Forgiven

How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered.
– Psalm 32:1

Most people exhibit a mental capacity commonly called a conscience. Cartoons have depicted it as an angel-embodied voice on one shoulder competing with a devil-embodied voice on the other. One tends to advocate for selfless consideration of others and doing right, the other justifying disregard for others in the interest of selfish fulfillment. Neither voice has a perfect record of wins.

When we violate our good conscience, it usually leaves us feeling a burden over our choice. We might think of that weight as being on two different levels. Level one is the interpersonal effect, or you might say the horizontal plane. It has to do with how our actions have impacted the world around us. Maybe we have harmed someone’s reputation by our words, or left our ecology hurting by negligent consumption. Conscience ties that weight to our souls, a weight that gets lifted by reparation and reconciliation.

Then there is level two. Level two is the human-divine effect, or the vertical plane. This is where things get more serious, where the eternal impact of our choices becomes more clear. Conscience on this level is what the Bible calls conviction. When we violate divine moral perfection (i.e. sin), there is damage done to the relationship we have with God. We cannot wear the stink and stain of our sin while walking with a holy God. Again, the weight must be lifted through all possible means of reparation and reconciliation. But on level two, there is more needed. It requires atonement with a perfect currency that we don’t possess, and a restorative mercy that we don’t deserve. Fixing the level two damage is truly a work of God.

The psalmist is privy to a wonderful tidbit of information that can do wonders for a weighted conscience. God is abounding in mercy. Consider what Moses heard directly from Yahweh:

Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.” (Exodus 34:6-7)

You might say, “Well preacher, don’t you see what it says? ‘He will not leave the guilty unpunished.'” Yes, that is an unavoidable reality for the hardhearted who refuse to admit their sin and seek forgiveness. Such people sear their consciences so that eventually the weight of their sin is no longer felt. Pride that prohibits us from seeking mercy is a most devilish thing. In contrast, humility that bends the knee before God will make angels sing for joy. It is then that the mercy of God shines like the midday sun.

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered by the perfect currency of Jesus’ blood. That person’s conscience is set free. So what’s stopping you? Come to the fountain of mercy and drink. Know God’s forgiveness; trust that God forgives completely and heals perfectly.

Are you hurting and broken within?
Overwhelmed by the weight of your sin?
Jesus is calling
Have you come to the end of yourself?
Do you thirst for a drink from the well?
Jesus is calling
– Wade Joye / Christopher Brown / Mack Brock / Steven Furtick