Hugs without slugs

It is neither an accident, nor should it be a surprise, that James warns the double minded to purify their hearts, and sinners to cleanse their hands, immediately after telling us to draw near to God in order that He may draw near to us. Loving us and loving our filth are completely separate things.

My mother is afflicted with a condition common to women. She hates invertebrates. She is especially disgusted by snails and slugs, and she is terrified of spiders. So, let us imagine I want a hug. It is rare for my mother to turn down a hug, but what if I had a snail in my hand? Or what if slugs were crawling all over me? If I so much as hold a spider in a sealed jar, she will not let me come close. Thus, what sense does it make for me to come near her with any of these things?

Sin is much like this. Although there is nothing inherently evil about invertebrates, these things are contrary to my mother, and so it is foolish to approach her with such things. To God, sin is so repulsive that even our righteous acts become filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). Sin is so repulsive to God that if we will not be cleaned from it, He will cast us into the fire forever.

The Gospel is simply this: God will cleanse us of these detestable things. But after we are cleansed, should we go straight back to the filth? Shall we come to Him soaked in the very sludge He has just removed from us? If I cannot get a hug from my mother while carrying things that are not evil, how much less favorably will God look upon one who comes to Him with evil intent? If we wish for God to draw near to us, let us be of the mindset that we will be pure. What little filth we must still bring before Him (for we are never truly free of sin), let us approach Him with the intent that He cleanse us as only He can.