{"kind":"clesson","id":"bbc","lang":"en","langs":["en","zh","de","es"],"courseTitle":"Basic Beliefs Curriculum","cover":"content/courses/media/3acdfce5ebfd583c.png","n":5,"m":0,"count":10,"lessonTitle":"Footwashing","title":"Footwashing","blocks":[{"k":"h2","t":"Teaching Guidelines: "},{"k":"oli","t":"You may choose to complete this topic in one session."},{"k":"oli","t":"The goal of this class is to help truth seekers understand the significance and necessity of Footwashing for salvation as well as the practical teachings behind the sacrament."},{"k":"h2","t":"Presentation slides:"},{"k":"p","t":"▶️ Slides on Footwashing for use in class"},{"k":"hr"},{"k":"h2","t":"The Necessity of Footwashing","fold":true,"c":[{"k":"p","t":"During Jesus’s last supper with His disciples, He did something out of the ordinary. This extraordinary act would be essential for salvation for all believers. The Bible tells us that the Lord Jesus"},{"k":"q","t":"rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. (John 13:4-5)"},{"k":"h3","t":"Peter’s Refusal","fold":true,"c":[{"k":"p","t":"When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter objected, saying, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” Peter must have been watching in astonishment. Only the lowest of slaves would wash the feet of their masters. How could his teacher and master perform such a menial task as washing the disciples’ feet?"},{"k":"p","t":"Jesus acknowledged the fact that His action was difficult to understand. He said to Peter, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” He assured Peter that the meaning of His footwashing would be clear to Peter later on."},{"k":"p","t":"But Peter still refused to let Jesus wash his feet. With the strongest language, Peter said to Jesus, “You shall never wash my feet.”"}]},{"k":"h3","t":"Jesus’s Ultimatum","fold":true,"c":[{"k":"p","t":"Our Lord Jesus could have simply moved on and washed the next disciple’s feet, since Peter was so insistent. But Jesus answered Peter with an ultimatum,"},{"k":"q","t":"“If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” (John 13:8 )"},{"k":"p","t":"Jesus’s response was solemn. The consequence of refusing Jesus’s footwashing could not be more severe. If Jesus did not wash him, Peter would have no part with Jesus that very instant. Even though Peter had followed the Lord Jesus faithfully all these years, Jesus would deny any relationship with Peter if He did not wash Peter."},{"k":"p","t":"Peter didn’t understand why Jesus had to wash his feet. But he sure understood the seriousness of Jesus’s words."},{"k":"q","t":"Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” (John 13:9 )"},{"k":"p","t":"We see here the complete reversal of Peter’s position. He had just vowed to never let Jesus wash his feet. But after Jesus’s ultimatum, Peter now asked the Lord to wash not only his feet, but his hands and his head as well. Peter realized the terrible consequence of not being washed by the Lord. He would not risk the slightest chance of not having a part with the Lord."}]},{"k":"h3","t":"Have a Part with the Lord","fold":true,"c":[{"k":"p","t":"Jesus’s words to Peter were clear: “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” Whether Jesus washed Peter determined whether Peter had a part with Jesus. To let Jesus wash our feet is to have a share or a part with Him. Not letting Jesus wash our feet is to have no part with Him. So Jesus’s footwashing has a direct effect on salvation."},{"k":"p","t":"To have a part with someone is to be identified with that person and to share in his destiny. In one of Jesus’s parables, He said that the wicked servant will have a part with the hypocrites (Matthew 24:51) . It means that he will be considered as one of the hypocrites and suffer their punishment. The Bible also speaks about having a part in the first resurrection (Revelation 20:6) and having a part in the tree of life and in the holy city (Revelation 22:19). If we have a part in these things, we are considered rightful heirs of God’s kingdom. So to have a part with Jesus means to belong to Jesus and to have a share in His eternal life."},{"k":"p","t":"Based on Jesus’s words, the True Jesus Church believes that footwashing is necessary for salvation. We call footwashing a sacrament, meaning that our Lord Jesus instituted the footwashing, commanded the disciples to do likewise, and saves believers through the act of footwashing. By receiving the footwashing of our Lord Jesus, we have a part with the Lord Jesus."}]}]},{"k":"h2","t":"The Washing of Love","fold":true,"c":[{"k":"p","t":"A common interpretation of Jesus’s footwashing is that Jesus was using a custom of His day to teach the disciples a lesson on humility and service. Jesus’s footwashing certainly teaches us important truths about humility and service. But it is far more than a symbolic act."},{"k":"h3","t":"Jesus Defied Social Norms","fold":true,"c":[{"k":"p","t":"What Jesus did was actually contrary to custom. It was customary in ancient societies for a host to offer water to his guests as a gesture of hospitality. But it was the guest who washed his own feet. The host would not wash the guest’s feet. The Jews considered touching another person’s feet to be such a lowly act that even Jewish slaves must not be required to wash their masters’ feet. Such a menial task could be delegated only to foreign slaves. Washing another’s feet is the most humbling form of servitude and subjugation."},{"k":"p","t":"Understanding this background helps explain why Peter so staunchly objected to Jesus’s footwashing. For Jesus, the teacher and master, to wash His disciples’ feet was completely against social norms. His unique action was for a far greater spiritual purpose."