The Blessing of Forgiveness

Psalm 32:1–5 (ESV) Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. 3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah 5 I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah

This Psalm is about the blessing of forgiveness. When we come clean with God, there is blessing. It means that sin is not only something you do against God, it is something you do against yourself. You cannot carry it, handle it, and live with it as a member of the family of God. You waste away, you have no joy, your peace is gone.

But the good news is you are only a confession away. The Psalmist came clean. I would suggest doing the same. Come clean with God, come clean with others. James points this out as a means to healing in your life.

Notice the four words for sin listed in the first two verses... "transgression", "sin", "iniquity" and "deceit."

Transgressions are acts of rebellion against God.
Sin is turning from the true path or missing the mark.
Iniquity indicates distortion, an absence of respect for the Divine will.
Deceit can be translated as slackness, or sloth.

Sin is multifaceted and multi-dimensional. It it much more than simply "having a few issues" or "not being perfect." Christ didn't come to improve our behavior but to deliver us from the contaminants of all that is against God. He came to deliver us from the very being of sinfulness, not just a few minor things we know we need to adjust. 

In coming to Him, our advocate, we find peace, joy and blessing.

But as Christians, we are commanded to confess to each other...
James 5:16 (ESV) Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

Healing comes when confession is made. It's like having a sickness, until you go to the doctor and confess your need for help, you'll never get the healing you need. Can you live through it? Maybe, but you don't need to, and that's the point of forgiveness. Christ came to heal us spiritually before God, to take away sin, to give us a new lease on life apart from the destructive patterns of our flesh.

Perhaps there's an area where there is no joy in your life. It could be an unconfessed sin holding you down.

The Psalmist commends us:
Psalm 32:9 (ESV) Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you.

We have a choice.

Hebrews 12:1 (ESV) Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us