The Messianic Mikveh
6: 1-11
Like a skillful Jewish lawyer building an airtight case, Rabbi Sha’ul has been laying out the remarkable facts of the Good News. After an extensive discussion of our sin nature and our inability to please YHVH, Paul announced the doctrine of justification, which is Ha’Shem’s one-time declaring believing sinners as righteous. Now, Paul moves to the subject of our holiness, or our sanctification, which is living in obedience to God’s Word through the power of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh. In short, Sha’ul sets out to demonstrate the practical ramifications of salvation for those who have been justified. The mikveh is a bath used for the purpose of ritual immersion in Judaism to achieve ritual purity. Immersed fully, one is like the fetus in the womb, and coming up out of the water, it is as if one is born again. As Yeshua Himself said: Whoever puts his trust in Me, as the Scripture says, rivers of living water will flow from his innermost being (John 7:38). So here, Paul specifically begins a lengthy discussion on the doctrine of sanctification, or cleansing, which is the process of becoming holy in Messiah, a process in which we participate with God.
In Chapter 6, Paul is not talking about what kind of life a believer should have, but how he should live that life. Therefore, this chapter doesn’t deal with the experience or behavior. Paul deals with that in Chapters 12-16 (see Db – The Mercies of ADONAI). This chapter deals with how believers can live a holy, separated life, separated from their [sin nature], and no longer compelled to obey it. It must be remembered, however, that every believer falls short of the godly standard of these verses. We are all being conformed or molded, if you will, into the likeness of Messiah (8:29). But some of us need more molding than others.
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