Articles
Spotless
“…Though your sins are as scarlet, they shall become as white as snow…” (Isa. 1:18)
Some of the toughest stains to get out of clothing are hot cocoa, permanent marker, tomato sauce, and yes, even blood. Advertisements of detergents taunt their ability to be tough on stains. Possible home remedies provide solutions for the spots that are left. There is a change that has occurred from where the stain used to be. The color is changed, and the material is never the same. If one catches the problem area quickly enough, they will have an easier chance of removing the spot. If left to sit in, then the stain very well will become permanent. Well, what about the stain of sin?
Sin is the one stain that will never come out by one’s efforts. A person can try to remove it from their lives, but without help, it will always remain (cf. Rom. 3:23, 6:23). It is as if you scrub and scrub trying to get out that pesky stain but to no avail. The solution to this horrible stain is Christ Jesus (cf. 2 Cor. 5:21). Only by the shedding of His perfect blood is cleansing made available (cf. Matt. 26:28; 1 Jn. 1:7).
Before Christ, things were a bloody mess. Under the old Law of Moses, sacrifices had to be made for the forgiveness of sins to be possible. Take a moment, consider that whenever someone committed a crime against the Creator, then a price had to be paid. Blood had to be shed (cf. Heb. 9:22). Speaking of a mess, imagine what the priests and the Levites had to endure. The constant slaughter of animals—what smell there must have been, the loud shrieking noises, and most of all, the absolute carnage of the slain sacrifices.
No doubt this was a very graphic scene to behold. It should make a person physically ill. How could this not occur due to the sights and smells? Though this act was intended to remind people of the gravity of their lawbreaking, it did not have its proper effect. Instead of bringing the best they had to offer, people would provide that which was profane in God’s sight (cf. Mal. 1:6ff). Ultimately, there had to be something greater offered because the blood of bulls and goats could not remove the stain of sin (cf. Heb. 10:4).
All along, God desired not the shedding of blood but obedience from His people. The prophet Samuel said, “Does the Lord have as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than a sacrifice, and to pay attention is better than the fat of rams” (1 Sam. 15:22). David understood this too after his sin of adultery with Bathsheba and prayed for forgiveness (cf. Psa. 51:16f). That sweet aroma pleased the Lord.
What a relief that there is no need for animal sacrifices and shedding of needless blood. The broken body and spilled blood of Christ are sufficient (cf. Heb. 9:14). His sacrifice is the most pleasant fragrant offering to the Lord (cf. Eph. 5:2). God’s children are still to offer up sacrifices, but these are ones of praise (cf. Heb. 13:15). Why shouldn’t we? For all that the Lord has done, the least we can do is offer up continual thanks to the One Who gave His all for everyone. As the hymn says, “Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe” (Jesus Paid It All, Elvina M. Hall (1865)).
Sometimes having a stain is a good reminder. When we see one, it should make us want to be more careful and aware. We have to watch our actions because it is so easy to find ourselves dirty again. Physical dirt can be easier to clean off than spiritual filth. There is, fortunately, a proven remedy for spiritual cleanness. Christ Jesus has offered us the gift of His cleansing blood. How ironic that one of the most difficult stains to remove is the very thing we need to be completely pure and spotless!
“…Knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot” (1 Pet. 1:18-19).
