WHITER THAN SNOW
One image that Scripture uses to speak of the redemption we have in Christ is that of being pure or clean. The idea is that sin corrupts and defiles, but God in His mercy and grace makes us pure and clean again.
We see this in Titus 1:15: “To the pure, all things are pure. But to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure.” The context of this statement is helping believers be “sound in the faith” and not led astray by myths or legalistic rules (Titus 1:13-14). What Paul is getting at is this: a Christian has been made PURE, which means that it does not matter what types or food are eaten or clothes are worn. A Christian is PURE because Christ has cleansed him/her.
This imagery is rooted in the Old Testament. We see it in Psalm 51:7: “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clan; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” For the believer, this is TRUE and PRESENT reality. A Christian, because of Christ’s death and resurrection, is now PURE and CLEAN before God. Such a reality is worth pausing and meditating upon.
The tendency that some of us as Christians have is often to focus on our failures or struggling with sin. We struggle with self-control, so we label ourselves as fat or undisciplined. We struggle with anger, so we think of ourselves as failures at controlling our temper. We struggle with sexually pure thoughts, and view ourselves as perverts. And the list goes on and on.
But these passages (Titus 1:15 and Psalm 51:7) reshape our thinking.
Deep down, in Christ, we are PURE. Deep down, we are WHITER THAN SNOW. We know and experience this by faith in Christ, who is the sinless Lamb of God. This is TRULY who we are: pure, clean, whiter than snow, children of God who are loved by our holy God.
May we as Christians be shaped more deeply and thoroughly by this wonderful truth.
