Titus 3:5. New Living Translation

“He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit”

Doesn't it feel good to be clean? A cool shower to wash away the sweat of a hot day feels so refreshing. Simple pleasure comes from pulling on a freshly washed sweater, climbing into clean sheets at bedtime, or smelling a baby after his bath.

Yet, external freshness cannot compare to the incredible joy of experiencing God’s cleansing in our hearts, minds, and bodies.

We all take showers. It's something we do every day and don't really think about it. It's part of a regular routine and we, as adults, don't need help washing and getting clean. What about when our spirits need a cleansing? When do we need to be cleaned from the inside?

I know that a bubble bath isn’t going to wash my soul, but sometimes we are tempted just to do the same thing. To dip ourselves in bubbles and forget that the only way to be truly clean is through repentance. 

The Word of God has the ability to wash us and make us clean. Most of us don’t go out and roll in the mud every day. But most of us take a bath or shower at least once a day, because our bodies have the ability to make us unclean. You, as a Christian, probably don’t go out to pursue the filth and sin of this world each day. We are surrounded by enough impurities, however, and there are enough impurities inherent in ourselves, that we should realize our need to be washed clean everyday by time spent in God’s Holy Word.

More than physical dirt, our bodies bear the filth of sin. We violate our bodies — the temple of the living God through various ways. We can carry a stain of shame that soap can’t remove. Only Jesus can erase the guilt and the shame that pollute our bodies. God put the condemnation of and punishment for sin on the shoulders of Jesus. Long before Jesus, God assured his people that he would send a Redeemer to cleanse them. Isaiah 1:18 (NLT) says, "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”

I love what Titus 3:5 (NLT) says, "He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit”. The Holy Spirit washes us: Body, mind, heart and soul.

Sin originates in our hearts. Rather than something external that presses in on us, the natural inclination to sin lives inside us. Acknowledging this truth before God, as well as confessing specific offenses, invites Him to purify us.

Over and over the Bible describes how to receive cleansing from God through the saving power of Jesus’ death and resurrection. 

Just like we need to physically cleanse ourselves daily, we need a daily spiritual cleanse as well. Christ has paid the penalty for our sin, but this is a daily thing we should do, just to come before God to examine our hearts and to say, God, I need to be clean. I need to be clean.

You don’t have to wait.

Come to Jesus right now. In a spirit of humility and repentance, you can pray the following prayer in Psalms 51:2,7 (NLT) “Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” 

Cleansing — forgiveness and deliverance from shame — awaits all who come to Jesus in repentance and faith.

We need to be washed from our sin, and only God can do that. It is in our calling out to Him, in acknowledging our sin, that we can enjoy the freedom in being washed clean from our sin!

Today the world is dirty, and we are easily made dirty.

For us to maintain a pure fellowship with the Lord and with one another, we need a spiritual washing carried out both by the Lord in His love and by one another in love.

Christ doesn’t want us acting, or being, just “sort of ok.” He isn’t looking for us, the spiritual equivalent of a kid who showered earlier this week. He is looking to present us, you and me, to Himself without spot or wrinkle, without blemish. He wants to wash us and cleanse us until we are pure!

Try making something like this your daily prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for cleansing me, for giving me a completely new start on life. Remind me each morning, as I prepare myself physically for the day, to prepare myself spiritually as well. Lord, cleanse me of impurities and clothe me in Your righteousness! Wash me in the Blood of Jesus and make all things new! In Jesus’ Name, amen.