Whiter than Snow
“Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.”
(Isaiah 1:18 ESV)
As I'm writing this the ground is blanketed in snow. Not many have been out in our neighborhood so the white covering remains mostly undisturbed. For those of us in areas where snow isn't a constant during winter, there is something very peaceful about the occasional snow day.
There is the visual calm of a pure white cover. With enough snow, the multitude of shapes and colors of the landscape are replaced with a flat white sheet. But the peace goes beyond our eyes. There is less activity, so the background sounds of work, cars, and bird song are all diminished. The visual calm is joined with a rare silence. It truly is peaceful.
Isaiah likened God's forgiveness to a cleansing that purges our scarlet sin to "white as snow". The metaphor is obvious. The filth of our sins is cleansed leaving our souls undefiled and pure. Through Christ's suffering on the cross, our impurity is removed, His purity is imputed to us and we are as clean as Jesus Himself. My crimson sins are replaced with snow-white purity.
As I reflected on this passage this morning in light of the snowfall out my window, I thought of how our forgiveness and cleansing bring with it a peace similar to the calm around our home. Turning away from God and His ways stirs up turmoil in our souls. It breaks our relationship with God and with others. Not only do we have guilt, but we create conflict, tension, and anxiety. This is the inevitable result of rebelling against God's law. It is going against the grain of the universe.
Thankfully, God in reconciling us to Himself, not only removes our guilt but brings us peace. And as we are gradually conformed more and more to His Way, we live out this blessed peace. So the next time you gaze on a covering of snow consider His forgiveness and peace offered to us in Christ, and let your soul be a reflection of the clean, calm snowfall.
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
(Romans 5:1 ESV)