Who Can Say They’re Clean? The Truth About Sin and Grace (Proverbs 20:9)
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Proverbs 20:9
Who can say, “I have made my heart pure;
I am clean from my sin”?
This verse is beautiful. I imagine this verse and question coming from the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, sitting upon His throne, after He has challenged each and every child of His creation the same way He did Job in Job 38:3, saying, ‘Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me.’
I imagine hearing that followed by Proverbs 20:9,
‘Who can say, “I have made my heart pure;
I am clean from my sin”?’
This question humbles us to no end. I mean, who can say, truly say – with chest – that they have ‘made their heart pure’ and are ‘clean from’ sin?
Sure, there may be some people who are delusional enough to proclaim their own goodness and think that all of their ways are pure (which we will see here in the coming days). But for someone to actually believe they made themselves pure… that they made themselves clean and perfect and holy… I mean, I know it’s 2025 and crazy things are happening everywhere, but I dare say finding a person with that belief is impossible. Deep down, everyone acknowledges their imperfection.
I think this rhetorical question forces us to confront a hard truth about ourselves – that we are utterly incapable of purifying our own hearts.
And regardless of what the world may say, you and I as believers know the answer to this question is an emphatic NO ONE! No one. No one can say, ‘I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin’.
And this is precisely why the Good News is so beautiful. This verse points us to the gospel. Why? Because this verse shows us the core components of it. Proverbs 20:9 shows us:
Our total depravity and corruption.
Our inability to make our hearts clean.
Hence the need for cleansing.
Hence the need for Jesus to wash us clean, for if He does not wash us, as He says in John 13:8, ‘you have no share with me.’ To this it would be wise of us to respond like Peter did, saying in the next verse, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!”
It would be wise of us, upon reflecting on this verse, to echo David’s prayer in Psalm 51, ‘Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me’.
With that in mind, let’s go to the Lord in prayer. No reflection question today. Instead, I just want you to join me in prayer reflecting on this verse, gazing upon the cross, praising the Lord for His cleansing work in our hearts and asking Him to continue that work until the day we meet Him face to face.
Let’s pray.
