Tuesday, April 20: Renewal

One of the most important pieces of software that we can purchase for our computer concerns virus protection. Whether that software is McAfee, Norton or Kaspersky, without it, you could be in for a world of hurt! Computers are expensive and a simple virus can wreak havoc in that system. For a pittance of the price of the computer, a user can insure that no virus makes its ways into the system. The only time I got a virus on my computer was when my subscription had lapsed, and somehow, I overlooked my need for renewal.


In a similar manner, God protects His children from viruses, especially those that can destroy the operating system. Those viruses in a believer’s life are the sins that can wreak havoc in their own ways. Just as a computer’s virus software removes the virus, God removes the viruses from our lives. Those viruses are sins.


9 Hide Your face from my sins,
And blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners shall be converted to You.
Psalm 51:9-13


After falling into sin, when we renew our relationship with God, and along with that, our virus protection software, He cleans our hearts by blotting out our iniquities. It is only then that we can restore the joy of salvation. What I remember most about salvation is the moment I truly felt the burden removed from my shoulders. Though in David’s Psalm, he worried about the Lord removing the Holy Spirit. In the New Testament, the Holy Spirit is another Helper, promised to us by both the Father and Jesus. We need to understand the difference in Greek between two different words for “another:” allos (ἄλλος) and heteros (ἄλλος) have major differences in meaning. Allos expresses a numerical difference and denotes “another of the same sort”; heteros expresses a qualitative difference and denotes “another of a different sort.” When Jesus promises to send another Helper, He is saying that it is another one just like Himself. The Holy Spirit will abide with you forever, as a promise and a guarantee of His purchase of us with His blood. With the best virus protection available, He blots out our sins (viruses), never to be seen again!