Psalms 103Sample

What Does It Mean to Have Our Sins Removed? 

When you first became a Christian, God didn’t forgive you because you confessed yourself a sinner and wanted to try to be a better person. God doesn’t forgive us for our efforts not to sin. If, from this day forward, you never committed another sin for the rest of your life, do you really believe that will make up for all the sins you committed in the past? There is nothing that you and I can do to make up for our sins.

Then why doesn’t God repay us like we deserve? What does it mean when we learn that our sins have been removed? Does God simply make them disappear? Does He ignore them and pretend they don’t exist? Have you ever noticed that forgiveness always requires a payment, always requires suffering and loss? If your car is parked out there and a passing car swipes it, either you forgive that person and you pay to repair it, or you make that person pay through his insurance or by getting a lawyer. Somebody has to pay!

Likewise, someone has to pay for our sins. God cannot let sin go unpunished. God says from the beginning of the book of Genesis, “When you eat from it [the tree] you will certainly die.” All the way to the New Testament, “For all have sinned,” and, “The wages of sin is death.”

In this psalm, David quotes what God spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai when He revealed Himself to him. Moses asked God, “Show me your glory.” God said, “You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live,” and He added, “When my glory passes by, I will…cover you with my hand… and you will see my back.” Afterwards, when God is making His goodness pass over Moses, He says, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.” But notice what else God says: “Yet He does not leave the guilty unpunished.” How does God maintain love and forgive sin and at the same time not leave the guilty unpunished? David, being a prophet, took the liberty to quote God’s words, but he didn’t quote that last part. Instead, he says, “He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities,” because somebody has to pay!

Thank God that Jesus Christ paid for our sins in full! That should change our day into a twenty-four hour concert of praise unto Him!