Caught. Not just dirty but guilty, too.

There is an old hymn which asks the question:

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?[1]

The concept within the four verses and repeated refrain is simple. You might even say that it is basic. By going to Jesus and allowing His blood to “wash you clean” you become sanctified. By definition, to be sanctified is to be “set apart to a sacred purpose.”[2] For a Christian, to be sanctified is to be set apart by God.

Another Metaphor…of Sorts

In the 12^th chapter of Exodus, the Lord instructs Moses and His people (per household or family) to slaughter a year-old male lamb without defect and then to take some of its blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they (will also) eat the lambs. Exodus 12:12 records:

On that same night I will pas through Egypt and strike down every firstborn—both men and animals—and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you.

This was, of course, a foreshadowing of what was to come. As Jesus’ blood poured from His crucified body and then metaphorically over us upon our acceptance of Him as our Lord and Savior, we became “washed in the blood.”

But we have to get in the “tub.” We have to pick up the “soap.” One day we will stand before His Father as we stood before our mothers and He will ask, “Did you bathe?”

There is more, of course. The before mentioned old hymn references that once “washed” we are called to daily walk within that washing. Sadly, just as our bodies do, our souls get dirty all over again. David, after his affair with Bathsheba, cried out to God:

Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.[3]