Freedom in Jesus
Psalm 51
According to the Bible, sin is a universal problem (Rom. 3:23). Consider David, someone God calls "a man after My own heart" (1 Sam. 13:14). We'd expect that a person with this qualification would surely "walk the straight and narrow." But even this righteous king fell short. Not only did he commit adultery with Bathsheba; to cover up his sin, he also sent her husband to the front lines so he'd die in battle (2 Sam. 11:15).
Doesn't it seem amazing that the Lord would refer to him as a man "who kept My commandments and who followed Me with all his heart, to do only that which was right in My sight" (1 Kings 14:8)? Yet because David repented (Ps. 51), God forgave him and regarded him as pure.
Scripture assures us that we are forgiven when we confess sin (1 John 1:9). Jesus bought our pardon with His death, and once we accept His free gift, God sees us as righteous. Of course, we'll continue to wrestle with sin throughout life. Even the apostle Paul documented his struggle against doing wrong: "For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want" (Rom. 7:19).
As Christians, we're free from the wrath of God and eternal death, but the battle against sin will continue until we reach heaven. Therefore, we must continually admit and repent of wrongs so that they don't become a stronghold. We should also ask the Lord to reveal unknown areas of iniquity so that we can faithfully confess anything in our life that is not holy.
DR. CHARLES STANLEY |
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