Just how clean does God make the Christian?

There is a comforting and lovely verse in Isa.1:18.  God through the prophet invites the reader to come before the Lord for a specific purpose - to 'reason' with God about our sin.  This does not mean that we can bargain with God about our transgressions.  Nor can we change His mind about right & wrong, or 'fudge' on His standards, or sell Him lame excuses, or claim exemption from His righteous demands because of some special circumstance we faced (the devil made me do it).  But we can come to face Almighty God even though we have so severely fallen short of His holiness.  And He will be gracious & kind if we reason with Him in the way He has provided.  If we come humbly, banking on the mercy God provides through His Son Jesus, we will receive the full measure of God's redemptive love and be pardoned and cleansed.

         Now we come to it.  Just how clean is cleansed?  The prophet Isaiah proclaims that our sin shall be white as snow and become like wool.  Both of these picture a purity that cannot be matched on earth.  Prior to this our sin is as crimson & scarlet = shades of bright red, an almost alarming color in that it stands out and cannot be mistaken.  This kind of red is so outlandish that it demands attention, virtually crowding out all other colors for notice!  Our sin is that bad!  But in christ, under the merciful treatment of the Lord, this bright, cannot be hidden or camouflaged sinful condition is radically changed into something as white as snow.  To compare crimson and white (like snow) is so drastic that there is virtually no comparison like it anywhere.  This is the depth of forgiveness Jesus brings to the person who reasons with God about their sin.  The person who reasons = who admits, confesses, seeks forgiveness, and longs to look into God's offer of mercy is given the magnificent opportunity to be cleansed so deeply that their condition is changed from scarlet to snow in color.  What does this look like?

          Have you ever lied?  I am not talking about what we call little white lies to save another's feelings.  I mean lied to save your skin.  The answer is, yes you have.  And for all who just denied that, you have yet another lie to confess.  The lack of integrity in humans is only measured by degree.  My point is that once we truly confess to the Lord, every lie we have ever told is cleansed from us.  We may remember them with shame from time to time.  And that's not always bad for that memory may persuade us to integrity in the future.  We may be tempted again.  But, once forgiven by God, every lie we have ever told is wiped away by the very gift of God in His Son Jesus!  Let no one blow this off.  Our sins were nailed with Jesus on the tree (Col.2:13-14).  They are forever paid for & gone.  Ever cheated someone, you can be so forgiven & cleansed that your sin will never be mentioned again by God - EVER!  Ever lost your temper, said or done cruel things to another, manipulated the situation for your own gain, watched another be unjustly treated but kept quiet to protect yourself, exaggerated, garnered praise for yourself, made a gain off someone else's misfortune, been sexually immoral, acted selfishly instead of loving another, etc.  MAny times the worst sins are those righteous deeds we ought to have done but failed to be loving enough, courageous enough, bold enough, or selfless enough to do it.  My point - once we 'reason' with God (HIS WAY) about these things, confessing and believing in His Son, we are forgiven and cleansed to such a degree that those sins are literally wiped away forever.  It is actually true!

           Consider 2 New Testament verses please.  The writer of Hebrews recounts the New Covenant (God's promise to all who come to His Son) and in Heb.8:12 he proclaims that under this new agreement, God will remember our sins no more!  This doesn't mean our sins are thrown into the 'sea of forgetfulness' which many so often speak of.  Actually, there is no such sea in scripture.  The statement is our sin is thrown into the depths of the sea, an idea different from the so called 'sea of forgetfulness'.   No, this 'remember no more' comment is an act of God's will.  He is not a forgetful grandfather that simply cannot recall what we have done.  HE knows all too well what we have done.  It cost His SOn's life.  Rather, it is a conscious decision God makes that He will forever set aside our sin, never using that as a point from which to judge us, though we are O so worthy of a condemning judgment.  Instead, God applies the righteousness of Jesus to our account canceling our debt of sin forever.  Blessed Jesus - what a Savior!

         The other passage I am thinking of tonight is found in 1Jn.1:9.  We are told in the plainest terms that if we are confess, we are forgiven & cleansed from all unrighteousness.  This is not meant to be a license where we sin & sin because we can make a quick confession to escape the consequences.  That is reasoning as God reasons.  That is not worthwhile or sincere & humble confession.  That is something light, cheap, & superficial.  But if we are serious, The forgiveness happens & the cleansing begins.  One might ask, then how come I still have to deal with some of the ramifications.  The answer - cleansing.  The wonderful thing about Jesus is that HE will never leave you & I where we are.  NEVER!  HE intends to do something about our condition beyond just forgiveness.  HE will work deep within - so deep we hardly notice at first - for years if necessary - to gain our cleansing.  Meanwhile, HE sees us in some way as the 'finished product' and therefore deals with us not as much as a continuing hopeless offender but a redeemed son/daughter with His bright future as our destination.  

            So, take heart my friends.  There is not only forgiveness but a cleansing so deep that you will become whiter that white.  Though our sins be as scarlet (obvious, loud, screaming for attention) they shall become white as snow - just like the purity I saw on the ground last night.  Amazing Jesus!  O LORD, work this great cleansing work in us.  As the hymn writer once wrote, "till all the ransomed church of God be saved to sin no more."  Until then, who else have we in heaven but you Jesus.  We will look to you, pray to you, & draw close to you as we breathe, that we may no know your purifying & cleansing power.  Good night my friends.  Be of good cheer.  Our God fights for us!