Dirty Feet

Toni M. Babcock

“If we say, ‘We have no sin,’ we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 

1 John 1:8-9 CSB

There are two truths to take into consideration when considering the salvation we obtain through Christ. 

The first is the very real promise that through faith in the finished work of Jesus, we become a new creation; viewed by God the Father as ‘in Christ’— cleansed and justified by His blood. 

In this new union with Jesus, we are no longer ‘dead in trespasses and sins’, but alive in Christ and made whole.

The second truth is — as long as we are in the world, we are still subject to sinning. 

This should come as no surprise. 

We’re still mortal with a sin nature that must be kept under control through the Spirit of Jesus. 

Unfortunately, we don’t always surrender to that control.

So, there’s a need for restorative cleansing now and again. 

Jesus illustrates the need when He washed the disciple’s feet to set an example — not to justify them before God, (that would take place once and for all on the cross) but to signify the washing of the ordinary filth that rubs off on believers as we walk through a dirty world. 

May we humbly allow that kind of cleansing too, and share in the privilege of washing our brother’s and sister’s feet when called to do so. (John 13:14-15 CSB) 

We’re all in this together.

Our feet get ‘dirty’ in this world — we need Jesus and each other to keep them clean. 

Let’s address ongoing sins and omissions that ruin our good conscience and break our fellowship with Jesus and with others. 

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 

(1 John 1:9 CSB)

Toni is author of Reflections from the Heart in Light of the Gospel of Jesus and The Stone Writer, Christian Fiction for Young Readers and Teens. Contact