1
Lord Jesus, I long to be perfectly whole,
I want Thee forever to live in my soul;
Break down every idol, cast out every foe;
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
I want Thee forever to live in my soul;
Break down every idol, cast out every foe;
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Whiter than snow; yes, whiter than snow;
Now wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.
Now wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.
2
Lord Jesus, let nothing unholy remain,
Apply Thine own blood and extract every stain;
To get this blest cleansing I all things forego;
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Apply Thine own blood and extract every stain;
To get this blest cleansing I all things forego;
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
3
Lord Jesus, look down from Thy throne in the skies,
And help me to make a complete sacrifice;
I give up myself and whatever I know;
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
And help me to make a complete sacrifice;
I give up myself and whatever I know;
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
4
Lord Jesus, for this I most humbly entreat;
I wait, blessed Lord, at Thy crucified feet;
By faith, for my cleansing I see Thy blood flow;
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
I wait, blessed Lord, at Thy crucified feet;
By faith, for my cleansing I see Thy blood flow;
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
5
Lord Jesus, Thou seest I patiently wait;
Come now, and within me a new heart create;
To those who have sought Thee Thou never saidst, No;
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Come now, and within me a new heart create;
To those who have sought Thee Thou never saidst, No;
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
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The Washing of the Water in the Word
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Ephesians 5:26 says, “Cleansing her by the washing of the water in the word. ” According to the Bible (Rev. 22:1 ; John 7:37-39 ; 19:34) and our experience, we can conclude that the water the Lord uses to cleanse the church is the life of God. However, this water is not the life that remains in God but the life that flows out from God. The life of God that flows out from God is the water of life for us to enjoy and for us to be washed from the things of the old creation. Only this water can wash and cleanse the church.
The Word—Rhema
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The water of life that Christ uses to cleanse the church washes us inwardly, and the effectiveness of this washing operates through the word. In the original language word here is not logos but rhema. Logos is objective, whereas rhema is subjective. Rhema is the word spoken into us by the Holy Spirit. The function of this rhema is to wash us inwardly, washing away the element of the old creation. Christ’s work of washing the church is carried out by the word that is rhema.
My natural love for people was touched by the rhema word. I loved people before I was saved, and after I was saved, I loved people even more based on the Lord’s exhortation for us to love people. I also endeavored all the more to love people in the church, but one day I read Galatians 2:20 : “I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. ” I was inwardly enlightened, and it was as if I had been suddenly jolted by a power that said, “Is your love for people out of yourself or out of Christ? It is you, not Christ! ” I saw that with such a natural love, my self and my natural life had been brought into the church, and that for this I had received not only praises from others but even praises from myself. My natural love was not the issue of Christ working His life into me; rather, it was something that my natural man originally possessed. Hence, I immediately prayed according to this verse and fellowshipped with the Lord. As a result, the Holy Spirit shined this word into me, and this word became rhema in me. In this rhema the washing function of the water of life operated to wash me of my natural love, just as water washes away dirt. A few days later, when I was about to love others according to my self, the word of Galatians 2:20 manifested its rhema power in me, saying, “It is no longer I but Christ. The one who loves people is no longer I but Christ. ” This is to experience the washing of the water in the word, the washing of a part of our natural old creation.
Washing Away the Spots and Wrinkles
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The spots and wrinkles in Ephesians 5:27 represent the elements of the old creation that need to be washed. Spots do not refer to sins or mistakes but to particular marks of the natural life, which are the peculiarities and characteristics of the natural life. A sister’s quick disposition can illustrate this point. A quick disposition is neither a sin nor a mistake but a peculiarity of the natural life. One day a sister with a quick disposition may read Psalm 147:10, which says, “He takes no delight in the strength of horses; / Nor pleasure in the legs of man, ” and the Holy Spirit will speak this word into the depths of her being. Then the word will begin to operate, producing a washing function to wash the spot of quickness. Another day she may read that the hem of the high priest’s robe had golden bells around it so that the high priest could not be quick when he entered into the presence of God. If he was quick, the golden bells would make noise; consequently, this noise was to warn the high priest not to be hasty (Exo. 28:33-35). Then the Holy Spirit will operate in this sister through this word so that this spot of her natural life—her quick disposition—would be dealt with again. This is to experience the washing of the water in the word—rhema—to wash her of her spot of quickness.
Revelations in Ephesians: Seeing the Living and Responsibility of the Church in the Holy Spirit
Chapter 17 Christ Giving Himself Up for the Church and Cleansing Her in Order to Present the Church to Himself
CWWL, 1953, (LSM)
The Washing of the Water in the Word
--------------
Ephesians 5:26 says, “Cleansing her by the washing of the water in the word. ” According to the Bible (Rev. 22:1; John 7:37-39; 19:34) and our experience, we can conclude that the water the Lord uses to cleanse the church is the life of God. However, this water is not the life that remains in God but the life that flows out from God. The life of God that flows out from God is the water of life for us to enjoy and for us to be washed from the things of the old creation. Only this water can wash and cleanse the church.
