THE WASHING AWAY OF SIN
What to Know
What It Is – Ritual Cleansing in Scripture - The practice of washing with water for ritual purification is woven throughout the Old and New Testaments. From the cleansing of Israel before meeting God at Sinai (Exodus 19:10) to David’s plea for spiritual washing (Psalm 51:7), Scripture consistently presents water as a symbol of consecration, purity, and preparation to meet God.
A Symbol of Readiness to Enter God’s Presence - Ritual cleansing was not superficial — It often required multiple days of washing and preparation. These washings signified that approaching God required purification of both body and heart. Even in Revelation 7:14, those who endure the Great Tribulation are described as having “washed their robes…in the blood of the Lamb,” showing that spiritual cleansing remains central in God’s plan.
A Practice Deeply Rooted in Israel’s Daily Life - Biblical law required washing in numerous situations — after a woman’s monthly cycle (Leviticus 15:21-22); after healing from disease or skin conditions (Leviticus 14:7-9); after contact with a dead body (Numbers 19:11-13); before offering sacrifices (Exodus 29:4). For priests, failure to wash properly—especially on holy days—could even result in death, demonstrating how seriously God regarded this act of purification.
Physical Cleansing Pointing to Spiritual Cleansing - Although ritual washing symbolized purification, God always desired inner cleansing above external ceremony. David recognized this when he connected washing with the removal of sin (Psalm 51). Jesus confronted the Pharisees for appearing outwardly clean but being inwardly corrupt (Matthew 23:27), reinforcing that true cleansing must be spiritual, sincere, and transformative.
Washing as a Foundation for Understanding Baptism - Because ritual washing was central to Israel’s worship and identity, the concept of cleansing through water was already deeply understood long before John the Baptist or Jesus Christ appeared. This explains why baptism is not defined at the start of the New Testament—its symbolism had already been introduced through centuries of ritual purifications in the Old Testament.
The Missing Link – The Meaning Behind Washing - All ritual washing pointed to a greater spiritual reality. To understand baptism’s full symbolism, we must examine a single key Hebrew word: mikveh—a term that reveals the deeper meaning behind washing, purity, hope, and God’s plan for spiritual renewal.
The use of water for ritual cleansing was important to the Hebrews. In fact, the practice can be seen throughout Scripture in both the Old and New Testaments. God commanded Moses in Exodus 19:10:
“Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow; and let them wash their clothes. And let them be ready for the third day. For on the third day the LORD will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.”
This wasn’t a simple process either, but a thorough cleansing as the process would last three days. David alluded to a cleansing like this in Psalms 51:7 when he says,
“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”
Jesus Christ also references the cleansing that is required for His followers through The Great Tribulation when He says,
“These are the ones who come out of the Great Tribulation and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:14)
The practice of ritual cleansing through water to come into God’s presence was not only applied to the washing of clothes. The practice was similarly applied to the washing of oneself to become ritually cleansed as well. In Leviticus 15:21-22, we see that women were commanded to wash themselves after their monthly cycle. Leviticus 14:7-9 shows us that the act of washing was also required after recovering from a skin disease, like leprosy, or when coming into contact with a corpse, as mentioned in Numbers 19:11-13. The act of washing oneself in water was so significant and important to God, that it was even commanded of Aaron and of his sons. In Exodus we read,
“And Aaron and his sons you shall bring to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and you shall wash them with water.” (Exodus 29:4)
Aaron and his sons were required to wash themselves before offering any sacrifices to God, especially on the High Day of Atonement. This washing was so important that failure to not wash properly would result in death.
The symbolism of immersing oneself in water to become ritually, and thus, spiritually cleansed was well understood to the ancient Israelites as this concept is pervasive throughout the Old Testament. However, even though God wanted the Israelites to practice this ritual cleansing for what it symbolized (just like how God commanded the Israelites to keep the Passover even though the full meaning wouldn’t be revealed to them until nearly 1,200 years later), He was more interested in their spiritual cleansing. Although Psalm 51:7 was mentioned earlier, washing oneself from sin was on David’s mind throughout Psalm 51 as he correlates this washing to burnt sacrifices and the removal of sin. Jesus Christ also elaborates on the spiritual cleansing He desires from His followers, when He tells the Pharisees,
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.” (Matthew 23:27)
Even though on the outside the Pharisees appeared righteous and interested in following God’s law, on the inside they were actually ‘whitewashed.’ Their true interest in following God’s law was primarily for their own personal gain. Likewise, major prophets such as Jeremiah, Ezra, and Zechariah also allude to this symbolism throughout their writings.
So, with this background and seeing the pervasiveness of washing throughout the Old Testament, are we now able to begin to see why the concept of baptism, and what it symbolized, was not defined at the beginning of the New Testament? Perhaps, but there is still a missing, and very important piece, related to washing and its link to baptism. After all, we know that the act of washing was only symbolic of the type of spiritual cleansing that Jesus Christ desires of His Followers.
So, what does it symbolize?
We can begin to understand the symbolism more fully through a single Hebrew word – mikveh.
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Discover the Deeper Meaning Behind Baptism and the Hope We Have in Christ
1. Baptism: Where Our Hope Begins - Discover why Jesus Christ’s baptism is recorded in all four gospels and how baptism becomes the starting point of the believer’s transformation, symbolizing repentance, cleansing, and new life in Christ.
2. Ritual Cleansing in the Old Testament - Explore how ancient Israel used water for purification — from Sinai preparation to priestly consecration — and how these rituals foreshadowed the spiritual cleansing God desires for His people.
3. The Meaning of Mikveh — From Water to Hope - Learn how the Hebrew word mikveh evolves from “a collection of waters” to “hope,” and how prophets like Jeremiah reveal that God Himself is our Mikveh — the true Hope of Israel.
4. Mikveh Pools & Jewish Life Before Christ - Archaeology uncovers hundreds of ancient mikveh pools across Israel. See how mikvoth shaped Jewish purification practices and prepared the world for the Messiah and His message.
5. Jesus’ Miracles at the Mikveh Pools - The healings at Bethesda and Siloam were not random — both pools were mikvoth. Understand how Jesus showed that He, not the water, is the source of healing and hope.
6. Did Jesus Simply Turn Water Into Wine? - A deeper look at His first miracle reveals the entire plan of God: the transformation of Old Covenant purification water into wine representing Christ’s blood, the New Covenant, and the hope of eternal life.
7. The Fulfillment of Mikveh — Jesus Christ as Our Living Hope - Trace how the apostles understood Jesus as the fulfillment of mikveh and the One through whom God’s promise of eternal life is made possible.