“Come now, let us reason together,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” Isaiah 1:18 NIV

Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Psalm 51:7 NIV

We had just moved into a new house, it was a pretty thing, and we were very happy. I pulled into the driveway one day and noticed a little splotch of green on the white vinyl siding. It was about 8 feet high, and honestly, I didn’t think too much about it. I knew it was there, but it was just too much of a bother to get a ladder out and take care of it. For the next few weeks, every day when I came home, I noticed the blemish. Eventually, I got used to it and stopped thinking about it. Then, about six months later, a family member came over to visit and, during a conversation, asked me the question, “what is wrong with your house”? I was confused. We had made sure the house was clean for his visit. He took me outside, and I honestly looked at the vinyl siding for the first time in months. That small green splotch had spread across the house. It happened slowly, and I never noticed the growth. Finally, I decided that I was going to power wash the house and get rid of the spots. So, with some help, I pulled out the power washer and worked on the problem areas. The more we cleaned, the more we realized how widespread the problem was. Eventually, I gave in and power washed the whole house.

Satan wants to pull us into a state of sin. He wants to separate us from God. For most of us who have been believers for a while, he finds it difficult to get us to do something drastically wrong. Instead, he tries to trick us into “little” sin that hopefully we will ignore. Ignoring sin will not make it go away. I have come to understand that I am powerless to defeat sin in my life. God is the one who can make us clean, and His grace covers our sin.

James Nicholson writes about it this way in SASB 721 (v1,2,4):

Lord Jesus, I long to be perfectly whole,
I want Thee forever to live in my soul;
Break down every idol, cast out every foe,
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Whiter than snow, yes, whiter than snow,
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Lord Jesus, let nothing unholy remain,
Apply Thine own blood and remove every stain;
To get this blest washing I all things forgo;
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

The blessing by faith I receive from above,
O glory, my soul is made perfect in love!
My prayer has prevailed, and this moment I know
The blood is applied, I am whiter than snow.

written by Major Andrew Murray, Education Department, USA East