Thursday, April 13, 2017
Psalm 51 is among David’s best known psalms and is, without a doubt, a confession of sin and a plea for forgiveness. Concerning the specific sin for the which he was seeking God’s pardon, the one involving Bathsheba and her husband, many bible scholars agree that David broke every one of the Ten Commandments just in that incident alone. That God forgave Him should be a reminder to all that although sin is evil and capable of killing people and dooming them eternally, God’s grace is greater. In no way should this imply, however, that we have more leeway when it comes to sin. Paul asked this question in his letter to the Romans: “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? (Rom 6:1) In the following verse, he answers the question by saying: “By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” If we were released from prison, why should we possibly want to go back to it? Sin will always have it’s consequences. In fact, although David was forgiven, he paid a very heavy price for it throughout his lifetime.
Expounding God’s grace can be a dilemma because it is one bible truth that gets twisted often by those who oppose it as well as those who don’t understand it. We all know how much damage and harm is caused by “extremists” of all kinds on a daily basis, right? Well, the gospel message has its extremists too. One extreme side says that we can live as we please and do whatever we want anyway God’s grace covers it all and we have nothing to worry about. Those who hold this view are in for a horrible shock. The other extreme side, which expounds God’s holiness and justice, has people thinking that every little slip-up or ungodly thought causes them to lose their salvation on a continual basis. Those who hold this view will be robbed of the peace of Christ in their heart and fall short of the abundant life He promised. Constantly looking behind your shoulder is no way to live. Lets make the proper use of God’s grace in our lives. When we stumble and fall, lets rely on it to get forgiven, cleansed, and restored. Better still, lets rely on it to help us to overcome temptation and stay away from trouble. In conclusion, lets always be thankful to God for His amazing grace.
God’s promise for today: (1 Peter 5:10) “And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”
