Have you ever had a stain that you just couldn’t get out of your clothes? You’ve tried everything: detergent, peroxide, bleach, oxy-powder, dish soap—even prayer! No matter what you do, that stain refuses to budge.
Too ashamed to wear it, the only thing left for you to do is consign that piece of clothing to the rag pile or save it to wear for messy projects.
Our sins are like spiritual stains. We are ashamed to walk around with them, as we should be. We try to hide them, or cover them up, or counter them with good works, but no matter what we do, they are still there.
God has made a way to remove them, however. In Isaiah 1:18, He says,
“Come now, and let us reason together… Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.”
How? How can God take our stubborn stains of sin and completely remove them? Through the sacrifice of Jesus. As the old hymn asks and answers: “What can take away my sin? Nothin’ but the blood of Jesus.”
It’s ironic that our scarlet sins can only be made white as snow with the crimson blood of Christ—but that’s how it works.
Have you been trying to remove the shameful stains in your life on your own? Have you been trying to cover them up or lighten their appearance with good works?
Bring them to the Lord in repentant prayer. He will make them white as wool by the blood of the Lamb.