Physical Cleansing

"'Sin in the flesh' is physical" (Robert Roberts, Responsibility Debate #269; Reprinted in Atonement: Salvation Through the Blood of Christ, p. 113)

"Immortalization is the physical cleansing" (Robert Roberts, The Christadelphian, 1876, p. 42)

"'This corruptible'. This is Paul’s description of the bodily estate of the righteous resurrected, who in 'the time of the dead' stand up for judgment and change into the divine nature. Of these Christ is 'the first-fruits' (1 Cor. 15:53, 20). He was once in 'this corruptible' flesh and blood estate, from which he needed physical cleansing just as much as his imperfect brethren. For God 'hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him' (2 Cor. 5:21). We set forth the apostolic phrase, 'this corruptible,' as sufficient answer to brother Bell’s 'railing accusation' against ourselves and W.J.Y. in The Shield for February, and in his support of the 'clean flesh' heresy. It is satisfactory (negatively) to see him deliberately disown Dr. Thomas’ teaching in Elpis Israel. Thus, quoting Dr. Thomas, he says, 'The flesh is invariably regarded as unclean.' And he immediately adds, 'Yes, by Dr. Thomas, but not by God in the Bible.' Now Christadelphians know where brother Bell stands." (C. C. Walker, The Christadelphian, 1922)

"To say that a man is purged, purified, or cleansed is the same as to affirm that he is justified, or constituted righteous, and sanctified or made holy it is sin that makes unclean— unclean by nature, because born of sinful flesh; and unclean by practice, because transgressors in the sight of God. The cleansing process is therefore intellectual, moral, and physical. The work begins by cleansing the intellect, casting out as it were all the devils that have established themselves there through the doctrines of fleshly men.... But the cleansing of the soul needs to be followed by the cleansing of the body to make the purification of the man complete. If the spiritual cleansing have been well done (and if the word of truth have done it, it will) the corporeal cleansing will be sure to follow." (John Thomas, Herald of the Kingdom and Age to Come, 1855)

"'An altar of earth.' The first man of the earth was earthy. The second man was earthy until cleansed, or raised a spiritual body." (John Thomas, The Christadelphian, Begun But Never Finished, 1872)

"The doing of service is indispensable so long as human nature is 'sinful flesh.' If when believers are justified and sanctified morally and constitutionally, they were also physically cleansed, or purified from that evil principle which brings them into death and corruption, religious service would be unnecessary. When they rise from the dead, they will be free from this evil; nevertheless they will perform religious service; but it will be for nations and individuals subject to this evil, and not for themselves." (John Thomas, Herald of the Kingdom and Age to Come, 1851)

"It has been stated, however, that this refusal to contemplate Jesus apart from his redemptive work is tantamount to an evasion of the question, and it has been asked again, ‘Did Jesus have to die simply because God willed it as an act of obedience or was it necessary for the cleansing of his sin-nature?’ Here again we have the fallacious distinction between the will of God and the law of God. What is moral cleansing but God forgiving our sins? What is physical cleansing but God changing our nature? Sacrifice is necessary for both, because God chooses to make it so." (Islip Collyer, 1898)

"The Most Holy Place pointed to ultimate glorification: physical perfection in changed bodies; in exaltation to the immortal state of the Kingdom of God. This also was the experience of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was raised from the grave and given his Father's nature; elevated to his Father's right hand in glory and power; and became the surety for others who follow him." (Keith Cook, Logos,January 1980, p. 128)

Priest and Universal Monarch. 'Joshua the son of Josedech" — Like the other names in this chapter, these are significant. Joshua is the Old Testament form of Jesus. It is Yashua in Hebrew, and signifies 'Yah's salvation.' Josedech means 'Yahweh hath cleansed,' or justified. When the Lord was raised from the grave, and given divine nature, he was physically cleansed, and set before mankind as the only means of salvation. He was 'delivered for our offences, and raised again for our justification." (Rom. 4: 25). (Logos, April 1957, p. 255)

"This pointed forward to the offering of the Lord: his body saw no corruption in the grave (Acts 2:27), and, rising therefrom, his nature was changed from the state of mortality to that of immortality. Thus the type remarkably foreshadowed the antitype." (Exodus Expositor, p 400)