KEEP YOUR FEET CLEAN // NOVEMBER 17, 2023
Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.”
John 13:10
The disciples walked on dirt roads wearing sandals, so their feet would get really dirty. The word for wash used in this passage in v. 5, 6, 8, 12 and 14 is nipto, which means to wash a part of the body. But the word wash in verse 10 is louo, which means to bathe all over. It's an important distinction -- to be bathed all over in salvation.
Why is it important to keep our feet clean? It's not because we need to be saved over and over again. Our feet are to walk in holiness, or we track dirt in our house. When we don't clean up the dirt, it builds up. It's important we repent of ongoing sin, but, too often, we try to hide it, and don't admit it. What is the solution? Repentance. What we hide, grows. Our sin might start as a seed, but once its planted -- our feet get dirtier and dirtier -- and we have more to hide. Hiding leads to shame, depression and anxiety. It's not an issue of getting to heaven. We need to keep our feet clean from sin, deal with it and not walk in shame.
Are you hiding some sin today? The cure for your shame is repentance. Confess what you need to confess. You're not hiding anything from God; he already sees and knows. But you bringing it out of the dark and into the light allows you to walk in freedom from sin and shame. Your changed mind leads to a changed heart, which leads to changed actions.