Sin's Solvent
"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." - 1 John 1:7
From Adam, sin is the polluting agent that has soaked into the very fabric of our being, the DNA of our soul. Our hearts are born black. But good news! Here, we find the ultimate solution to man's deepest stain. Here stands the mystery of divine chemistry: blood that cleanses.
Think about the activity of sin, its nature - how it clings to us, staining our souls with its indelible ink. Like a stubborn rust upon iron, it resists our feeble attempts at washing it away. Our tears cannot wash it; our good works can't scrub it clean. The strongest lye of the human heart proves useless against it.
But sin is not just external, is it? It's not as if we are clean in this world, and sin clings to us like lint. No, sin seeps outward, germinating, emanating from within us. From that putrid swamp called the human heart. Sin's bubbling ooze poisons the wellspring of our every thought and desire. Yes, the heart is "desperately wicked, above all else." To paraphrase Augustin, we are not sinners because we sin, but we sin because we are sinners. Own it.
Then we see how profound is our need! Because, not only must the stain be cleansed, but the very source of our corruption must be changed.
Here, we see the magnitude of the Savior's work - His blood not only washes the outer but penetrates the innermost recesses of our being. By regeneration, faith, and repentance, we are justified, and the blood of Christ washes over and into every part of our soul. Now, the Spirit has come and come to stay, sanctifying our hearts and lives to His glory. Oh, the blood of Christ, that crimson stream flowing from Immanuel's veins, is sin's true solvent! It alone possesses the potency to dissolve the bonds of sin, but more, it penetrates to the very core of our being, reaching those hidden recesses where sin has made its foulest nests.
Oh, the efficacy of this blood! It "cleanseth us from all sin." Highlight the word "all." Not some sins, not most sins, but all sins. The blackest blot of transgression, the deepest stain of guilt - all are removed by its purifying power. The sins of youth and the sins of age, sins of commission and sins of omission, sins remembered and sins forgotten - all dissolve in this mighty solvent, the blood of Christ.
How does this solvent work its wonder? Not by any inherent quality in physical blood itself, as if it were some magical elixir. No, its power lies in the Person whose veins it flowed from - the spotless Lamb of God. It cleanses every stain because He who shed it was both fully God and fully man, the perfect sacrifice to atone for sin.
And yet, dear one, we must notice the other words in this text: "if we walk in the light, as he is in the light." This blood gives no permission for presumption on the one hand or license to sin on the other. The solvent of Christ's blood has not been applied to those who willfully walk in darkness, adding daily to their stains. It is for those who, by grace, step into the Fountain filled with blood, exposing, confessing, and owning their sins to His gaze.
Oh, troubled heart, are you burdened by the weight of sin? Do you despair of ever being clean? Look to the cross! There hangs your hope; there flows your cleansing. Let faith apply this divine solvent to your soul. Feel its power working within, dissolving guilt, washing away shame, purifying the conscience.
And you, dear child of God, who have (short or long) walked with Christ, never forget your constant need for this cleansing. For though we are positionally righteous, we still contend with sin, from without, yes, but mostly from within. Know thyself. Daily, we must come to this fountain and apply to this solvent. In other words, touch the blood and the cross daily in your experience as your anchor, refuge, and blessed hope.
Precious blood of Christ! Sin's perfect solvent! May we never cease to wonder at its power, never cease to apply to its cleansing, until that day when we stand with the ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, "These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." Rev. 7:14