Many minds are in confusion with regard to cleansing by the precious blood of Christ, which often arises through not seeing nor understanding the place that the water has in the Word of God.
THE APPLICATION OF THE BLOOD OF CHRIST NEVER NEEDS TO BE REPEATED.
We are cleansed, on believing, once for all, and forever.
“The blood of Jesus Christ His [God’s] Son cleanseth us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7.
The blood of animals brought to God by the high priest on the great day of atonement, settled the question of Israel’s sins for one year. That is, they were maintained thereby in their place of privilege as God’s people on the earth. The blood of Christ purges the conscience of the believer forever (Heb. 10:1-14).
To say, as many do, that every fresh sin that the believer commits needs a fresh application of the blood of Christ, is to lose sight of its infinite value and efficacy in the sight of God.
But we read that from the side of Jesus flowed forth
BLOOD AND WATER.
Hence we find the Scripture speaking both of our being cleansed by blood, and also of our being born of water, and of the Spirit. Again, in Hebrews 10:22: “Our bodies washed with pure water.”
WATER IS A FIGURE OF THE WORD OF GOD.
And not only thus is there the application of the water (or Word) as well as the blood when we believe, but we further read, in Ephesians 5:26, that Christ is now sanctifying the church by cleansing it by the washing of water by the Word. Hence, though we are ever before God without charge, because of the abiding value and efficacy of the precious blood, yet we need the repeated application of the Word of God to our consciences, for the judgment and putting away of everything evil in our practical daily walk and conversation.