I find it fascinating that I could have lived with something for all the time I can remember and know almost nothing about it. Fels-Naptha is such a thing for me. This afternoon I was in the laundry room and picked up a bar of such and was surprised to read that it was ideal for pre-treating stains. It’s been around since 1893 and was formatted by Lazarus Fels. Naptha is a petroleum product similar to gasoline, kerosene or a variety of things depending where you are in the world. Obviously one should not use it for personal bathing.
As I held it I realized Jesus had pre-treated me for my stains. Since the cross was 2000 years ago that does predate me by quite a bit. God was ready to deal with my faults. Actually God was ready even before the cross. Psalm 51 written 1000 years before Calvary says, “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to your loving-kindness; According to the multitude of your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.”
Blots leave stains and so verse seven adds, “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” This is better than blotting. This is purging until no stain is left. The end product here is looking like there was no sin, no stain, no blot and so forever after God will not treat us as forgiven. It is better than that. He will treat us as if we had never sinned at all. We will always remember that we were redeemed. But He will never rub it in. We are stainless.
Written by Roger Bothwell on October 21, 2015
PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
rogerbothwell.org