Cleansed and Holy
Jesus was holy because He had no sin. He didn’t need cleansing from sin. But our sin makes us unholy. To be holy, then, we need cleansing from sin.
We can come to God with our sins, our shortcomings, our evil, our lack of good, and if we confess it, He is faithful! And He is just! And He will grant you forgiveness and cleansing!
I wonder how many of us need to hear this today. Perhaps you are burdened with the guilt of your sins today. Perhaps if you honestly look at the life you’ve lived, you say “I’ve messed it up. There is stuff here that is certainly anything but holy.”
The Cleansing Power of Jesus' Blood
Standard Oil was a company founded by John D Rockefeller in the 1800s. When they began to refine petroleum there was a black substance that no one knew what to do with. Black, sticky, stinking, it could not be buried nor burned (because it smelled so bad), it couldn’t be run into a stream (it killed all the fish). So the company offered a reward to anyone able to solve the problem. A great many chemists, attracted by the promised reward, occupied themselves with the problem. Finally, one walked into the office of Mr Rockefeller with a white shining substance, free from every offensive quality, and extremely useful. It was what we know today as paraffin, used for candles and hundreds of other good, useful purposes.
Our sin is like that black, smelly stuff. It cannot be buried or burned or gotten rid of. But there is ONE substance that can cleanse our hearts of it: it’s not paraffin. It is the blood of Jesus Christ!
He died on the cross and shed His blood for our forgiveness. And when we place our faith in Him, we are cleansed, washed clean, and made new.
The Joy of Forgiveness and Cleansing
Do you remember the old hymn, “What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.” Come to Jesus today and offer Him your unholiness. He’s not waiting to smash you because of it. He’s not gleefully waiting to punish you for sin. He’s longing for you and I to bring our sludge and sin to Him and say “Cleanse me Lord! Cleanse me!”
And when we do, when we believe in His cleansing power, in an instant He washes us clean, forgives us, and that sin is gone. The Bible says God takes our sin and casts it into the deepest sea. It says He removes our sin as far as the east is from the west. It says that though our sins are like scarlet, He washes us white as snow.
We can stand before Him cleansed. There’s another old hymn, “O happy day, when Jesus washed my sin away!” Truly there’s nothing better than knowing your sins are forgiven.
The first step to becoming holy as Jesus is holy is being forgiven and cleansed from your sin. He’s paid the price. Come to Him today and receive His cleansing love. It will change everything for you! It will rid you of guilt and set you free like nothing else ever can.
