The Strangest Lyrics!
An unbeliever listening to the line of a popular hymn "Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?" must wonder "What are they talking about?", not least because, if understood literally, red blood cannot make dirty clothes white.
But to we who believe, these song lyrics are full of precious meaning:
Are you washed in the blood,
In the soul cleansing blood of the Lamb?
Are your garments spotless?
Are they white as snow?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Only through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ can our sins be washed away and the garments of our righteousness, dirtied by our sin, be made spotless in God's eyes.
In our A-Z of salvation, we've arrived at W for washing. And our verse for the day is Isaiah 1:18:
Come now, let us settle the matter,
says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool.
Our hymn imagined red blood turning dirty clothes white, our Bible verse likens our sins to the most immovable dyes of scarlet red but cleansed as white as snow or wool.
Auca Indian Snow
Soon after the five missionary men were killed by Auca native Indians in Ecuador, a story told in the book 'Through Gates of Splendour,' many of these Indians became believers. Having never seen snow, Bible translators had to find a way of rendering our Bible verse for today in a way that would make sense to the Aucas. They came up with something like this, "though your sins are red like scarlet they will be as clean as the blue sky when it has no clouds in it." The Aucas understood this clear-sky metaphor.
Sins of the Deepest Stain
Our Bible verse tells us that the sins which stain our lives and consciences and could easily blot heaven's record can all be washed away.
That means they can be forgiven by God.
That means they can be cleansed from our lives.
That means they can be put behind us forever and for good.
This remarkable divine detergent is twofold. It is the blood of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Isaiah is looking forward to Calvary and to the day when sin would be dealt with once and for all. This holy detergent is also the sanctifying Holy Spirit whose Word and presence is able to burn away the most stubborn sins.
Summing it all Up
Do you believe this precious promise? Do you believe that all of your sins, and the point Isaiah is making, even the very worst of them, have been paid for in full? And do you believe that the sins that have most stained you in the past can be washed out of your life by The Sanctifier?
Both of these possibilities can be true realities. All our sins have been paid for in full - even those dark ones. And the very worst sins that have marred our minds, hearts and lives can be washed out and washed away by the powerful Spirit of God, through his mighty Word.
The Lord is appealing to us to believe this promise, "let us reason together says the Lord" is how a different translation puts the first line:
Come now, let us settle the matter,
says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool.
A SONG FOR THE DAY
Sing along with this trusty old hymn, if you wish, HERE.
Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing power?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Are you fully trusting in His grace this hour?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Are you washed in the blood,
In the soul cleansing blood of the Lamb?
Are your garments spotless?
Are they white as snow?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Are you walking daily by the Savior's side?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Do you rest each moment in the Crucified?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
When the Bridegroom cometh will your robes be white?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Will your soul be ready for the mansions bright,
And be washed in the blood of the Lamb?
And be washed in the blood of the Lamb;
There's a fountain flowing for the soul unclean,
O be washed in the blood of the Lamb!
A PRAYER FOR THE DAY
Our loving Father,
We thank you for your many precious promises to us. We thank you for Isaiah's promise of cleansing, of washing.
We thank you that you have washed away all our sins through the blood of your dear Son.
And we thank you that you are washing away all our present sins through the power of your Spirit.
Give us the faith to believe both.
Help us to believe that there is no condemnation for those who believe in Christ and help us to believe that your powerful Spirit can wash away every stain.
We ask for more faith in Jesus' Name
Amen
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