Sterilized

In my previous job, I sold medical and surgical supplies to hospitals, particularly the operating room.  One of the privileges that I had was to sit in and watch all different types of surgeries while they were being performed.

Before surgery, each patient is “prepped” (prepared) for surgery.  Betadine solution is poured all over the patient, and then drapes are laid over the area where surgery will be taking place.  The surgeons spend several minutes scrubbing their arms and hands with a powerful antimicrobial soap to insure that no germs will enter the patient.  After they have “scrubbed in”, they wear a surgeons gown to provide a germ-free barrier between them and the patient.  Finally, they put on thick surgeons gloves to cover the hands that they just scrubbed for several minutes as an extra precaution.

The room is set up for surgery in a manner that will provide a germ-free environment.  There is a “back table” that is set up away from the patient that carries everything that will be needed for surgery including drapes, gowns, gloves, surgical instruments, suction tubing, blades, syringes, etc.  Everything on that table is 100% sterile. 

When I went through training on what to do during surgery, the first and most important rule was “don’t break the sterile field!”  In other words, don’t touch anything, especially the back table.  I was dirty.  I had germs and the back table was not only clean, it was sterile.  If I were to have accidentally touched it, the entire surgery would have to be rescheduled, everything on the table would have to be thrown away, and the whole expensive process would have to start over again.  Needless to say, I stayed away from the back table.

The reason that I say all of this is to make a very important point:  there is a huge difference between “clean” and “sterile”.  Our lives are the same in the eyes of a Holy God.

Before I met Christ, I did my best to be clean.  No matter what I did to erase my sin, I was still dirty in the eyes of God because of my sin.  When I surrendered my life to Jesus, my sin was sterilized.  My sin was like the germs on the back table, they were 100% taken away.  

Many times I still view myself as clean or dirty as I walk with Christ, but God doesn’t look at me that way.  He sees me as sterilized.  100% clean.  He sees Jesus, my King, my sacrifice.  In God’s eyes, through the saving grace of Jesus, He sees perfection.

Romans 8:1 states that “therefore, there is NO condemnation for those who are in Jesus Christ!”  We are a new creation!  We are taken out of the dirty, soiled laundry bin and placed on the back table.

• If you know Christ as your Savior, thank him for sterilizing you from your sin.  Walk in the assurance that no matter what you have done, you are 100% sin-free in the eyes of our heavenly Father.  

• If you haven’t surrendered your life to Christ, ask Him to save you from your sin.  Pray and ask Him to place you on the back table.  Give your life to Him and surrender yourself to His grace.  From that moment on, you will be a new creation.  The old will die, and the new will grow.  You will be free, 100% clean!