Exodus 12:13  And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.

In our main verse we start to see the beginnings of the sacrificial system of atonement for the sins of the people leading up and through the Law. In the presentation of the law of Moses we see memorial items in place and patterns established to help us not only understand what sin was… but how to avoid it… and how to receive forgiveness for it.

1 John 1:4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

It is important to understand, when talking about sin and forgiveness… that we can have a way to have joy.

1 John 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.

3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

But when we sin… just in the days of old… God makes a way…

All throughout Biblical history we see that God always created a path to get to Him. Whether it was Noah’s Ark, or withing the faith of Abraham, the Law of God, the trust in Christ… God always made a way to get to Him.

There is a difference between getting cleaned up… and getting cleansed.

1 John 1:7  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Often in the ministry you hear of people getting “cleaned up” meaning they started going to church, or stopped drinking or stopped cussing or stopped gossip, lying, cheating, hitting others… but this “self righteousness” doesn’t deal with the sin that God sees.

Isaiah 64:6  But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

However, when God Cleanses us

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

2 Corinthians 7:1  Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

The Word of God is our soap…

Ephesians 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

The world’s programs, religious systems, self righteousness might get you clean… but your not cleansed until you’ve been washed by the Word of God. In this respect there is indeed a difference between clean and cleaned…