Does God care about moral and spiritual cleanness?

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS  As stated earlier, the Bible exhorts us to "cleanse ourselves if every defilement of flesh and spirit."  In the time of Jesus Christ, many people, including the Jewish religious leaders, went to great lengths to be physically clean but disregarded moral and spiritual standards. (Mark 7:15)  Putting matters in the right perspective, Jesus said:  "Nothing from outside that enters into a man can defile him, since it enters . . .into his stomach, and it passes out into the sewer." He then added: "That which comes out of a man is what defiles him.  For from inside, out of the heart of man, come injurious reasonings, sexual immorality, thefts, murders, acts of adultery, greed, acts of wickedness, deceit, brazen conduct, an envious eye,  . . .and unreasonableness. All these wicked things . . .defile a man." -Mark 7:18-23. 

According to Jesus, people who take an extreme view of bodily hygiene while at the same time disregarding God's moral and spiritual standards are like cups that are clean outside but filthy inside. -Matthew 23:25, 26. 

Deaden your body members . . . as respects sexual immorality, uncleanness, uncontrolled sexual passion, hurtful desire, and greediness, which is idolatry.  On account of those things the wrath of God is coming. -Colossians 3:5, 6. 

Next time: ARE BIBLE STANDARDS REASONABLE?

From the Awake! magazine, 2014