A Holy Bottle Of Bleach
Posted by:
Bible Blogger on
March 29, 2007 at
3:16PM EST
First, thank you for the comments, private messages and thoughts. Your
outpouring was truly humbling. I've had some great advice and thoughts
which I'm taking to heart (and a lot of which confirmed my views
already.) I've had some resistance from people I really love and trust
but their objections aren't to the idea itself. So please keep me in
prayer.
And now, for something completely different.
OK, not completely different but certainly a different color and texture...
With all the things I've been thinking about there's something that
jumps out at me. A lot of us seem to look at forgiveness inside a
small package and the real depth of Jesus' forgiveness of us goes far
beyond what our human minds can comprehend. Take this from 1 John:
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." - 1 John 1:9 (ESV)
Many Christians are quick to jump to the forgiveness idea when they've
sinned or if they're talking to someone who's faced sin in their life.
I'm not disparaging any of that because obviously the verse I quoted
and other verse speak clearly about the forgiveness of sin. That's
obviously something Christians need to share with non-Christians and
also with each other.
However...it's more than just forgiveness. If we focus so much on the
forgiveness we find ourselves dwelling on the negative and even though
the sin is "forgiven" the power of that sin is still there in our focus
on it. It seems to me that many in the church...and sometimes myself
included...seem to forget the second half of 1 John 1:9..."cleanse us
from all unrighteousness."
What does cleanse mean? What happens when you cleanse your bathtub or
your toilet? Does it take the germs and crud and bacteria away? Do
you stand there looking at the tub remembering the mildew that was
there? NO! You forget about it as soon as you're done cleaning!
That's the EXACT same thing Jesus did for our sins!
That doesn't mean we need to forget our sins because you need to
remember just how far God brought you down the path to righteousness.
However, that is in your past and not your present. That's where you
were and not who you are right now. God has cleansed you and all of
that sin is completely gone!! God's not standing there looking at you
and seeing all that sin and you shouldn't do it either.
If you're hanging onto the sins of the past...bringing them back up
over and over despite saying you know you're forgiven...let it all go.
Look at and tell Satan that power he had over you in remembering the
penalties of those sins are in the future. Throw a Holy bottle of
bleach over the sin and watch it become white as snow because that's
how God sees you.
It's hard ... and if you need prayer I'm here ... but it can be done
and God is ready for you to walk in the power of true forgiveness and
grace.
