White As Snow

“Come now, let’s settle this,”
says the Lord.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
I will make them as white as snow.
Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool. – Isaiah 1:18

“Those who look to him are radiant, their faces are never covered with shame.” -Ps 34:5 

In February or March of 2011 I came to the girls ministry director at my church with the idea of doing a worship night for just the girls, and to call the night Radiant; taken from Ps 34:5 that says, “those who look to him are radiant, their faces are never covered with shame.”

"Like a groom looking at her beautiful bride, God doesn’t look at our past, but looks at our future. He sees us as beautiful and blameless because of the blood of Christ that washed us clean. In Christ, we are redeemed. In Christ, we are a new creation. In Christ, we are pure and holy, like a bride wearing a white and spotless gown. The walk may be slow, exciting, hard and with uncertainties, but if we focus our eyes on the groom (Christ) we will reach the destination and our joy will surely be complete." - Acel van Ommen

God had wrecked my world (in a good way) with this verse back in the fall of 2010 when I came across if for the first time. I just remember reading it and staring at that word: radiant.  It was as if I had never seen that word in scripture before. It just became 3D in that moment. It just echoed in my heart for months. God calls me radiant. Little by little God began to pull back the layers of what this verse meant. I probably will never get to the bottom or it or fully understand it, but the Lord gave me such a fierce passion for this word and all that it meant for us as the Bride of Christ. 

Wouldn’t you have it that one of my favorite authors Marian Jordan then came out with a book a few weeks later titled Radiant. Well, I guess I wasn’t the only one God was teaching about what it means to be radiant. I simply remember getting the book and as I read the first chapter my heart was beating out of my chest. She was describing a wedding day. The reason my heart was beating out of my chest is because the Lord had given me a similar image. It was a little different but it still l had to do with a wedding, but it started with a rose. 

What do you think of when you think of a rose? What does a red rose typically represent? Love, right? When someone gives you a red roses its meant to symbolize love. Now I want you to think of that red rose and see the blood of Jesus that was poured out for you and I. Because God so loved the world gave his one and only Son so that anyone who believes in him shall have eternal life

Our sins were like scarlet (Isaiah 1:18) tells us, but Jesus came to make us white as snow. When you see a red rose now I now hope you see the love of your savior. That you see the blood poured for you because he loves you.

Those who look to him: Put their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation

Are Radiant: We now have a new identity in Christ. We are now called his radiant bride; white as snow. God no longer remembers our sins. He has forgiven us. We stand before Him now redeemed, pure and blameless.

Their faces are never covered with shame: we are no longer clothed with garments of shame but are now crowned with a veil of righteousness. You are now a city on a hill, a radiant bride. (Isa 61)

That is how loved you are. Radiant is not something you can achieve or earn it’s something you are as result of a relationship with Jesus Christ. Marian did an amazing job talking about what it means to be a radiant woman; so go get the book.

Everywhere I looked the word radiant just leaped out everywhere and I saw it in almost every verse I read. Like Moses, when he went into the tent of meeting he left radiant because he had been in the present of the Lord. That was the other reason I wanted that worship night to be called Radiant; I desired it to be a night of girls looking to Jesus and worshiping the only one worthy of all our praise, and as a result of being in his presence they would leave changed, Radiant, having met with the Living God. I wanted that night to be a tent of meeting. A moment to simply look to the One who makes us radiant.; the one who takes away the shame.

Then there is the image of a girl who once was clothed in the stains of sin, whose sin was like scarlet begins to walk down the aisle, and as she does the stains fall away and you begin to see a train of  red rose pedals fall behind her, and all you see is her covered in white from head to toe. The blood of Jesus has washed her clean.

That is us.

In Disney’s Classic animated movie Snow White I keep thinking of how the wicked step-mother would describe snow white. Hair, black night; lips,red as the rose,; and skin, white as snow.  The wicked stepmother hated snow white's purity and innocence. She was so jealous of her that she wanted to kill her. She sent a huntsman to kill her and told him to, "bring me her heart." 

If you have ever seen the movie you know the huntsman didn’t kill her but let her get away. When the wicked queen found out she decided to go after Snow White herself. She made herself a disguise and sought out Snow White to give her a poison apple.

I don’t know about you but I think Walk Disney must have just read  about the story of Adam and Eve before pitched this idea. Just saying...haha 

Snow White being as innocent as she was thought nothing of taking a bight of the delicious apple that was being offered to her by this kind, sweet,very old, lady. It was pleasing to the eye and so she took a bit and it did exactly what the wicked queen had hoped. It killed her.

The queen dances in victory; thinking that snow white is dead, and indeed she was. But the wicked queen forgot one, small, little detail. True loves kiss would break the spell. The 7 dwarfts then go out seeking Princess Charming so he can break the spell. They finally find him, and he indeed kisses snow white, her eyes open and she wakes up; alive from the dead. True love broke the spell. The queen is defeated and they live happily ever after. Perfect ending. But there is so much in that story that mirrors our own lives.

Before Jesus we were dead in our sin. Jesus came and gave his life and rose from the dead, and when we put our faith in him for salvation we are brought to life from the dead in Him. We are raised to life. 

Sin was brought into the world through Adam and Eve. Eve listened to the serpent and took from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that God had told her not to take from and also gave some to Adam and he did the same, and then sin entered into the world. From the very beginning we see that God was walking in the garden and he calls out to Adam and Eve. From the very beginning God pursued. He didn’t wait for us to come to him, he came for us.

Throughout Scripture we see God’s redemption story that leads to the cross and the empty grave. The enemy has been defeated! Hallelujah! Glory to God! The enemy has been defeated and  death has lost it’s sting. But, just like the wicked queen came seeking to kill snow white, our enemy still prowls around like a roaring lion looking to steal, kill and destroy. It’s still his goal.

You have been made white as snow in Christ. The enemy has been defeated, but don’t let your guard down for a single moment. This is still a war we are in. We have not reached our happily ever after yet. The Bridegroom is coming…but until that day when he returns and comes for his bride we are at war. Now, the battle has been won but that doesn’t mean that that shots stop coming.

“The devil is real, and nothing ticks him off more than people waking up from the numb stupor he has crafted to keep us harmless…it shouldn’t surprise us if life is hard, especially if we love Jesus. We are at war—not in heaven. And yet it always does surprise us.” –Anything

You have been given innocence and purity in Christ, and the enemy would love nothing more than to take you down.  To make you feel like a girl who once wore a stainless dress feel like one who now  is covered in stains of sin and shame. There is a war going on over your heart and mine...and its best to wake up and realize it. 

In the remake of Snow White, the movie Snow White and the Huntsman, we see that once Snow White is awake she comes back ready to fight. She has on her full armor...she realizes she is in a battle. 

We are that radiant bride clothed in white. We are the princess who has been redeemed by the kiss of salvation. But, we are also in a battle. So we best make sure we have on the full armor of God on under that white wedding dress. Having some boots that are fitted with readiness under that dress that is now white as snow. 


Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. - Eph 6:10-18 (NIV)