Pardon Me, God

"To confess your sins to God is not to tell [God] anything [God] doesn't already know. Until you confess them, however, they are the abyss between you. When you confess them, they become the bridge."  - Frederick Buechner

According to Wikipedia a pardon is described as, "a government decision to allow a person to be absolved of guilt for an alleged crime or other legal offense, as if the act never occurred. The pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the jurisdiction."

As sinners, or offenders of God, can be pardoned of sin? I mean, it's one thing to appeal a case to a court of law, but are we eligible to plead before God? If you have never considered this before today, maybe it's time you did.

For our discussion today, I will use, who I think, is an excellent example from the Bible: David. He was a man who was as guilty as they come. And even though he was guilty of murder and adultery, after admitting his guilt and repenting, God pardoned him.

I think you will find, as David did, that no greater happiness awaits a person than forgiveness. And how does one gain this happiness through forgiveness? Let's begin with contentment (Psalm 32:1-2).

As you read through this Psalm the word "blessed" jumps out at you. It is the equivalent of the term "happy." David was filled with overflowing joy and contentment as a result of what God had done with the evil in his life.

What does God do? He forgives sins; He covers sin; and He does not charge a person with sins. Name just one earthly court of law that can do that! Moving along, David must have tried several different ways to get rid of the memory and guilt of sin.

But, the only thing that worked was when he made an open and honest confession to the Lord. As David found out, carrying sin around is not an easy thing to do. We see some of the effects of the burden of sin in Psalm 32:3-5.

Unconfessed sin can lead to rotting bones. The grief of his sin robbed David of his strength. Then there is Gods heavy hand, whereby God brought the facts of sin to David's recollection. Let's not forget sapped vitality. David's mind ate away at him because of the conviction of sin (Psalm 32:3-4).

But once he confessed his sin things turned around. Through confession of sin there is an acknowledgment. David confessed the fact of his sin to God (Psalm 32:5). There is an uncovering of sin. David resolved not to hide his sin any longer. And by his confession David placed the responsibility on himself and opened his life to the Lord.

Thus, we find as a result of confession that God is willing to listen to a sinner's confession, and forgives a penitent sinner. But is contentment and confession the end of it?  After David's forgiveness, he made some commitments to the Lord (Psalm 32:5-11).

Forgiveness is not something that is transactional or negotiable, it's much more than that. It's transformational, or as they say, "life-changing." I guarantee that you'll never be the same afterwards. That's how powerful it is.

One of these commitments was that David was able to share from experience. He urges everyone to call on the Lord (Psalm 32:6). You see, David once felt insecure, even shut-off from God. But he testifies that forgiveness brings a sense of belonging to God.

There is also a responsibility on the part of the forgiven individual to teach others about the terrors of sin and the joy of forgiveness (Psalm 32:8). A forgiven man will simply know what to do and then do it, unlike a stubborn animal that has to be trained what to do (Psalm 32:9).

What will be clearly evident is a definite contrast between the miseries of the wicked and the joys of the penitent. Which one of these describes the state you are in right now? Are you tired of the guilt of sin? Do you notice a similarity between your experience and David's?

I have some good news for you! A generous and glorious pardon awaits penitent sinners. When you admit your sins to God and ask for forgiveness, he will wholeheartedly and abundantly pardon you. What are you waiting for..?

Scripture: 1 John 1:9; Mark 11:25; Philippians 3:12; Ephesians 4:30–32; Matthew 6:12

Prayer: Dear God, who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.  - Micah 7:18-19

Have a blessed Monday!

Hailey