father and child walking on shore
RENEWING THE MIND

You Have Been Cleansed! Remember?

July 31, 2026
Reading Time: 8 Minutes

Cleansed to Grow

When we have trouble growing in certain areas of our spiritual life, it might be that we need to go back to the foundation of our faith and remember: We have been cleansed from our past sins!

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. 2 Peter 1:3-9 NIV

Born Again into God’s Divine Nature

In the first part of the scripture above, Peter reminds us that when we were born again God gave us everything we need to live a godly life through His divine power. Knowing Jesus personally and getting to know Him better is our key to growing up in our faith. Jesus called us to Himself because He is good, not because we did anything to deserve His mercy. He gets all the glory! Through this divine nature, the Holy Spirit, we’ve been given huge, priceless promises. Jesus rescued us from the world’s corruption and the evil desires we used to have. Now we’re cleansed from our past sins! (I will use this phrase often as a way to help you renew your mind. So take advantage of the repetition!)

A Simple Growth Pattern

Faith, Goodness, Knowledge

In the second part of the scripture above, Peter shows us a healthy spiritual growth pattern. Every born again believer will experience this kind of growth in increased measure if they continue to remain one with God’s divine nature. It begins with our faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection. He became the atonement for our sin. By faith we were immediately cleansed from our past sins and born again by the Holy Spirit! Praise the Lord!

The first thing we notice when we say yes to Jesus is God’s goodness at work in our lives. This is because we were cleansed from our past sins. We sensed the transformation! God made us into a new person. We want to know Jesus more because He cleansed us and we’re so grateful! So, we spend time with Him, read the Bible and grow in the knowledge of His Word. We want to obey His commands to love others as He has loved us. We love Him so much!

Self-control, Perseverance, Godliness

As we face various trials, we must learn to pay attention to the Holy Spirit. If we obey the Word and lean on the power of God we will gain self-control. We remember that we were once driven by sin, but now we’re free from that curse and the person we used to be is dead. We live in the wonderful grace of God– His presence. But the enemy does not stop tempting us and putting us through trials, so we must persevere with help from the divine nature in us. We don’t belong to the kingdom of darkness anymore. We have been cleansed from our past sins and brought into God’s Kingdom. Hallelujah!

As we continue to spend time in the presence of the Lord (the divine nature), His power, glory and goodness delivers us from evil and causes us to grow in godliness. We know we can’t be godly on our own power. But because of His blood, we have been cleansed from our past sins. We choose to live continually in God’s presence and His presence drives the enemy away– literally!

Mutual affection, Agape Love

Our mutual affection for our brothers and sisters in Christ will be tested in various ways by the devil we used to serve. But we don’t serve the ruler of the kingdom of the air anymore. We serve the Source of love who cleansed us from our offenses, jealousy, hatred and all other sins. We have been cleansed from our past sin and now we partake in a new divine nature that is full of love, mercy and grace.

The greatest reward in yielding to the Holy Spirit is the manifestation of God’s powerful Agape love at work in us! This is not because of anything we have done, but because Jesus came and cleansed us from our past sins. Now we yield to the divine nature of God’s Holy Spirit and can be effective and productive in God’s Kingdom as we live on earth.

What? We Forgot We Were Cleansed From Our Sins?

But what if over time we’re not growing and increasing in these areas? Peter says we have become nearsighted and blind, forgetting that we have been cleansed from our past sins. God didn’t take away our free will when we were born again. We still must choose to follow Jesus by yielding to the divine nature of His Spirit. If the joy of our salvation is gone and it has become a chore to spend alone time with Jesus or to go to church, we have forgotten that we were cleansed from our past sin. Other things, ideas or people have replaced our passionate love for Jesus. But the Lord is always ready to put us on a path back to the Foundation of our faith!

If the Holy Spirit shows you through your thoughts or actions that you are moving backward instead of forward in your spiritual walk, it is always appropriate to repent and ask the Lord to forgive you. He is faithful and will forgive! Then walk in that forgiveness with Jesus, remembering that you have been cleansed of your past sin. Rejoice!

“Come now, let’s settle this,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool. Isaiah 1:18 NLT

Build Up the Foundation of Your Faith

Grow in the knowledge of who you are in Christ and what happened when you were born again. Remember the day you met Jesus. Keep this at the forefront of your mind and heart. Obey the Lord in all things because He is the divine nature we follow. The following are truths and scripture links to strengthen the foundation of your faith. You can use them as tools to renew your mind and to engage in conversations with the Lord:

The Message of the Word
  • My faith came by hearing the message of the Word about Jesus. (Romans 10:17) So, my faith in Jesus can grow by reading the Word, listening to the Holy Spirit and acting on what He says.
Jesus Took Our Place!
  • God loved me so much that He sent His only Son, Jesus, to die in my place, taking the punishment for my sin. (John 3:16-17) (1 John 2:2)
No More Guilt and Shame!
  • I confessed my sin to Jesus and believed that He would forgive me, so I am forgiven! I am declared not guilty! (1 John 1:9) There is no more shame or condemnation in my life. I live by God’s Spirit! (Romans 8:1-4)
From Death to Life!
  • I was dead in my sin, following Satan’s kingdom but Jesus gave me life! King Jesus lifted me out of the domain of darkness and placed me in His Kingdom. Now I can be effective and productive for God! (Ephesians 2:1-10)
Born Again by the Spirit!
  • Because of my faith in Jesus I was born again by the Holy Spirit to live by the Spirit. (John 3:1-15)
I’m Not Who I Used to Be
I Belong to Jesus!
Jesus is Lord of My Life!
  • When I gave my life to Jesus, I declared that He was Lord of all and made Him Lord of my life. (Romans 10:8-9)
I Am Reconciled With God!
I Am One With God!
  • I became one with Jesus and therefore one with God and one with my brothers and sisters in Christ. (John 17:20-23)
God Made Me His Child
  • I received Jesus and He made me a child of God. (John 1:12) And because my Father is love, I am taken care of and can love like Him. (1 John 4:7-12)

Prayer

Thank You, Jesus, for washing me clean! Trials will come my way but I choose You! I choose to partake in Your divine nature and remain in Your love. I want to grow in You and be effective and productive in Your Kingdom. Thank You, Lord, for all You have done for me!