Is cleanliness next to godliness?

Yeah, I guess maybe he wasn’t dirty. There has been some movies that has him looking scruffy and sort of wild looking from being in the wilderness. Perhaps that skewed the image I have of him.

That's Hollywood for you! I cannot watch any movies on the Bible, they all fall very short.

? In reference to?

Besides the phrase doesnt mention outward cleanliness or inward cleanliness it just is cleanliness.

As the spirit is has no inner or outer unlike our bodies or soul, I dont think its in reference to anything like a house or a body. Maybe its just cleanliness in general.

I mean sure we live in a really polluted planet. These days you cant just go to the beach, or the river if you live in the city, you have to check its not polluted before you swim. And you would never drink the river water cos of all the crap thats in it. You cant even walk up the road without breathing in car fumes. Theres noise pollution, and light pollution.

In heaven, there is a crystal clear river flowing from the throne of God. Anyone can drink of it freely. Its not bottled and its not $2 a bottle. Theres no plastic, and no traffic jams, and God gives the light. There are trees. Oustide of the city, there are those who are filthy, and it says he that is filthy let him be filthy still. In contrast He that is holy, let him be holy still. Nothing is allowed to enter that would defile heaven

I dont know why anyone would take an acid bath.
But we are baptised...in water. Well most of us are. JEsus was. So. Dont know why you would avoid getting wet when that crystal clear river its like the centrepiece of heaven.

I think the phrase does make sense although its not a scripture verse. The closest I can think is Hebrews 12:4 Without holiness noone can see the Lord
Also 2 corinthians 7:1
And ephesians 5:3 . Impurity meaning being unclean or dirty.

John Wesley is the reference, the founder of the Methodist denomination.. Since he is not present to discuss his new view of the Gospel, it is a moot point asking what he intended. All people may do is surmise, but never understand exactly.

The Word of God, is the only authority of truthe and even then only in faith guided by the Holy Spirit.
We are members of His body.
This is the Bible discussion I believe, not a discussion of varied and sundry denominations to which Jesus is nt a member.

Bet these people had awesome immune systems and mitochondria!

No hand sanitizers for them!

Oh ok but then why is it often quoted?
Arent I allowed to ask this question here? I was just wondering if it was biblical or based on scripture thats all. I mean you would think 'godliness' meant something to do with God. I did not even know wher it was from and Im not even inteding to talk about denominations.

It would be nice if you stop being the discussion police.

Warm and cozy are spelled C L E A N,

I think hand sanitizers are silly why not just wash your hands with Soap and water, or just water.

Makes more money for the hand sanitizer chemical companies. I see them around rest homes and schools but its kinda gross having to put alcohol on your hands. Apparently more were installed after SARS.

I believe the israelites were instructed to be pure and holy and that included being physically clean. Some things thing they couldnt eat was pork and shellfish, I learned why it was unclean its because these animals eat others they arent herbivourous. They may taste nice but they arent actually good for people to eat esp if they are raised in a polluted environment. GOd looked after his peoples health if they obeyed his laws. But I imagine it made them really wary of what they could and couldnt eat, which was why God lifted that ban when he showed the vision to Peter. Otherwise Peter would keep refusing to eat with the gentiles out of fear.

I don't think it is entirely made up. A study of cleanliness in scripture would be a year long study.

God uses symbols to teach us. Even the blood of animals was used as a symbol of Christ. The symbolic meaning of the dietary system God used to teach before we had the Holy Spirit was based on cleanliness of even the fool we eat as a symbol of cleanliness of what we put in our minds.

God uses water and washing as a symbol of cleaning ourselves spiritually.

What we do as we live in our physical body all is symbolic of what is happening in the spiritual realm. That is why James could tell us that faith is dead if we don't act on it.

When God set up the camp of the Hebrew in the wilderness, they had to go a distance from camp and bury their toilet.

I feel certain that what we do in the physical realm affects the spiritual realm in ways that would amaze us if we could see what was happening in that realm.

No...not in the bible......being Godly has nothing to do with how clean the outside of the body is........LAZARUS lay at a gate full of nasty sores, had the dogs licking him and probably in dirty nasty clothes went to paradise when he died, while the rich man, that probably had baths every day, probably perfumed up and in the best clothes bust hell wide open when he died..........

There are so many homeless people who truly love our LORD...
There are some who have not washed in months , who roam the streets with matted hair , and wearing filthy rags , with an odour not so pleasant...

Thank God that He looks at the heart , and not what is on the outside...xox...

Hello Blik,

My point was/is, that no matter how clean you get on the outside by washing with water, it can never cover one's sins. Only the blood of Christ can do that. Cleanliness is not next to Godliness. But faith in the shed blood of Christ credits us with righteousness and reconciles us to God.

Well blood comes from the INSIDE of Jesus.

If you healthy with blood flowing around your body, it will show in your skin, hair etc. If it stops flowing, your body will start to rot, its called gangrene..because of interrupted blood supply.

Do you actually go and give these people fresh warm clothes and a shower/bath with nice smelling soap or do you just go, I'll pray for you and walk away? Then say to yourself Oh they love the lord I'll just leave them cos God looks on their hearts.

What I do for these people is between God and myself...

How could I say the people I am talking about if I had not spent time with them ?...xox...

What, you dont want to share?
No tips?
Seems silly. So would you just wear nice new clothes and you dont even offer them any of your spare ones they could wear?

We had whole pyjama drive at church for children who need to live in cars cos they have no home!

Some people here seem a bit snobby about what they do honestly. Here I'll pray for you.

Dont worry about starving and maybe you fell in the mud and now got dirt all over you...its ok just stay dirty. God looks on your heart! It dont really matter about germs or infections either.

Jesus actually went and washed his disciples feet. Would he have done that just to show they could be clean or that he was humble or actually, had they been walking in the dust? It was both.

I had an ocd boss who would yell at us if we left muddy footrpints around even outside, cos we were gardening. We had to make sure we wiped our boots. But thing is he would get us to do the dirty work and not lift a finger and HIS boots never got dirty cos he wouldnt work with us. And he never offered to wash our boots. You know how hard it is to wash your own boots, its easier when you have someone help you.

Yeah, just that little part about Jesus washing the disciples feet in the Last Supper. There was no law attached to that act but just a general principal. Interesting passage though.

Well it doesnt have to be a law. Why everyone seems to makes out the law in the OT to be something BAD is beyond me. Otherwise why would anyone bother with washing.

I was thinking well. GOd sent a whole FLOOD on creation to wash away all the evil.
Things were so bad He had to do that.

Dont underestimate what lengths God will go to to keep His creation clean and new.