God's Glory Church

“And all of us have become like the unclean, and all our righteousness is like a stained… garment.” — Isaiah 64:6

Recently, my wife and I were cleaning the house before the arrival of guests. I noticed dark stains on the white kitchen tile on the floor; I had to kneel down to clean it.

A realization soon hit me: the longer I cleaned the floor, the more I noticed other stains. Each spot removed only made other spots more visible. The kitchen floor suddenly seemed incredibly dirty. With each step I realized, “No matter how hard I work, I will never clean the floor perfectly.”

Somewhat similar Scripture speaks of our unsuccessful efforts to deal with sin on our own. Observing the desperation of God’s people in an effort to experience His salvation (Is. 64:5), the prophet Isaiah wrote: “And we have all become like the unclean, and all our righteousness is like a stained… garment” (v. 6).

However, Isaiah knew that because of God’s goodness, there is always hope. Therefore, he prayed: “O Lord, You are our Father, we are clay, and You are our potter” (v. 8). The prophet Isaiah knew that only God can truly cleanse us until the largest stains become “white as snow” (Is. 1:18).

We are unable to cleanse our souls of the stains of sin. Fortunately, we can find salvation in Him Whose sacrifice completely cleanses us (1 John 1:7).

Why is it so difficult to accept God’s forgiveness? Why do you think you tend to try to deal with sin on your own?

Heavenly Father, help me to rely on Your forgiveness and not to try to earn what You have already given.

Author: Adam Holtz