Years ago, we were living in a big house with a diseased tree standing nearby. Every fall, tiny insects from this tree would plaster themselves all over the screens and walls of the house and stay there until they expired.

When my wife was in the hospital after the birth of our first daughter, I washed the clothes and hung them out on the line to dry. Several hours later, when I went to bring in the clothes, I found they were covered with these little black insects. I tried to brush them off, but they returned as fast as I removed them. In the end, I was forced to do the whole wash all over again. But even then there were so many insects floating in the wash water that every garment I pulled out had at least one dead insect on it.

So it is with those who come to Christ and later reject Him. 2 Peter 2:20 describes those who “have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome,” concluding that “they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning.” 1 Peter 2 is not talking about Christians who fall into sin, but about those who deliberately walk away after knowing the truth. It is aimed at those who deliberately choose a deceitful way of life, often pretending to still be Christians, even Christian leaders, while using the gospel for personal gain and as an opportunity to indulge sinful lusts. Televangelists whose main goal is to amass great wealth and priests who sexually abuse children are examples. It is difficult for them to be cleansed. How can they recommit themselves to Christ when they remember that they failed to fulfill their first commitment? The writer of Hebrews said, “It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace” (Hebrews 6:4-6).

Perhaps it is good to remember also that many things are impossible for us, but with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26). I did eventually get the wash clean after a further washing.

My experience with the wash also demonstrated a second spiritual principle. After putting my soiled laundry back into the wash water, I saw that it was still covered with insects, but I felt better because I knew that the insects were now dead. So it is when we are washed in Jesus’ blood. We may still be soiled with sin, but we can rest assured that that sin is dead (Romans 6:6-14)—it has no more power. When once it is washed off, it cannot fly back on or breed other sins.

Finally, back then, I was looking forward to the day when our landlord would cut down the tree and there would be no more annoying little black insects to infest our laundry. I am also looking forward to the day when God will bring a final end to sin. On that day, we will be perfectly clean—and we will stay that way forever.