Happily Forgiven

 Psalms 32, Romans 5:12-19

 

Our Psalm starts out with our theme stating that happy are those whose transgressions – sins are forgiven. The psalmist tells about how his body wasted away until he acknowledged his sin to God. Instead of hiding his sin from God – he confesses and God forgave the guilt of his sin and God ends up being his hiding place from trouble. He talks about how steadfast love surrounds – encircled those who trust in the Lord. The psalmist closes the psalm with more happiness due to being forgiven. Be glad in the Lord and rejoice and shout for joy those who are righteous and upright in heart.

The term Paul uses in Romans 5 for forgiveness is justification. He talks about how sin was brought into the world by Adam’s disobedience in contrast to Jesus, considered the new Adam, who obeyed God and through his death on the cross brought justification. One man brought sin into the world – Adam while one man – Christ brought the solution to sin.

It is through Christ that we have received grace and the free gift of righteousness. Through the person of Christ, we have cancellation of sin and guilt before God. This is the divine grace that turns us – like the Psalmist to God to pardon and renew us through the gift of faith. It enables us to seek and receive the benefits of Christ.

Living in a right relationship with God brings joyful praise. Because of Christ we can have forgiveness of sin and become righteous in God’s eyes being able like the psalmist said, “To be glad in the Lord, rejoice and shout for joy” – being happily forgiven.

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