When hurricane Helene struck, my house lost power for a week. Stripped of my usual entertainment, I devoted more of my time (especially my evenings) to reading. One of my favorite authors is the Scottish theologian Henry Drummond. He was a scientist and evangelist in the 1800s. I was rereading his book The Ideal Life and Other Unpublished Addresses when I reconnected with one of his unpublished sermons. The first time I read this sermon was 2 years ago in South Africa. I still remember how much his sermon struck a chord with me, so much so that I ended up leading a small study on the contents. His message was out of Psalm chapter 103, verses 1 to 5, but my article will only be on verses 1-4.
“[1] Of David.
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!
[2] Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,
[3] who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,
[4] who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, (ESV)
Here we see three facts (or aspects) about sin which we all should benefit from examining. After all, we are all familiar with the concept of sin, but we are not always great at defining it. So rather than shooting in the dark trying to define sin, let’s look at three facts about sin revealed in these two verses.
The first fact is the Guilt of Sin. We see in this in verse 3, when the Psalmist says God forgives all our iniquity. This in an important fact to understand, because it makes the nature of our sin clear. What I mean is simply that Sin is not isolated in any point in time, but incurs lasting guilt. Like a crime, no amount of time will make our sin vanish or diminish. If anything, it will only make the matter worse than it was before. It is also different than what people mean when they say they feel guilty. Feeling guilty is one thing, being guilty is another, and the feeling of guilt only comes after the sin has been committed. That feeling of guilt that we carry inside us for our sins is merely the outward showing of what’s really inside, which is a soul that is in a state of guilt against the holy, righteous, living God.
This guilt, however large, is more magnified when we look at the cross. The reality of what God did in order to forgive us of our sin should make our stomach drop. This is hopefully something you hear on a regular basis, because we humans have a tendency to forget things if they aren’t drilled into our heads regularly. If we had been present at the cross, I’m sure that the sight of what took place there would be so traumatic we would never be able to close our eyes without seeing it. The sight of Jesus covered in blood, whipped, beaten and nailed to a cross. Christ’s suffering was so much that only one of His disciples was able to endure and witness it. All the rest cowered and hid in fear that they might share his fate.
Christ endured this because of the guilt of sin which was hanging over our heads. The magnitude of the sins we have committed is enough that Jesus had to be reduced to a pulp of a human before God’s wrath could be satisfied. So before we think that the guilt of sin can be remedied by prayer, or fasting, or going to Church or doing good deeds, let us instead throw ourselves down at the feet of Christ and beg Him for our salvation. Only His perfect sacrifice can atone for our sins, and the moment we forget that is the moment we feel the weight of sin begin to crush us again. So don’t forget the Guilt of Sin, but also keep in mind the Love of Christ.
The second fact is the Power of Sin. We see this in verse 4, where it says God redeems our life from the pit (or some translate it destruction). In order to help us understand the power of sin, Drummond illustrated the point using an old poem called “Strife in Heaven.” In this poem, a group of saints are having a discussion in Heaven. The saints are trying to determine who among them is the greatest monument of God’s grace is. Now after the group deliberate for some time, only two saints remain. The first was a man of great sin. He lived his entire life a thief, a liar, a blasphemer, an addict and even a murderer. However, on his deathbed, Christ came to him, Christ saved him and he was forgiven of all his sins.
The second man had a very different story. He was saved by Christ when he was only a boy. He lived a quiet and peaceful life, always looking forward to the day he would go to be with his heavenly Father. After the two finished telling their stories, the rest took a vote. Now who do you think was the greater monument to God’s grace?
Many of us would think it’s the first, but they chose the second. This can be hard for many of us to understand. The first seems like the natural choice, after all he was forgiven of far more sin than the man who was saved as a boy. However, the reason the second was considered the greatest monument of God’s grace was because God not only forgave him of the guilt of sin, but also liberated him from the power of sin. The first man lived his entire life under the power of sin, enslaved to his wicked nature. The second man, on the other hand, was kept from being enslaved to sin by the power of God’s grace. This is the difference between the two men: one received a dying grace (a grace which only helped him at the moment of his death), whereas the second received a living grace (one which filled every day of his life from childhood, to young adulthood, to adulthood to his twilight years/death).
This is what made the second man a greater monument to the grace of God, and we should seek to follow in his footsteps, fleeing from the power of sin and into the arms of God’s living grace.
The third and final fact about sin is the Stain of Sin. This can be seen in verse 3, where we see God heals all our diseases. Now we have seen the guilt of sin which accuses us before the Father, we have seen the power of sin which can rob us of our lives and leave us with nothing but regret, but now we are going to look at an element of sin which contains elements of both these two aspects. The definition of the stain of sin is simply this: it is the part of sin that remains even after we have been forgiven by God. The guilt of sin is now gone, having been transferred to Christ. The power of sin is also gone, since we are now ruled by the living grace of the Lord, but a part of sin still remains. This piece of sin that remains is our past. We see this in the smoker, the drunkard and the drug addict. Even if they were to quite today and never smoke another cigarette or drink another beer or take another hit again, they have still caused lasting damage to their bodies which they will have to live with until the day they die.
The same is true of sin, for even if Christ were to save you right now, that does not mean that your past is magically erased. The consequences of sin will still be waiting for you, so you must be prepared. Broken relationships which have to be made right, the difficult road of recovery from substance abuse, the years wasted in sinful pleasures and pursuits, daily temptations, mental illness and even physical disabilities are all the outward consequences of sin which stain our lives.
This should grieve our hearts, especially since no man is an island. Our actions affect not only ourselves, but those around us. There is no greater regret a man can have than to look back at his life and the effect he had on those around him, only to find a trail of heartbreak and mistakes, for such leaves nothing but remorse.
However, there is good news for those who have been save through Christ! The good news, as verse 4 shows us, is that although the stains of sin run deep, God’s grace runs deeper still! His mercy does not merely remove the guilt or power of sin, but also works the process called sanctification. His Spirit enters into us, not only giving us new life, but also creating a clean heart within us through the blood of Jesus. This inner transformation which we receive will be fully completed when we enter into heaven. There God will remember our sin no more, so that all the effects of our sin are solely in the past where they belong. Praise God that He has promised us that once we have been forgiven He will remember our sins no more! As Christ completed salvation on the cross, so the Spirit will complete the application of God’s grace in all His children. In the end, all we can do is submit ourselves to Him as He continues to grow us in holiness through His conquering of sin in all its forms!
Understanding the Guilt, Power and Stain of sin, as well as how God destroys them in and through Christ and His Spirit, let us reflect on whether we have truly understood the sin in our own lives. Do you truly understand that God has not only forgiven every sin you did commit on the cross, but also every sin you ever will commit? If you do, then you can experience the joy of knowing that in Christ, there is no more guilt! Do you really understand that Christ not only came to atone for your guilt, but also to claim your life? If you do, then you will recognize the beauty of living under the power of God’s grace! Do you understand that the removal of guilt does not instantly repeal the effects of sin on your life? If you do, then your faith will not be shaken when you realize that living in God’s grace is a process, and not every result of His grace is instantaneous!
May this article encourage you as you pursue Christ in the light of His grace! His mercies never cease, and the more we understand sin the better we will glorify Him for what He has done for all His elect!