Not Perfect, But Forgiven

“Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.” (Ps 32:11 AV)

 

We often forget the biblical definitions or doctrinal meanings of words.  For instance, in the above verse, the words ‘righteous’ and ‘upright’ do not mean a person never makes a wrong choice.  The entire psalm is about the forgiveness of sin.  Verse one states,  “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” (Ps 32:1 AV)  David then spends the majority of the psalm acknowledging his sin and the prosperity of joy and peace that comes with divine forgiveness.  This whole idea of forgiveness has been a constant theme in my heart and mind for over a week.  Attaining divine forgiveness for the purpose of eternal life is not that hard to grasp and accept.  Divine forgiveness for heaven’s sake is a legal transaction wherein the Father sees the saint in the righteousness of Christ.  The blood of Christ covers and removes all sin, past, present, and future that we might stand justified before God.  Divine forgiveness resulting in a place in heaven is a judicial act of a sovereign God to proclaim those with faith in Christ are pure and clean.  However, because the Spirit now resides in the heart of the believer, he is ever more sensitive to his sin.  Walking daily in forgiveness is almost impossible.  Regardless of how we feel, John tells us in 1Jo 1:9 that in all practical sense, when we confess our sin, the LORD cleanses us from all iniquity.  We are righteous not because we have done right, but because we are forgiven.

It is important to let your child know he is forgiven.  There are several ways to accomplish this.  A parent must never bring up a past indiscretion.  If it has been forgiven, then it must remain in the past.  A parent must also take the initiative to repair a relationship that has been broken by disobedience.  He must extend a hand of grace by offering to spend time with his child.  The responsibility to fix the consequences of an error inflicted on a relationship belongs to the authority figure.  The penitent must ask forgiveness.  Once granted, Mom or Dad should extend the olive branch of peace that says, “we are back to the way it used to be.”  I am struggling to remember any single incident in the life of my sons.  If you asked them, they could probably come up with a few.  The reason I struggle is that they are forgiven.  I simply do not remember a whole lot.  In fact, as I sit here and write, I can only remember one incident in the twenty-plus years of parenting when a child directly disobeyed and in doing so, exhibited an extreme amount of disrespect.  In fact, I remember the fact of what he did, but not the actual event.  I remember my response, but not the act that caused my response.  Why?  Because he is forgiven.  I see him as though that never happened.  In my sight, all three are righteous and upright in heart.  Not because they are perfect.  Rather, because they are forgiven.

Those saints who can really grasp this truth are the most content and joy-filled of us all.  We have to get beyond the idea that feeling joy and gladness in spite of our shortcomings is ok.  We cannot see it as arrogant or callous.  That is how the world sees it.  They cannot understand this forgiveness thing.  They point out our faults.  They expect us to cower in shame and embarrassment.  We probably should.  However, if we constantly live that way, then we have rejected the truth of divine forgiveness.  We are not upright because we are always right.  We are not righteous because we do no wrong.  We are upright and righteous because the LORD has made us that way.  He has made us that way because He has forgiven us.  Praise God!  Never apologize for the joy that comes with forgiveness.  Don’t let the devil or the world press you into a pit of despair over your sin.  Live in the joy and victory in the knowledge that God and forgiven you and loves you despite what and who you are!