The blessing of being forgiven should be something we are thankful for every day. Once David recognized the depth of his sins, he seemed to have a great appreciation for how blessed he was to be forgiven by God.
Psalm 32:1-2 (ESV)
1 Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
God would have been just if He conditioned salvation on perfect living. Despite what the Calvinist teaches, sin is our fault, not God’s. We sin because we choose to do so, not because we must. If we do not have to sin, why is it that everyone, except for Jesus, has? The only answer is be-cause everyone has chosen to do so. Choosing to sin does not prove that one has to because he is born totally depraved. I know this because Adam and Eve were not totally depraved when they choose to sin. They sinned for the same reason that you and I sin—we choose to do so.
This being the case, God could have said, “If you want to go heaven, never sin,” and He would have been justified in doing so. God, however, rose above justice and offered us mercy. He did so by sending His Son to pay the price for our transgressions.
Isaiah 53:5 (ESV)
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
By being pierced for our transgressions, Jesus condemned sin in His flesh (Romans 8:3), opening the door for us to be forgiven. We did nothing to deserve such a sacrifice, it was all set in motion by the loving mercy and grace of God. Having been justified by the blood of Christ, we have been saved from the wrath of God (Romans 5:9). Thank God we have been forgiven!
David not only wrote of our transgressions being forgiven, but also of the LORD not counting our sins against us. We are blessed, not because we never sin, but because our sins are not held against us by God. Does this imply that God ignores sin? No, our sins have been forgiven by God based on our Lord’s shed blood. This is the key to our ongoing fellowship with God. We do not have to be sinless to maintain a relationship with Him because, as long as we repent of our sins and walk in the light, the blood of Christ continues to cleanse us.
1 John 1:7 (ESV)
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
The word cleanses is a present tense verb in the indicative mood, telling us that the action is continuous. This is the highest point of the forgiving power of God. God does not just forgive us once, but continuously, as long as we meet His condition of pardon. John went on to say, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us…” (ver. 9).
Thank God we have been forgiven! Now we can focus on the crown of righteousness that will be awarded to us when Christ returns (2 Timothy 4:8), as long as we remain faithful to God.
As you wind down for the night, think about these things.