The clearance of the past is not according to the demand of outward regulations but according to the moving of the Spirit within. The Bible does not have any plain teaching telling us that we should clear the past, nor does it give us any regulation suggesting to us how we should make such a clearance. Since we are saved, however, we have the Spirit in us. If anyone would let the Spirit move and work in him and would not care for his position, reputation, and profit, the Spirit will lead him to make the clearance with all its dealings by the power of life within, that he may be a new man, living a new life and walking on the new way. Furthermore, this clearance is not a regulation in the church. The church has no such regulation or requirement. However, the life we have obtained is holy, and the Spirit in us is moving and working. Hence, the Spirit will definitely require us, by the holy life within us, to remove all demonic and dirty things and to cut off the old way of living. Our responsibility is to follow the leading of the Spirit and to allow Him to move freely.
Although the Bible has no clear teaching concerning the clearance of the past, the New Testament contains distinct examples showing us that after a man is saved, the Spirit begins to move and work in him, causing him to clear the past and to deal with the improper things of the past.
One example of the clearance of the past is seen in the case of the Thessalonians. In 1 Thessalonians 1:9 Paul said that, after they had believed in the Lord, the Thessalonians turned away from idols. Today, especially in places like China and Japan, most of the unbelieving families have idols or things pertaining to idols. After a person is saved, whether he is about to be baptized or has already been baptized, he must clear away from his living the idols and things related to idols. He may not force himself to do other things, but regarding the matter of clearing away the idols, it is all right for a person to force himself a little. If he finds it difficult to do the clearing, he may find some brothers to pray with him in order to increase his strength and boldness and thereby to help him with the clearing. However, he must do the clearing himself, and do it thoroughly, the more thoroughly the better.
Among the Chinese, there are things related to the reading of facial features, fortune-telling, horoscopes, and divination. Since these things involve idols, they should be terminated. It is improper for a believer who has been baptized to have idols or other superstitious things remaining in his home. We must abandon all things that are related to idols. The more severely we forsake them, and the more thoroughly we clean them out, the better.
Not only should we discard the idols that are obvious, but we should reject even the idols that are not obvious. Not only should we throw out other images, but we should give up even portraits or statues of Jesus. All the so-called paintings of Jesus today are false. The Bible says that, when He was on earth, the Lord Jesus had no form nor comeliness (Isa. 53:2). However, the images of Jesus most commonly seen today look very beautiful. These are artists’ false portrayals of Jesus. Not only Catholics but even many Protestants have this kind of picture in their homes. Furthermore, many books in Christianity contain such pictures. These pictures represent human superstitions, and in the eyes of God they are blasphemous; hence, they should be disposed of.
We should discard any image of Jesus, not merely because it is false. Even if it were to bear the original semblance of Jesus, it still should be rejected. We should use our spirit to worship the Lord, who is Spirit (John 4:24); we should not use our physical body to worship a visible image. The Catholic Church teaches that man should worship a visible image with his physical body in order to help him to worship the invisible God with his inner spirit. This is a heretical teaching which mixes leaven into the fine flour (Matt. 13:33). We should not follow such a teaching. We should worship the Lord in spirit and not have any outward images.
A second example of the clearance of the past is seen in the case of the Ephesians. Acts 19:19 tells us that the Ephesian believers who practiced magic brought their books together and burned them. This is the basis for our practice of burning for the destruction of the demonic and dirty things, the improper things. Examples of these things are the candlesticks and censers used in idol worship, ornaments and clothing with the image of the dragon, sacred writings of heathen religions, books and charms pertaining to divination, and tablets related to ancestral worship. Other examples are gambling instruments, utensils for alcoholic drinking, pipes for smoking, obscene books, and pornographic pictures. All these things are demonic and filthy. We all must follow the leading of the Holy Spirit to remove all such things from our lives and our homes.
Unbecoming clothing also is in this category of demonic and dirty things. Perhaps some items of clothing are too short; in this case they should be lengthened. Other items may have a peculiar appearance; these items should be altered to appear normal. Still others may be demonic and defiled by sin; such items should be burned. No one can decide the extent of our dealing with these things, but the Spirit will guide us inwardly.
In brief, anything related to idols and any demonic and filthy thing, however valuable it may be, should be burned. The biblical principle is that such things should be burned with fire. The Bible, records, in particular, that the price of the items which were burned by the Ephesians was fifty thousand pieces of silver. This is to show us that, when they destroyed the demonic and unclean things, the early believers burned a number of valuable things. Therefore, when we destroy the demonic and dirty things, we should not count the cost or the loss.