The doctrine of clean hands is a rule of law that states that a person coming to court with a lawsuit or petition for a court order must be free from unfair conduct (have “clean hands” or not have done anything wrong) in regard to the subject matter of his/her claim. That’s the legal meaning; the colloquial or non-legal meaning of clean hands is similar to that of the legal meaning. As believers, our hands should be clean; we cannot approach God without clean hands. The author of the book of Hebrews admonishes us: “Let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him.” Hebrews 10:22a (NLT)

James 4:7-8 gives us requirements for drawing close to God. The first requirement was submission to God’s will. The second requirement was resisting the devil, or resisting the desire to sin. The third requirement was staying in His presence. The fourth requirement is having Clean Hands! “Cleanse your hands, you sinners.” (vs. 8)

When you hear the term “his hands are dirty”, it usually means the person is up to no good. If you are from the Caribbean community, it could also mean the person is dealing with witchcraft or sorcery. Having clean hands according to biblical text means that I am not, as The Message version puts it, “dabbling in sin.”

Sin will keep you from drawing close to God!

Be Blessed,

Bishop Jemmott