I have sinned...

Those are three powerful words. They act as a doorway to freedom. Many have never tasted freedom from sexual sin because they failed to utter those words. Many more fail to enjoy fellowship with God by refusing to acknowledge that their sin was against Him.

I appreciate the honesty of King David in the Psalms. I believe God dubbed him "a man after My own heart" because of His forthrightness. His famous confession in Psalm 51 records, "Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done what is evil in Your sight." David understood something about His sin that is important for us to learn. All sin is an affront to God. It is all an offense against Him. Why is this important to understand?

God is self-existent. He wasn't created, and doesn't have need of anything. Therefore, everything else in existence is indebted to God. When God created mankind He gave us the ability to choose (this is known as our will). When Adam chose to act out of pride and self-centeredness, all fellowship with God was broken and sin entered the world. From that moment forward we have existed with the need for reconciliation to God (which is why we are so thankful for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ!).

When David proclaimed, "Against You, You only, have I sinned" he was accurately stating that the ultimate offense of sin is against our Creator. To act in a self-centered, prideful manner (to sin) is to snub our nose at God (the One who gave us life) and deceive ourselves into believing it has no effect on our lives. But, in fact, sin is the very thing killing us (Rom. 6:23).

The good news that comes from a humble heart willing to utter the words, "I have sinned" is that there is great hope and freedom offered to us from a forgiving, merciful, and gracious God. If we would only believe this were true, we to would cry out with King David, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."

Seeking a clean heart,

jonathan