'Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven....'

"Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit." Psalm 32:1-2

Have you ever considered what a blessing it is to have forgiveness of God? What a blessing to have the Lord not hold your sins and iniquities against you? To be forgiven of the Lord removes all fear of wrath and condemnation and gives us peace with God. To have forgiveness for all our sins gives us the assurance of life everlasting!

Indeed, the one who admits his sin and looks to the Lord for mercy rather than attempting to hide and cover up his sins is blessed because the Lord, for the sake of Jesus' holy life and innocent sufferings and death, is merciful and gracious and offers to us forgiveness for all our sins (Cf. 1 John 1:5 -- 2:2). The Bible tells us: "For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You" (Psalm 86:5).

And what about you? Do you have God's forgiveness, or are you attempting to hide and cover up your sins? Are you justified of God, or trying to justify yourself? Are you self-deceived and attempting to fool others in regard to your sinfulness, or do you admit your utter sinfulness and look to God for mercy and forgiveness?

David wrote in Psalm 32:4-5: "When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was turned into the drought of summer."

What happens when we keep silent about our sins? When we are unwilling to admit our sinfulness and look to the LORD for forgiveness? When we are unwilling to give up our sins? God's hand is heavy upon us. We grow old and weary through our groaning and sighing all day long as we feel the guilt and weight of our sins. Our moisture, our vitality, our joy, is turned into the drought of summer; it evaporates away.

He wrote (v. 5): "I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,' and You forgave the iniquity of my sin."

To confess our sins is to say and agree with what God says of us and our sin (cf. 1 John 1:9). Confession makes no excuses for sin, but acknowledges sin as sin and deserving of God's eternal wrath and punishment (Psalm 51:3-4)!

When we acknowledge our sin unto the Lord and quit attempting to hide it and cover it up, when we confess our transgressions of God's commandments unto the Lord, He graciously forgives our sins for Jesus' sake. "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace" (Ephesians 1:7; cf. Psalm 51:1ff.).

David writes (v. 6): "For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You in a time when You may be found; surely in a flood of great waters they shall not come near him."

For God's forgiveness, everyone that is godly will pray now, before it's too late! "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2).

Don't put off repentance! Don't wait another day. Acknowledge and confess your sins now and receive God's forgiveness. Tomorrow may be too late for you. You may never have opportunity to receive God's forgiveness again. If you turn to the Lord God now, He will have mercy upon you and save you from the judgment to come!

O Lord God, I have sinned in my thoughts, desires, words and deeds. I have failed to live in accord with Your holy commandments. Have mercy upon me and forgive my sins for the sake of the perfect sacrifice of the Son, Jesus Christ, in my stead. Amen.

Editorial on 09/13/2017