The Blood of the Lamb

Come now, 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 become like wool (Isaiah 1:18, ESV).

I went to lunch with some friends a few weeks ago. It was a casual outing, so I threw on one of my sweatshirts that had just come out of the wash and was on my way. 

I think spilling food on your shirt is a familial trait, and one that I apparently inherited from my Aunt Rita. I eat fast, so it’s not surprising that I looked down part way through the meal to see that I had spilled bright red salsa on my sweatshirt. 

I had just washed the sweatshirt and immediately stained it. What a metaphor for my life, right? No matter how intentional I am to be kind, do the right thing, be the best person I can be, and model my life after Jesus, I will fail. My life is stained just like that sweatshirt was. 

I am a sinner. 

I am a sinner that needs someone to clean me up.

I am a sinner in need of a Savior.

I stain my clothes with food, but my heart and soul are stained by sin. Romans 3:23-24 says: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

I think sometimes we read verse 23 in isolation, but without verse 24, we may be set up for disappointment and condemnation. But when paired together, we are reminded about the redemption that came through the blood of the lamb. His blood for our sins.

When we look at things from a worldly perspective, blood stains. 

But the beautiful message of the Gospel is the opposite–Jesus’ blood cleanses. 

What amazing news! My life was stained by sin. But when Jesus died on the cross, the blood that was shed was for me. And it was for you, too. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, our sin is cleansed by the blood of Jesus. Past, present, and future. 

The message spoken in Isaiah 1:18 says: “Come now, 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 become like wool.”

Amen, and thank you, Jesus! 

I need to be better about not spilling food on my clothes. In a similar way, since coming to know a personal relationship with Jesus, I want to be more intentional about the sin staining my life.

But from now on, I won’t look down at my food stained clothes and be upset. I will instead allow myself to be reminded of my sin-stained heart. I will offer a prayer of thanksgiving–Thank God for the blood of the Lamb. Because of His sacrifice, I don’t have to spend my life trying to scrub sin away, but rather, I will repent and believe in the Gospel. And be reminded that Jesus’ blood doesn’t stain. It always cleanses.