Early last week, the last lingering remnants of snow and ice from the Christmas Blizzard of ‘09 disappeared from the north side of our house. Sustained temperatures above freezing and a generous amount of rain caused even the largest of the ice mountains in area parking lots to melt.  I have commented in the past about how much I like snow.  Our family missed the big snow storm, having traveled to Mississippi on December 23 for Christmas.  However, there was still plenty on the streets and ground when we returned.  Despite my fondness for snow, I must admit that it loses a significant amount of appeal to me after it has been on the streets for a week or more.  Its bright whiteness begins to fade into a dingy gray, and then the combination of automobile exhaust, oil, leaves, and generic grime changes it into a most unattractive, gritty black mass.  There is no possible way to restore it to its pristine beauty.  It just has to melt.  I much prefer a fluffy, freshly fallen blanket of the white stuff on the lawn, with snowy accents decorating  the shrubs and trees.

Counter to the unbiblical notion of original sin, we come into this world spiritually clean and pure and in the bonds of fellowship and relationship with our Creator.  As we age and mature, we develop a sense a moral accountability, with an ability to discern right from wrong and to distinguish good from evil.  From that point on, all of us who  possess that level of cognition and moral understanding ultimately choose to do evil and refrain from doing good (Psalm 14:2-3; Romans 3:23).  The purity of our souls becomes tainted with sin, and our intimacy with our God is compromised by our transgressions.  It is the spiritual equivalent of the soiled and blackened week-old snow and ice along the roadside. 

Scripture is unanimous in its affirmation that we possess no ability or resource within ourselves to take away the guilt of our sins.  But, it is also unanimous in its joyful proclamation that God has graciously provided the powerful, atoning sacrifice of His Son so that we can “wash our robes and make them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 7:14).  “Come now, and let us reason together,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool” (Isaiah 1:18).  No matter how dark our sins or how serious our transgressions, the cleansing blood of Jesus can restore us to purity, freshness, and spiritual wholeness.  Praise God for His salvation in Jesus Christ!