top of page

Waterfall Grace & The Deep Cleanse

Writer's picture: Isabella CampolattaroIsabella Campolattaro

Updated: Oct 22, 2024

(Plus a little relevant recovery wisdom.)

During my quiet time recently, the Lord gave me a series of revealing visuals to capture the truth contained in 1 John 1:9. It started with an image of Grace as a beautiful, refreshing waterfall that washes us clean. How I wish we could just stop here and lovingly lollygag in the lush brush under the refreshing waterfall of God’s grace in Christ…We can. If!


In turn, this called to mind Luke’s prophetic words in Acts:

“Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. Then, times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and he will again send you Jesus, your appointed Messiah. For he must remain in heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things, as God promised long ago through his holy prophets.” Acts 3:19-21 (NLT)

I can almost hear you say, “Gee, Isabella, puh-leeze, not again with the repentance!”


Please, please…see how loaded and hopeful this verse is for these crazy times! I’ve been hammering initial and ongoing repentance because Jesus is returning for a pure bride. Not to mention the benefits of cooperative, communal cleansing of this hot mess we've gotten the world into by defying Him.


An unaffiliated, by-partisan mess, by the way.


Seizing and voluntarily responding to this truth now can spare us much more sanctifying suffering.


Know that I’m not speaking from “on high” but from down low, with loads of agonizing first-hand experience and observation.

Defiant, Debauching or Dour, not Merely Human

Also, understand that I’m not talking about our earnest human struggles with sin, faced with a humble heart of repentance, grateful that Jesus stands in the gap. I’m talking about persisting in willful sin as though it doesn’t matter to God, ignoring built-in consequences and God’s loving “progressive discipline,” which we see manifesting all around us.


Our individual and collective defiance demonstrates that we are not living by the Spirit and have “trampled the Son of God…insulting the Spirit of Grace,” which multiplies the offense (Hebrews 10:29; see also 1 John 1, Hebrews 6:4-6, Hebrews 12:4-11, Galatians 5:16-26, Revelation 2 & 3 +++).


Here’s another visual to drive these shocking warnings home: Imagine how you’d feel if you scrubbed the floor clean and the kids traipsed in with muddy shoes. If they were clueless, as kids can be, you might gently correct them and warn them to be careful next time. How would you feel if the kids knew you’d cleaned the floor and strode right in? How about if they stood at the threshold, acknowledged your freshly cleaned floor, then intentionally and unapologetically traipsed on through with their muddy feet? What if they did all that and laughed or cursed you in the process?


Spot Cleaning vs Deep Cleanse

Not to be melodramatic, but true to me, these are the facts: If we don’t regularly come clean to our heavenly Father and get washed of our sin by confession and repentance, the dirt gets encrusted and hardened. Cleaning it requires much more intense (painful) scrubbing to restore it to its new condition. Moreover, if we confess then intentionally keep sinning without repentance, it’s far worse!


Jesus Himself used the “cleansing” concept to illustrate the point, including the greater perils of “sweeping” the house clean and then leaving it unfilled by His spirit (Matthew 12:38-45, Luke 11:16-36). It’s striking that we’re repeatedly told that if we’re living by the Spirit, we won’t sin. (Galatians 5+++).


Mind you, this is not legalism or self-improvement! We’re not cleaning ourselves! This self-improvement approach typically leads to divisive SELF-righteousness or even religious narcissism. Talk about toxic cleansing. JESUS was the GREAT EQUALIZER! We’re acknowledging we need cleaning and asking God to cleanse us.


In Christ, we have a Father who welcomes the prodigal son with open arms. When the prodigal acknowledges his failure and need, he rushes home, humbled. Father God celebrates the wayward son‘s return with rich gifts and a party. If we fancy ourselves as never having strayed from the narrow way, we also want to guard against being the haughty, self righteous, and resentful prodigal’s older brother either!


As a friendly reminder of our shared need, here's yet another housekeeping image. My house is pretty tidy and relatively clean…until I compare it to the home of someone who is a meticulous housekeeper.


We can compare our dirt/sin to someone else’s and feel pretty good about ourselves. After all, I didn’t cheat on my husband, abuse drugs, or rob a bank. This is delusional! If we measure ourselves against a perfectly holy God, we’re all filthy and subject to ongoing cleaning, whatever the sins.


