“Out, damned spot!”

Dear Crosswalkers,

“Out, damned spot!” Lady Macbeth famously said in Shakespeare’s tragedy as she tried to wash away her guilt about having participated in murder.  For those of you who don’t know the story, it doesn’t work out so well for her as she dies, presumably by suicide, at the end of the play.  Here’s an update:  According to an article by a CNN health writer, new studies indicate that the act of washing hands can actually help people cleanse themselves of guilt and worries about the past, at least temporarily.

A study done in 2006 showed that washing hands can help people come to terms with their unethical behavior.  Now a University of Michigan research team has conducted a new study.  This study is based on the fact that the metaphor of cleansing outwardly is found across cultures as a way of dealing with the guilt we all feel inside.  One researcher on the team that studied the effects of hand washing says, “When people have done bad things, they have sort of sins or traces or residuals from the past.  By washing… the hands, there’s a sense of abstractly also washing away the past sins.” Although the study was very limited in scope, and the benefits of being cleansed of guilt were only temporary, the lead researcher still made this conclusion:  “We should also expect physical washing to remove past concerns – concerns about past decisions, or past immoral behaviors, and that’s what we were able to show.”

Interestingly, the Bible deals with is issue as well.  Holy Scripture agrees that the act of outward cleansing can serve as a physical reminder of the need we all have to be cleansed of our guilt.  Ananias said this to Saul of Tarsus, after he met the rise Lord Jesus on the road to Damascus:

‘What are you waiting for? Get up and be baptized. Have your sins washed away by calling on the name of the Lord’ (Acts 22:16).

Later in the NT, we get the more complete explanation: …Baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 3:21 NASB).

Note this needed corrective to the recent studies.  Temporary relief from guilt may come from the act of washing, because it is natural to associate outward cleansing with inward purity.  But outward washing is of no lasting value in terms of forgiveness of our sins!  That’s why Christian baptism is not merely an outward act, but an inward reality of appealing to God for for a clear conscience – not through our own goodness or even through an honored ritual, but through the resurrection of our Lord Jesus!  We all, in a more literal manner than we care to admit, have a “damned spot” that we desperately need to get out of our life!  Only our union with Jesus in his death for our sins and his resurrection for our justification can get rid of our guilt!

All this to say we will have a great day of worship this Sunday!  We have baptisms to celebrate, which is always a joyful occasion!  Praise God!  Also we will be looking at the next Myth in our Mythbusters series, which is this:  “Christianity is just a psychological crutch for weak and uneducated people.  The church is for the dregs of society who are losers.” You may be shocked by the results of our study!!  Invite some friends and come to church this Lord’s Day!

Affectionately in Christ,

Pastor John