I am washed clean from my sins...
Isaiah 1:18 "Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool."
Ezekiel 36:25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols.
Truth for Life With Alistair Begg
July 6, 2012
Count Your Trespasses
Have you ever really weighed and considered how great the sin of God's people is? Think how heinous is your own transgression, and you will find that not only does a sin here and there tower up like an alp, but that your iniquities are heaped upon each other, as in the old fable of the giants who piled Pelian upon Ossa,1 mountain upon mountain. What an aggregate of sin there is in the life of one of the most sanctified of God's children! Attempt to multiply this, the sin of one only, by the multitude of the redeemed, "a great multitude that no one could number,"2 and you will have some conception of the great mass of the guilt of the people for whom Jesus shed His blood. But we arrive at a more adequate idea of the magnitude of sin by the greatness of the remedy provided.
It is the blood of Jesus Christ, God's only and well-beloved Son. God's Son! Angels cast their crowns before Him! All the choral symphonies of heaven surround His glorious throne. "God over all, blessed forever. Amen."3 And yet He takes upon Himself the form of a servant and is scourged and pierced, bruised and torn, and at last slain; nothing but the blood of the incarnate Son of God could make atonement for our offenses.
No human mind can adequately estimate the infinite value of the divine sacrifice, for although the sin of God's people is great, the atonement that takes it away is immeasurably greater. Therefore, even when sin rolls in like a flood, and the remembrance of the past is bitter, the believer can still stand before the blazing throne of the great and holy God and cry, "Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised."
4While the recollection of the believer's sin fills him with shame and sorrow, its very darkness serves to show the brightness of mercy; guilt is the dark night in which the fair star of divine love shines with serene splendor.
1The giant sons of Iphimedia who tried to reach Olympus by piling Mt. Pelian on Mt. Ossa (The Odyssey).
2Revelation 7:9
3Romans 9:5
4Romans 8:34
Have you ever had something get so badly stained that nothing you did could get it clean? It never fails that when I wear something new to work I spill something on it – right down the front for everyone to see – and if it had tomato sauce in it I’ll NEVER get it out! I’ve lost many a good blouse to coffee – tea – tomato sauce – blood – and there’s just nothing I’ve ever tried that made it 100% clean again. There’s always a "shadow stain" – a stain I know is there even if it’s not something that other people see. Isn’t it great news that God washes away our sin COMPLETELY? NO STAIN – nothing that HE sees, anyway! The enemy would have us go back and take a look at the things we’ve done that caused the stains in the first place – and he’s NOT going to remind you that Jesus’ blood has been shed to take care of that stain once and for all! All he’ll do is make you feel miserable and keep you focused on that "shadow stain." Don’t let him do that! When you find yourself spending too much time looking back at something in your past – and feeling really bad about it – remind yourself that it was the blood of JESUS – the lover of your soul – that HAS cleansed you – HAS purified you – NOT "will" – but "HAS!" What Jesus did is a "done deal!" If you’ve come to God on His terms then you ARE washed clean from your sins – and those "shadow stains" are only there to remind you of His amazing grace! Sharon
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