}]},{"k":"h3","t":"Jesus Loved to the End","fold":true,"c":[{"k":"p","t":"The footwashing narrative begins with a solemn introduction:"},{"k":"q","t":"Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to should depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. (John 13:1)"},{"k":"p","t":"When Jesus was with the disciples, He loved them. He taught them, encouraged them, and protected them. Now, during the last supper, Jesus loved them once more with the ultimate act of love. As the rest of the passage shows, Jesus loved the disciples to the end by washing His disciples’ feet. That’s why we may call Jesus’s footwashing a washing of love."},{"k":"p","t":"But how is washing the disciples’ feet an ultimate act of love? If footwashing were only a symbolic act to teach a moral lesson, it could hardly be called “loving to the end.” What made Jesus’s footwashing an ultimate act of love is the gift of eternal life that Jesus gives to the disciples through the footwashing."},{"k":"q","t":"Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, (John 13:3) "},{"k":"p","t":"Jesus began to wash His disciples with the knowledge that the Father had given all things into His hands. What this means is that the Father had given to Jesus the authority to grant eternal life to the believers."},{"k":"q","t":"The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. (John 3:35–36)"},{"k":"p","t":"The Father has given all things into Jesus’s hand so that whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. When Jesus washed His disciples’ feet, the Bible tells us that Jesus knew that the Father had given all things into His hands. With the hands that held the authority to give eternal life, Jesus washed His disciples. Behind the physical act of washing was the spiritual act of granting of eternal life. For this reason, footwashing enabled the disciples to have a part with Jesus."}]},{"k":"h3","t":"If “I” Do not Wash You","fold":true,"c":[{"k":"p","t":"Jesus’s words to Peter further confirm that Jesus’s footwashing was not only for the purpose of teaching a lesson on humility and service. When Peter continued to refuse the washing, Jesus said to him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with Me.” Jesus did not say, “If you do not wash others’ feet, you have no part with me.” In Jesus’s statement, He was not asking Peter to humbly serve others in order to have a part with the Lord. What enables Peter to have a part with the Lord is not what Peter does, but what the Lord Jesus does. It is in the Lord’s washing that we may have a part with the Lord. Each of us needs to receive the Lord’s washing."},{"k":"p","t":"By washing His disciples’ feet, the Lord Jesus loved the disciples to the end. By receiving the footwashing, the disciples obtained the glorious promise of everlasting life. Likewise, the Lord Jesus loves us by washing our feet. How do we receive His washing of love today? "}]}]},{"k":"h2","t":"Footwashing for Today","fold":true,"c":[{"k":"p","t":"Our Lord Jesus said to Peter, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with Me.” When Peter understood the importance of Jesus’s footwashing, he immediately let the Lord wash him."},{"k":"p","t":"But did Jesus words apply to Peter only? Let’s look at what Jesus said:"},{"k":"q","t":"Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.” (John 13:10)"},{"k":"p","t":"Peter had asked the Lord to wash not only his feet, but also his hands and his head. The Lord Jesus explained to Peter why it is necessary to wash only the feet. The truth that the Lord expounds applies not only to Peter, but to everyone “who has bathed.”"},{"k":"h3","t":"For All Believers","fold":true,"c":[{"k":"p","t":"Who is the one who has bathed? The word for “bathe” is also translated “wash” elsewhere in the Bible. The Greek word denotes the washing of the whole body. What was Jesus alluding to when He said, “He who is bathed”? Titus 3:5 tells us:"},{"k":"q","t":"he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,"},{"k":"p","t":"In this passage, we learn that God has saved believers of Jesus Christ by the washing of regeneration. The word “washing” is the noun form of the word “bathe” in the footwashing narrative. The washing of regeneration takes place during baptism, because through baptism, our sins are forgiven and we are given a new spiritual life. Acts 22:16 confirms this teaching:"},{"k":"q","t":"‘And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’"},{"k":"p","t":"The Greek word for “wash away,” is a compound word that combines “wash” and “away.” The first part of this compound word is the same word as “bathe” in Jesus’s words to Peter. The washing away of sins happens when a person is baptized into Christ."},{"k":"p","t":"This is the spiritual washing that our Lord Jesus was alluding to. He was explaining to Peter that he who is washed through baptism only needs to wash his feet. That means footwashing applies to everyone who has been washed in baptism. After we have been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and our sins have been washed away, we need to also let the Lord Jesus wash our feet."}]},{"k":"h3","t":"A Commission to the Church","fold":true,"c":[{"k":"p","t":"Our Lord Jesus has risen and ascended to heaven. How does He wash our feet today? Let’s now read what the Lord Jesus said to His disciples after He had washed their feet:"},{"k":"q","t":"For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. (John 13:15)"},{"k":"p","t":"The Lord Jesus entrusted the responsibility of footwashing to His disciples. They were to do just as the Lord had done to them. Just as the Lord Jesus had washed their feet, they were to also wash the feet of other disciples. Then the Lord Jesus continued:"},{"k":"q","t":"“Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.” (John 13:16)"},{"k":"p","t":"The Lord Jesus is the master and the one who sends. The disciples are the servants and the messengers. Now that they had been entrusted with the task of washing the feet of other disciples, they must faithfully carry out footwashing according to Jesus’s example. Today, the church obeys the Lord’s command and performs the sacrament of footwashing on newly baptized members of the church."