The Word—Rhema
The water of life that Christ uses to cleanse the church washes us inwardly, and the effectiveness of this washing operates through the word. In the original language word here is not logos but rhema. Logos is objective, whereas rhema is subjective. Rhema is the word spoken into us by the Holy Spirit. The function of this rhema is to wash us inwardly, washing away the element of the old creation. Christ’s work of washing the church is carried out by the word that is rhema.
My natural love for people was touched by the rhema word. I loved people before I was saved, and after I was saved, I loved people even more based on the Lord’s exhortation for us to love people. I also endeavored all the more to love people in the church, but one day I read Galatians 2:20 : “I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. ” I was inwardly enlightened, and it was as if I had been suddenly jolted by a power that said, “Is your love for people out of yourself or out of Christ? It is you, not Christ! ” I saw that with such a natural love, my self and my natural life had been brought into the church, and that for this I had received not only praises from others but even praises from myself. My natural love was not the issue of Christ working His life into me; rather, it was something that my natural man originally possessed. Hence, I immediately prayed according to this verse and fellowshipped with the Lord. As a result, the Holy Spirit shined this word into me, and this word became rhema in me. In this rhema the washing function of the water of life operated to wash me of my natural love, just as water washes away dirt. A few days later, when I was about to love others according to my self, the word of Galatians 2:20 manifested its rhema power in me, saying, “It is no longer I but Christ. The one who loves people is no longer I but Christ. ” This is to experience the washing of the water in the word, the washing of a part of our natural old creation.
Washing Away the Spots and Wrinkles
The spots and wrinkles in Ephesians 5:27 represent the elements of the old creation that need to be washed. Spots do not refer to sins or mistakes but to particular marks of the natural life, which are the peculiarities and characteristics of the natural life. A sister’s quick disposition can illustrate this point. A quick disposition is neither a sin nor a mistake but a peculiarity of the natural life. One day a sister with a quick disposition may read Psalm 147:10, which says, “He takes no delight in the strength of horses; / Nor pleasure in the legs of man, ” and the Holy Spirit will speak this word into the depths of her being. Then the word will begin to operate, producing a washing function to wash the spot of quickness. Another day she may read that the hem of the high priest’s robe had golden bells around it so that the high priest could not be quick when he entered into the presence of God. If he was quick, the golden bells would make noise; consequently, this noise was to warn the high priest not to be hasty (Exo. 28:33-35). Then the Holy Spirit will operate in this sister through this word so that this spot of her natural life—her quick disposition—would be dealt with again. This is to experience the washing of the water in the word—rhema—to wash her of her spot of quickness.
Revelations in Ephesians: Seeing the Living and Responsibility of the Church in the Holy Spirit
17. Christ Giving Himself Up for the Church and Cleansing Her in Order to Present the Church to Himself
CWWL, 1953, (LSM)
Question: Many times, I have gone to the Lord and sensed that there was something really wrong within. But I did not have the utterance to say anything specific.
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Answer: Just pray according to what you can utter. Tell the Lord, “Lord, I sense that I am wrong in certain things, but I do not know how to express it. Lord, You know; wash me according to Your knowledge. ” Many times when you say, “Lord, I cannot utter, ” the utterance comes. Then you can tell the Lord what is wrong. The Lord is gracious. If you are not willing to confess your sins, the Lord is legal, but as soon as you are willing, He is not legal. If you will not confess, He will not let you off. Once you are ready to confess, He will say, “That is all right, My child. ”
Life Messages
Chapter 5 Questions and Answers (1)
CWWL, 1978, vol. 2 (LSM)
By God’s creation we all have a human spirit (Zech. 12:1) by which we may sense God and contact Him. However, as a result of the fall man’s spirit was deadened; it became functionless and senseless, no longer possessing the ability to contact God. The God-contacting function of the human spirit was deadened. When we repented and applied the redeeming blood to cleanse our conscience, our deadened spirit was quickened. Then our spirit began to sense God and contact Him. Now the more we say, “O Lord, I love You, ” the more alive our spirit becomes. The more we say, “Lord, cleanse me, wash me, and cover me with Your prevailing blood, ” and the more we confess our sins and praise the Lord, the more living our spirit will be.
Life-study of Genesis
Message 18. The First Fall of Man
(LSM)
Northwood, Oh, United States
What a blessing to sing along with the piano music provided.
Whiter than snow, yes whiter than snow. Now wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.
Thankful for this resource.
Toronto, ON, Canada
Soothing reverence song touches the heart ❤️
Sunrise, FL, United States
Praise the Lord oh my Soul! I was having my morning devotion and this hymn came to my mind. I had forgotten some of the lyrics and decided to look for it. What a blessing the prayer is. Thank you. I have never heard verse 6 before what a wonderful conclusion to a wonderful hymn! Blessings to you.
Beautiful hymn for the people to turn from their wicked ways and seek God
Palm Bay, Florida, United States
For 3 days this song resting on my heart, I look for it in the hymnal and I could not find it, so I google it, it is so refreshing ✨️, O glory to GOD, whiter than snow)
Kissimmee, FL, United States
My prayer is always to be perfectly whole. Lord attend to my cry. You are the deliverer and when I think of the disastrous condition that the United States has fallen, I know your coming is soon; and I want to be perfectly whole when you come. This song touches my heart.