SOAP for the Soul

My favorite bar soap is Irish Spring. I’ve liked it and used it for a long time. I like to think it's a "manly-man's" soap unlike those wimpy brands!

The back of the iconic green cardboard box reads as follows:

• Great, invigorating scent
• Helps keep you feeling clean and fresh
• Helps retain your skin’s natural moisture
• Helps leave skin feeling naturally healthy – not tight and dry

Who could ask for anything more than that? Right?

Soap is a part of our everyday life. It comes in several different forms. We launder our clothes in detergent and wash the dishes with dishwashing liquid. And we clean our hands, hair and bodies with soap, shampoo, or body wash.

We like to be clean, to smell good, and to reduce germs. I can’t imagine what we would do without soap. The world would certainly be smellier, dirtier, and more “germier.” But, I’m more concerned about soap for the soul – spiritual soap: that which refreshes and renews our insides.

David pled with God for a “clean heart” in Psalm 51:1-12. In Isaiah 1:16-17 (ESV), God commands, “Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause.”

Jesus chastised the scribes and Pharisees for their hypocritical and legalistic attitude. They harped more about then ceremonial washing of cups and plates than seeking to be spiritually clean in their souls. On the inside, these religious leaders were greedy and self-indulgent (Matt. 23:25-26). In other words, they were dirty!

The apostle Paul exhorted the Corinthian Christians, in light of God’s promises, to cleanse their lives from all bodily and spiritual defilements. In this way, they were to pursue perfection their holiness in godly reverence and fear (2 Cor. 7:1).

The Lord’s brother James challenges us to have clean hands and hearts rather than being fickle or double-minded in our spiritual priorities and faith (James 4:7-8).

The apostle John says, “If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:6-7, ESV). 

We all sin, but what matters most is how we respond in genuine repentance and seek God’s will in our lives.

If you will indulge me for a moment, I want to use the word “SOAP” as an acrostic:

S-alvation

O-bedience

A-bide

P-urity

“S” is for Salvation that is only accessible through the precious name of Jesus Christ (Acts 4:11-12). The gospel is the saving power for all who believe in Christ (Rom. 1:16).

“O” stands for Obedience, which is essential if we want to be saved. “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29, ESV). Jesus says, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15, ESV).

“A” represents Abide. We are only able to bear spiritual fruit by abiding in the vine, which is Christ (John 15:4). Abiding means doing our best not to sin, but rather to keep God’s commandments (1 John 3:6, 24) and follow Christ’s teaching (2 John 1:9).

“P” stands for Purity. Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matt. 5:8, ESV). We must focus our minds on “whatever is pure” (Phi. 4:8). We must flee from youthful passions in order to pursue God’s righteousness and “call on the Lord from a pure heart” (2 Tim. 2:22, ESV).

What type of spiritual SOAP are you using? There's nothing that compares to feeling clean!