Free Grace Women

 Spring has sprung! In South Carolina, where I live, this means the cars are covered in a thick green layer of pollen, which is our sign to do some spring cleaning. Last Saturday my church had our yearly cleanup day for the grounds and interior of our building. Our church is one of the oldest in the area, built in 1845. We even have Revolutionary War soldiers buried in our cemetery. 

It’s a beautiful, white-washed building, but with that means upkeep. The paint gets dingy so, during our cleaning day, we power washed the exterior, did a good scrub down of the pews, and vacuumed the sanctuary. 

As we continued to clean, the more we saw, and the more we saw, the more we were shocked. First, it started with vacuuming. Then we took down the curtains. As the light came in, we noticed the walls needed a scrubbing, especially where we usually have the drinks for potlucks. Undoubtedly the spills and foot traffic caused more stains in those areas. Then we noticed the baseboards hadn’t been scrubbed in some time. The coffee station was looking a little worse for wear, the Sunday school rooms could use a new paint job…and the list grew. 

With all that extra sunlight coming in, we could see every particle of dust and dirt that had been hiding in the winter gloom. What we hadn’t noticed for months, was now becoming more and more obvious. How could we have been so blind to all of this before Saturday?  

Perhaps you have had a similar experience in your own home. You open the shades and take down the curtains for a good washing, and then the light comes in exposing every particle. The doors have handprints all over them, and the carpet is in need of some deep cleaning. It’s worse than you thought.

How do you respond? If you are anything like me, a part of you just wants to close the blinds and go back to bed. It can wait for another day. 

Dust bunnies count as Easter decorations too, right? 

I was reminded of the apostle words in 1 John 1:5.

God is light 

While that statement is seemingly simple, its application is profound. 

Context: 

   In 1 John chapter 1, the apostle is speaking about being in fellowship with the Lord. This passage has nothing to do with how we receive eternal life. John is very clear in his gospel, that eternal life is given to those who simply believe in Jesus for it (Jn 3:16, 5:24, 6:40,47, 11:25-27). In 1 John, the apostle is writing to believers about Christian living, specifically how we can experience fellowship with the Lord here and now. 

    In short, he’s saying the more you walk with God, the more He will expose. Just like what happened at my church, as more light floods in, the more you will see. Since God is light, when we walk with Him, it’s like Springtime year-round. As we continue to grow in the Lord, the more He reveals our sins. 

 Has the Lord ever shown you something in His word, convicting you of sin, and then you look back and wonder how you could not have seen the sin in the first place? We see this especially in young believers who haven’t been taught. Thankfully, as we walk with the Lord, study His Word, and learn sound doctrine, we will see those sins exposed. 

The question is, how will we respond when the Lord reveals those sins? Many believers respond by ignoring it, just like that dust bunny under my dresser right now, or the dishes in my sink. As a believer, you can do this. We can convince ourselves it’s “not that bad.” Or maybe you are just too overwhelmed by the mess, you decide it’s easier to brush it under the rug. Whatever the reason, once you decide to close those blinds, you are no longer walking with the Lord. In fact, we can become so desensitized to sin, that we can’t even see that it’s a problem. Just like a hoarder becomes desensitized to the ruin of their homes. Sadly, many believers live that way in their spiritual lives. 

However, let’s say you do see it, and you confess it. John tells us an amazing truth. 

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 Jn 1:9

In other words, once we confess to God the truth that He reveals, He is faithful to cleanse us. 

Talk about a spring cleaning! 

Again, it is important to note, this verse is not talking about how unbelievers receive eternal life. Salvation from hell is a one-time event, like birth (John 3). John is talking about what happens when believers “walk in the light” (vs7). This is an ongoing process. Just like cleaning our homes or my church. 

What’s so incredible about 1 John 1:9, is that the Lord isn’t leaving us to clean up the mess by ourselves. In fact, He knows we can’t. 

The picture here is that when the light floods in, don’t get overwhelmed, and don’t ignore it. Don’t shut the blinds. Instead, draw near to the Savior, confess the sin, and He will come alongside you. He will do the cleansing. He wants to have fellowship with you. All you have to do is tell Him you see the sin and want His help. 

Conclusion: 

Our church family came to worship the following morning after the cleaning day. It was incredible to see the difference that the power washing had on the exterior. It was raining and overcast on Saturday, but on Sunday the whole building was shining in the morning light. In fact, the white paint was almost blinding from the reflection of the sun. 

As we enter this Easter season, may we all draw near to the warm Light, allowing Him to cleanse us of our sins as we confess them, reflecting back the goodness of our Savior.

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