White As Snow

Isaiah 1:18, "'Come now, and let us reason together,' says the Lord, 'though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.'"

We don't get many days like this in South Carolina. Near Greenville in the upstate 8-10 inches of snow are already on the ground. Near Columbia 6-8 inches have accumulated. And here in Chesterfield, 5 inches or so already cover the landscape. And more is on the way for most of the day. Snow takes us back to childhood. I can still vividly remember sledding with childhood friend David Pittman down the steep hill on Balfer Drive next to Wade Hampton High School in Greenville. Snow brought an excitement that was rarely matched; well, because, we don't get many days like this in South Carolina. But snow is more than a childhood memory, or joy for a child today. In the bible, snow is a picture of our forgiveness of sin. Though we are sinful by nature, the pure nature of Jesus Christ can make us "white as snow."

Jesus, "God with us," "God in the flesh," lived a life that was pure as the driven snow we see out of our windows today. He was God, perfect and sinless; the lamb without blemish come to forgive the sins of the world. And in his perfect, sinless life he fulfilled the requirements of the law and the prophets. He lived the life only God could, in perfect obedience to the laws and word of God. In doing so, the "One" who was "without sin," "became sin," and took the punishment and penalty for our sin, and the sin of the whole world upon Him on a cross at Calvary some 2000 years ago.

Through heartfelt belief in Him, His righteousness is imputed to us so that in spite of our sins, in spite of our iniquities, in spite of our transgressions, we also can be declared righteous in the eyes of God. The word imputed is an accounting term. It means to credit something to another's account. Like me going to your bank and depositing money that is now yours, Jesus deposited His righteousness in to the hearts of all believers. Instead of being stained by our sin nature, and unacceptable to God because of it, we are now "white as snow." In God's eyes, because we now abide in the body of Christ, His true church made up of those with a genuine faith, we are righteous, we are pure, we are inheritors of the promises of God of eternal life with Him.

This promise is available to anyone. But it is a conditional promise. The condition is, we believe, place our faith in and follow Jesus. That we confess our sins to God, and repent of them. The word confess means to agree with someone. When we confess our sins, we are agreeing with God how offensive they are to Him, and if we do that sincerely from the heart, our desire will be to turn from them, and repent. The fact is if we have truly turned to God in our lives, we will automatically be turning from our sins. If we have truly turned to God in genuine faith, the Holy Spirit now indwells us, God is in us, and He will not allow us to remain in our sin.

We are not speaking of sinless perfection here, as no one other than Jesus was capable of living that life. But as a true believer, we will not "rejoice in iniquity." One of the Holy Spirit's ministries is to convict us of our sin. If He is inside of us, our hearts desire will be to turn from things offensive to God and seek to live a life pleasing to Him.

So on this day when most of us are home, enjoying the beauty of this day the "Lord has made," let us reflect on the sacrifice of the cross, and the opportunity it affords each and every one of us. No matter our sins, they can be forgiven. They can be "cleansed" and all of our "unrighteousness" removed. This promise of God is sure. So, have our sins been cleansed? Have we been forgiven? Have we confessed our sinfulness to God, repented, and received salvation through the power of His blood? If we will come to God sincerely from the heart, and do these things, and ask Him to forgive us He will. From that point forward we will continually become more like Him, and less like our old selves, as we are a "new creation" in Christ, "born again" of the Spirit of God. Will we take this step of faith, and follow Him?