},{"k":"q","t":"“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.” (John 13:20 )"},{"k":"p","t":"Here, Jesus was still speaking about footwashing. Our Lord Jesus declared that receiving the one whom He had commissioned is receiving the Lord Jesus as well as the Father who had sent the Lord Jesus. In terms of footwashing, whoever receives the washing of the one whom the Lord Jesus sent receives the washing of the Lord Himself. Today, the Lord Jesus has sent His church through the Holy Spirit. If we receive footwashing in the church that is established by the Holy Spirit, we are washed by our Lord Jesus. In so doing, we have a part with the Lord."},{"k":"p","t":"Many years ago, a young woman was baptized in the True Jesus Church. During the sacrament of footwashing, as the deaconess of the church was about to wash her feet, the woman saw a vision. In her vision, she saw the Lord Jesus instead of the deaconess washing her feet. This vision reminds us of the truth of the Bible. Today, as the church performs footwashing on new believers, the church does so on behalf of the Lord Jesus."}]}]},{"k":"h2","t":"Practical Teachings of Footwashing","fold":true,"c":[{"k":"p","t":"Beyond the saving effect of footwashing, Jesus’s act of washing the feet extends into our daily lives as Christians."},{"k":"h3","t":"Guard Our Feet","fold":true,"c":[{"k":"p","t":"The Bible often uses the feet as a symbol of our standing and our conduct. For example, in Psalm 40:2 we read,"},{"k":"q","t":"He drew me up from the pit of destruction, \nout of the miry bog, \nand set my feet upon a rock, \nmaking my steps secure."},{"k":"p","t":"God drew us from the pit and set our feet upon a rock. This figurative language describes how God saved our soul and placed us safely in His care. By the mercy of God, we are able to stand in His grace. And we need to continue to abide in the love of our Lord Jesus."},{"k":"p","t":"The Lord Jesus said to His disciples,"},{"k":"q","t":"If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. (John 15:10)"},{"k":"p","t":"The way to abide in the love of our Lord Jesus is to keep His commandments. Now that we have a part with the Lord Jesus through footwashing, our feet must walk in the way of Christ. We are no longer to walk in sin, but we must walk in the light, doing what pleases our Lord."},{"k":"p","t":"Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus’s disciples, also received Jesus’s footwashing. But the Lord Jesus said that Judas had lifted his heel against His master. In other words, Judas had betrayed the Lord. His feet did not walk in the path of righteousness. Instead, he walked in sin and darkness."},{"k":"q","t":"The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. (Romans 16:20)"},{"k":"p","t":"The Bible promises that God will crush Satan under the believers’ feet. God will destroy him with our feet. Our feet are the instruments of God. God will use our feet to defeat Satan and he will not have power over us. We are to overcome sin in our daily lives and live as children of light. Through our godly conduct, God will declare victory over Satan."}]},{"k":"h3","t":"Love One Another","fold":true,"c":[{"k":"p","t":"The Lord Jesus not only commissioned the disciples to perform footwashing on other believers as a sacrament for salvation, He also taught the disciples to wash one another’s feet:"},{"k":"q","t":"If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. (John 13:14)"},{"k":"p","t":"The Lord Jesus was far greater than His disciples. He was their master and their teacher. But He humbled Himself, took on the form of a slave, and washed the disciples’ feet. He wants us to thus also humble ourselves and wash one another’s feet."},{"k":"p","t":"Our Lord Jesus, with His own example, has shown us what it means to love others. Although He was in the form of God, He emptied Himself by taking the form of a servant. He came to serve, not to be served."},{"k":"p","t":"To love is not to expect from others, but to give and to serve. To love others requires that we become servants to others. That takes a lot of humility."},{"k":"p","t":"Washing another person’s feet is to wash the lowliest part of another person. It would be much easier to wash someone else’s hands instead. But our Lord Jesus wants us to wash each other’s feet. True love is to love those who are not loveable."},{"k":"q","t":"Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:1–2)"},{"k":"p","t":"When we see the flaws of our brothers and sisters, it is easy for us to look down on them and criticize them. But the Bible teaches us to bear one another’s burdens. That means accepting others despite their flaws and patiently leading them to the right path."},{"k":"p","t":"Our Lord Jesus told His disciples, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” By washing His disciples’ feet, He demonstrated for us how to love one another. Let us obey our Lord’s command and learn to put His love into practice."}]}]},{"k":"h2","t":"FAQ","fold":true,"c":[{"k":"oli","t":"Is footwashing necessary for salvation? "},{"k":"oli","t":"Why do we not wash one another’s feet during the sacrament? Answers"}]}],"pages":[],"prev":{"n":4,"title":"Baptism"},"next":{"n":6,"title":"Holy Communion"}}