Washed Clean
Musings form the Garden
By Peggy Wyar
Romans 7: 22-25 NIV “For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.”
Can anyone else relate to Paul’s dilemma? We want to do good, but fail to do it. We agree with God in our inner man, but sin seems to get the upper hand in how we act. It is a wretched condition to be in … but there is hope.
Romans 8:1-4 NIV “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”
Through Jesus we, who live according to the Spirit, have been set free from the power of sin. We can choose not to sin, but it is dependent on how surrendered we are to the Spirit of God in us. We are unable to avoid sinning apart from the Spirit’s enabling power.
Let’s consider what we can know about sin. Sin is defined in scripture in a number of ways. In I John 5:17 we learn that all unrighteousness is sin. Romans 14:23 tells us that all that is not of faith is sin. The book of Proverbs has numerous scriptures about pride, haughtiness, and plans of folly all being considered sin. Jeremiah 16:10-12 defines sin as walking after the lust of an evil heart and not listening to God. Unbelief, according to Hebrew 3:13-19, falls into the sinful category. We are assured in I John 1:8 that we all sin.
So who are we sinning against? Micah 7:9 and Psalm 51:2 inform us that our sin is against God only. Let that sink in. Through our actions or words or thoughts we may or may not sin against someone else, but our sin is always against the God who created us. When we miss the mark that God says is righteous, we have sinned. Apart from a knowledge of God’s Word and the conviction of the Holy Spirit we would have a tough time knowing when we are being sinful.
When we do sin, there is the chance that we will become enslaved to the sin. Most addictions start out as a single act that become a lifestyle of sinning. You can become a slave to the addiction. Separation from God through our sinful actions, in Jeremiah 17, results in a curse of wilderness living.
“But thanks be to God who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Romans 7:24 NIV
We have an advocate! Jesus Christ paid the penalty and received the punishment for our sin. If our lives are given to Him, we can repent, confess our sins and He will cleanse us from all unrighteousness, according to I John 1:8-9. We no longer have to carry the weight of our sin.
I have been asking God why my confession is necessary if I am already cleansed from all sin in my past and in my future. (That’s what the cross of Jesus accomplished for every believer.) His response gave me a deeper glimpse of His compassion.
He indicated that every time I sin, more of this world has stained me so I need to come to Him to be cleansed. Then He had me imagine a mother or father when their young child comes inside after playing in a mud puddle. They would gently wipe away the dirt from his face, then draw a bath and put all the toys in it for him to play with while they scrub his body with soap and rinse him with clean water. The cleansing that takes place is an act of love, and it promotes further closeness between the child and parent.
In the same way, Father God wants His children to turn to Him to be cleansed so we can experience a greater intimacy with Him. He wants us to enjoy “new mercies” daily as He washes the stain of our sin away. The grace of confession and receiving forgiveness from our Heavenly Father is such a privilege. Being fully surrendered to the Spirit can awaken sensitivity to the sin we still commit, and an assurance of the merciful cleansing the Father offers us. The thought of this wonderful mercy makes me want to run into His arms…free from condemnation.
Psalm 66:18-19 NIV
If I had cherished sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened;
but God has surely listened
and has heard my prayer.