Strong’s Greek 628 draws attention to the decisive, once-for-all cleansing accomplished by God when an individual responds in faith to the gospel. The term evokes more than external washing; it signals an inward removal of guilt and moral defilement, resulting in an entirely new standing before God and inaugurating a life of sanctification.

Occurrences in the New Testament

• 1 Corinthians 6:11 – The word appears in the aorist middle, highlighting what believers themselves experienced when God acted on their behalf: “But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God”.
• Acts 22:16 – In Paul’s testimony, Ananias exhorts, “Get up, be baptized, and wash your sins away, calling on His name”, linking the term directly to baptismal confession and the forgiveness of sins.

Old Testament and Jewish Background

Ritual washings under the Law (Exodus 30:17-21; Leviticus 14:8-9) prefigured the deeper cleansing needed within. Prophets such as Isaiah and Ezekiel called Israel to a heart-level washing (Isaiah 1:16; Ezekiel 36:25). Psalmists prayed, “Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity” (Psalm 51:2). By Second Temple times, immersion practices (mikva’ot) were well known, preparing the way for the New Covenant application of water as an outward sign of spiritual purification.

Connection with Baptism

Acts 22:16 unites baptism, invocation of the Lord’s name, and the washing away of sins. The water does not effect salvation per se; rather, baptism functions as the God-ordained confession that one’s sins have been removed through the atoning work of Jesus Christ (Romans 6:3-4; Colossians 2:12). The active imperative “wash away” underscores personal responsibility to embrace what God alone accomplishes.

Soteriological Significance

1 Corinthians 6:11 places the washing alongside sanctification and justification—three facets of the same saving act. Cleansing (washing) deals with defilement, sanctification with separation unto God, and justification with legal standing. The agent (“by the Spirit of our God”) and the ground (“in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ”) protect the doctrine of grace; salvation is neither merited nor maintained by human effort, yet it produces a manifest change. This verse also confirms the unity of Trinitarian work in regeneration.

Ethical and Ecclesial Implications

The preceding vice list in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 contrasts former life patterns with present identity: “such were some of you.” The church is thereby constituted by people who have been washed, not people who have merely reformed themselves. This status demands ongoing moral purity (2 Corinthians 7:1) and stands as the basis for church discipline, fellowship, and the call to holiness.

Pastoral and Worship Applications

1. Assurance: Believers struggling with past sins are reminded that the cleansing has already occurred and is definitive.
2. Preaching Evangelism: Both occurrences provide clear texts for proclaiming the necessity and sufficiency of Christ’s cleansing work.
3. Baptismal Instruction: Candidates for baptism are taught that the rite publicly declares God’s prior act of washing, not a work earning salvation.
4. Liturgy: Hymns and prayers referencing cleansing (“Nothing but the Blood,” “There Is a Fountain”) resonate with this biblical motif.

Eschatological Resonance

The initial washing anticipates final presentation “without spot or wrinkle” (Ephesians 5:26-27). Those who have been washed now live in hope of future, consummate purity (Revelation 7:14).

Summary

Strong’s Greek 628 encapsulates the gospel’s cleansing power: a momentous, Spirit-wrought washing that removes sin’s stain and launches the believer into a life of holiness, sealed by baptismal confession and culminating in eternal purity before God.