God reminded me of another illustration from real-life:


Zio Roberto

(TRIGGER WARNING)

I had a beloved uncle, Zio Roberto, in the Italian port city of La Spezia who--embittered by grief over his involuntary bachelorhood and the death of my cherished older brother Rick--had turned away from his once ardent faith in Christ, becoming terribly isolated and troubled.


I tried to encourage him, but his heart was hardened toward God. Ain’t nothing worse! Though to the outside world he looked crisp and elegant if endearingly eccentric, he hid his growing inner darkness.


During that same visit, I discovered he lived in a filthy, cluttered apartment (ironically, at a “prestigious” address surrounded by beautiful things) as though he’d never once cleaned anything but the dishes he used daily. He seemed at once indifferent or oblivious, though deeply ashamed.


Heartbroken and horrified, I resolved to clean one day while he was at work. After hours of diligent elbow grease and toxic chemicals, I barely made a dent, and the results weren’t great. The grime was nearly impenetrable.


I stayed in touch, but nothing changed. Years later, he was found near death in his apartment, apparently a few days after he’d gone missing. Elena, my childhood friend in Italy, reached out to tell me and kindly sat vigil with him. He died before I could get there. Crushed, I flew to Italy to arrange his funeral and found he’d still been living in unimaginable conditions.


I choose to believe that in those pitiful, lonely final days on his squalid kitchen floor, he and Jesus reconciled, and he’s with my beloved brother in heaven, experiencing equally unimaginable love and joy. I cannot wait to see them alongside all the others who’ve gone before!



To maximize my metaphors, my uncle had the money to pay for a housekeeper and could have asked for help keeping his house clean from the onset. But having ignored the filth for so long, he was concurrently desensitized and deeply embarrassed by the filth, feeling alienated from the Ultimate Cleaner, a Savior who could lovingly wash Him clean. Asking for help cleaning would have been very humbling and costly. Are you following me?


Do we have to hit a crushing collective bottom to re/turn to God? Maybe so...


Lessons from 12-Step Recovery

"The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers" 1 Peter 4:7

Honestly, 12-step recovery has an edge on this, more closely reflecting the understanding and practices of the early Christian church.


Leveled by consequences or conviction, people finally admit powerlessness over their sin (Step 1)—whatever the addiction is—and cry out for help from God (Step 2), surrendering their lives to Him (Step 3). The Steps then prescribe a prompt and unsparing self-assessment and confession of defects/sins (Steps 4 and 5), asking God to cleanse us (Steps 6 and 7). Thereafter, we're advised ongoing and vigilant repentance of other defects/sins (Step 10). Motivated by a devastating personal “bottom,” at the onset, people are compelled to be diligent in these practices.


After experiencing the liberating pink cloud of God’s grace, many people recognize Christ as the “Higher Power” who delivered them from their deadly sin, whatever it is. Unfortunately, once delivered from their addiction, we can all become complacent about other sins and suffer accordingly, sometimes relapsing to their death. I can’t help but think of 2 Peter 2:20-22:


“If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and “A sow that is washed returns to her wallowing in the mud.”

Regardless of your personal theology, none of us wants to “fall away” and face the wire-bristled scrub brush of intensifying consequences and blow torch of God’s purifying fire. When Christ returns, we’ll all face judgment. Depending on your theology, this could be terminal.


Jesus Himself warned of this tangible peril:


As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray...Matthew 24:4

John said that “at the end of the Age,”


“And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” Matthew 24:10-13 (ESV)

Good News, Bad News, Good News

If this word strikes a chord, take it to Jesus. Our Grace Age of Christ’s gentle, refreshing waterfall cleansing is ending soon. He’s coming for a pure bride. If you’re defying God, rush to the waterfall of love and grace now to be refreshed…or face the Deep Cleanse of judgment. As terminal as this sounds, "God's desire is that none should perish but that all come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9).


PRAYER:

Father, this is a fearful insight! Yet help us see that it’s still punctuated by Your perfect love gift, Jesus. Please forgive us for our careless irreverence of Your perfect holiness. Let us not ignore or make light of your loving discipline but rush to the refreshing waterfall of Grace in Christ. Help us see that you “discipline us for our good, so that we may share in Your holiness” and “enjoy a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” Amen. Thank You. I love You.


RESOURCE:

If you’re curious or convicted, Google “AA Big Book” and read it by replacing “alcohol” and “defects” with “sin.” Christians: You’ll quickly recognize biblical language and “God,” “Creator,” and “Higher Power” as our Triune God.

69 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Comments


© 2021 by Isabella Campolattaro. Proudly created with Wix.com. 

bottom of page