comment, Carly! With all of the handwashing warnings, it was an interesting connection to scripture and the dual meanings of the Greek words. Thank you so much for your support.