The Devastating Consequences of Sin
Sin is not just a minor infraction or a trivial mistake. It’s a deliberate violation of the sacred covenant God made with us, tearing down the beautiful unity he built among us. In Psalm 51, David’s heartfelt prayer of repentance, he uses three words to describe his sin with unflinching honesty: “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!” (Ps. 51:1-2)
Willful Rebellion Against God
The first word David uses is “transgression,” which means a deliberate, open-eyed revolt against God. It’s like giving God the finger, as David did when he took another man’s wife and got her pregnant (2 Sam. 11). This is not a mere mistake; it’s a calculated defiance of God’s authority. Restless self-pity can lead us down a path of destruction, causing us to do horrific things.
Twisted and Destructive Acts
The second word David uses is “iniquity,” which refers to a warped, twisted, and destructive act. It’s like taking a smartphone, a brilliant tool for communication, and using it to hammer nails – it’s not what it was designed for, and it will ultimately break. David distorted and degraded his God-given sexuality, turning something life-giving into something repulsive.
Missing the Mark
The third word David uses is “sin,” which means missing the mark or losing one’s way. It’s like trying to get healthy by eating junk food – it can’t work. Sin can only lead to disappointment, isolation, and depression. We end up lost, alone, and too proud to admit it.
The Painful Consequences of Sin
In each kind of wrong – defying God, misusing his gifts, veering off from his path – we end up in the same low place, with losses and injuries we didn’t foresee. Sin always entraps us in consequences that leave us defeated and shamed. Then our tears flow.
The Heart of God for Sinners
But does God look at sinners like us with disgust? Why shouldn’t he? Look at what we’ve done – or left undone! What hope do people like us have by now? The Bible shows us the heart of God for sinners like us, who don’t deserve God. In Hosea 11:8-9, God says, “How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel?… My heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warm and tender.” God is agonizing over his people, grieving more over the thought of not having them as his people than over their sins against him.
The God of Endless Love
You are not such a spectacular sinner that your sin can defeat the Savior. God’s greatest glory is how he responds disproportionately to our sins upon sins with his “grace upon grace” (John 1:16). Your worst sin is far overshadowed by his “much more” grace. You might as well give in, come out of hiding, and wave the white flag of surrender. What awaits you and me, right down at our lowest rock bottom, is the finished work of Christ on the cross for the undeserving. And we will find such an astonishing hope nowhere else.
Leave a Reply