The teachings of the epistles of the New Testament are all illustrated by the life of Christ. For instance, we read: "[Christ] gave himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father." (Galatians 1:4)
The will of the Father was manifest in the Son, and that will is that we might be delivered from this present evil world. This is practically illustrated by the miracle of cleansing the leper, which is recorded in Luke 5:12-15. The leper said to Christ, "Lord, if You will, You can make me clean." (Luke 5:12)
Jesus put forth His hand, and touched him, saying, "I will; be clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him." (Luke 5:13)
Here we see the effect of the will of God in Christ Jesus, upon one who submitted to it. "This is the will of God, even your sanctification." (1 Thessalonians 4:3)
How easily that will is accomplished is seen in the case with which the leper was cleansed. From that we are to learn how to be cleansed from the leprosy of sin. Knowing that it is the will of God that we should be cleansed from sin, and that He has given Christ power over all flesh, (John 17:2) we may approach Him with confidence. The apostle says: "And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He hears us; And if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him." (1 John 5:14-15)
So we may come to the Lord, not as the leper did, saying, "Lord, if you will, you can make me clean," (Luke 5:12) but saying, "Lord, I am unclean; you can cleanse me, and it is your will to do so; therefore I know that you do hear and answer, and I have cleansing from you."
For the promise is, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)--Present Truth, March 22, 1894.