As it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one…”
Romans 3:10 (ESV)
If you have the responsibility of cleaning your home, you are probably aware of a great multi-surface product called Swiffer dry cloths. You simply attach a rectangle of Swiffer cloth to your mop and as you move around your wood and tile floors, it magically traps and locks dust into the fibers.
Recently, I was excited to discover that Swiffer has produced a new improved heavy duty version of their dry cloths—an ultra-thick pad that traps twice as much dust as before! After only a few seconds of swiffering—using my new extra-strength, whiter-than-snow dry cloth—I checked out the results. I was shocked to see how dirty my floors were! I do keep an orderly, clean home, but even so I cannot keep up with the amount of ever-present gray dust—everywhere—all the time.
In the verse above, God is bringing forth a sweeping charge of guilt against us all. “There is none righteous…not one just person…not one who stands right with God…they are all gone out of the way…all have swerved…all have declined…all have left the ranks…”
Perhaps you might argue—how about Adam, the first man, wasn’t he righteous? He was innocent, yes—because he initially did not know good from evil. However, very soon after creation Adam learned about his capacity to sin and experienced the painful results of turning away from his Creator.
Staring at my dirty dry cloth a thought popped into my head. Just like Adam, I’ve learned every aspect of my life is affected by the gray depravity and intensity of my sin in my thoughts, words, and deeds—no matter how hard I work at keeping myself clean. If not for the imputed righteousness of Christ, I would stand before Almighty God as a dirty sinner deservedly under the power and condemnation of sin.
Oh God! I confess my soul is like my floors—impossible to keep clean! I am grateful for Your constant cleansing from the dust of sin in my life. Thank you for inviting me into Your whiter-than-snow righteous presence and keeping me safe there forever.