“If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.”Psalm 130:3-4 ESV
Reflection: why is it necessary to repent of sin?
Let’s image a friend hurt you deeply. Said or done something “in the heat of the moment” that objectively was wrong. They knew they had hurt you, because it was intentional. And you part ways. So, now what? You might be waiting for an apology, but say nothing is said. You can forgive them, which will allow you to move forward, but this clearly is not enough to reconcile with them. The next time you see them, you can try to be pleasant, but this unresolved issue will be “the elephant in the room”. Until it is talked through, it is not resolved. But the “talking through” requires your friend to not only be willing to talk, but to ultimately be remorseful of what they did, which of course is very humbling. Because they have to admit they were wrong. And, in their humility, in their remorse, talking through it, reasoning together of what happened, the relationship can be healed, can be restored.
In the focus verses today from Psalm 130, we are reminded that the Lord keeps no record of wrong. It says “If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.”Psalm 130:3-4 ESV. And, we might be reminded here of another similar promise, “as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” Psalm 103:12 ESV. It is so good to think about these promises. But, wait, isn’t there something missing here? The Lord forgives, keeps no record of wrong. But what about the relationship with us? As with the example of the friend who had hurt you, you can forgive them, but until they actually come to you in remorse, you cannot have a restored relationship with them, right?
We read the Lord speaking through the prophet Isaiah, ““Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”” Isaiah 1:18-20 ESV. Although the people had sinned, walked their own ways, God was calling to them, to come back. To reason together so that the relationship could be restored.
I love this idea here of what the Lord is saying here, of He desires to do with us when we have sinned, to “reason together”. This is not simply Him saying “I forgive you” and then move on. No, the Lord wants to do the hard work here together with us, so that we can grow closer together. He is not doing this so that He can yell at us, as an angry father. No, He wants to talk with us about what happened. Of why we said what we said, or did what we did. This is what two people do that care about each other, and care about keeping and strengthening their relationship.
Is there sin in your life, past or present, that you have not talked with God about? Not repented of? God doesn’t just want to forgive us; He wants to heal us and restore our relationship with Him.
