Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. (Psalm 51:7 ESV)
Clean
Recently I saw an old photograph of little Tommy in a brand-new Easter suit. Bowtie, matching jacket and shorts, and a crisp white shirt. I had not thought of that Easter morning in quite some time. But the picture reminded me of the remainder of that day. I sure looked sharp, if I do say so myself. But by the time we got to church I was already messy. My knees were gravelly. My shirt was stained. My jacket was grimy. My mouth was crumby. My hands were… well… you get the idea. I did not stay clean for long.
My clothes do not stay clean. My car does not stay clean. My hands do not stay clean. My mouth speaks unclean things. My mind returns to selfishness. I do not stay clean in any way for long.
But I do.
Because Jesus makes Christians clean.
To be clear, we do still get dirty, very dirty. Our sins add up quickly, compounding like interest. But amazingly Jesus cleans us by paying for them, and by obeying God on our behalf. So that in our just God’s eyes, we are clean. Completely. Permanently. Joyfully.
“Whiter than snow,” does not refer to the tint or shade of white. “Whiter than snow,” means foundationally. “Whiter than snow,” means better. “Whiter than snow,” means fully, in God’s eyes. And only His eyes really matter.
This cleaning only happens because of Christ. It only happens through Christ. It only happens in Christ. It only happens to Christians.
We are peculiar, we are clean.