16th August 2025

Cleansed Completely

We are all like an unclean thing,

and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags . . .

Isaiah 65:17

Today's Bible Reading: Isaiah 64:1-8.

Have you ever left a dirty rag on the kitchen work top on a hot Summer's day, and when you have retuned home later, the rag is sticking?

The Bible says something similar about self-cleansing—our best efforts at dealing with sin on our own always fall short. Seeming to despair of God’s people, the Israelites, ever experiencing His salvation (Isaiah 64:5), the prophet Isaiah wrote, “we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses (meaning good-deeds) are like filthy rags” (v 6).

But Isaiah knew that there is always hope through God’s goodness. So he prayed, “You, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter” (v 8). He knew that God alone can cleanse what we cannot, until the deepest stains are “white as snow” (Isaiah 1:18).

We cannot scrub away the smudges, smears and stains of sin on our souls. Thankfully, we can receive salvation in the One whose sacrifice allows us to be cleansed completely (1 John 1:7) Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Father, help me to rest in Your forgiveness instead of trying to earn what You have already freely given. In Jesus name. Amen.