Have mercy on me, O God, because of your loyal love. Because of your great compassion, wipe away my rebellious acts. Wash away my wrongdoing. Cleanse me of my sin. Psalm 51.1-2
We cannot cleanse ourselves once we have fallen into sin. Sin is what separates us from God, Isaiah 59.1-2. Where sin is, God is not. Sin is like a wall that we can neither go through nor around. Our cleansing must come from elsewhere.
Because of his love and mercy, God has provided a way for that cleansing to take place. He provided the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world giving his son Jesus, John 3.16. His death makes my life possible.
God cleanses us in the watery grave of baptism where we die to ourselves, Romans 6.6-7. When we are raised from that watery grave, we are pure once again to stand before God, not because of anything that we have done, but because of what God has already done. He washes away our wrongdoings, our rebellious acts, and all of our sin. He cleanses us!
Have you been cleansed?