Someone says, "Yes, I know that Jesus died for the world; He tasted our second death; He redeemed us by His sacrifice; but I don't feel worthy because I have sinned. How do I know that I am included in His sacrifice? I don't FEEL like He accepts me!"
Let's look at an example of a man who knew he was a sinner, for he was doubly one--an adulterer and a murderer at the same time: David. Yes, he came within a hair's breadth of committing the unpardonable sin, for he prays in Psalm 51:11, "Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me." He had gone a whole year in impenitence after committing the foul deeds. Could he ever find acceptance with God?
(1) He confessed his sin openly, fully, honestly (vs. 3). (2) He realized that his sin was a re-crucifixion of the Lamb of God (vs. 4), thus delivering him from the whimpering, selfish fear of getting AIDS or Herpes, or losing his job, or embarrassment, etc. as the result of his sin. In the light of the cross, he learned to ABHOR his sin! (vs. 17). (3) He saw that sin permeated every cell of his being and of his soul (vss. 5, 6). He pleaded no "buts" to excuse it even 1 percent. (4) He took the absolutely necessary step of believing that God forgave his heinous sin--at the cost of the shed blood of the Son of God (vss. 7-10). You can't truly believe in the forgiveness of sins unless your soul is humbled in the dust by realizing the enormity of sin itself. (5) David pleaded, begged, for cleansing of soul, not just legal "pardon" (vs. 10). (6) He realized that the "bloodguiltiness" of his soul included guilt of the blood of the Son of God (vs. 14). (7) David consecrated the rest of his life to missionary, soul-saving work, a new career (vss. 12, 13).
Did David know that God had "accepted" him? Yes; he realized that no band-aid could help him; he had been saved from the deepest hell itself.
Copyright © 2009 by Robert J. Wieland.
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