Psalm 103:8–12 (NLT) A Psalm of David
8 The Lord is compassionate and merciful,
slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
9 He will not constantly accuse us,
nor remain angry forever.
10 He does not punish us for all our sins;
he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.
11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him
is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
12 He has removed our sins as far from us
as the east is from the west.
When you think of the God of the universe, how do you imagine him?
- Angry and quick to judge you and squash you for what you have done wrong?
- Accusing you and looking for ways to keep a long list of your faults?
- Waiting for us to get everything right before He shows us love?
All of these preconceived notions of God are blown away by five verses in Psalm 103. The first two verses of the Psalm implore us to never forget the good things (benefits) that God gives us. When I pray and review what God has done, thanking Him for his goodness in my life, it is an act of praise and worship.
Verses 3-5 say,
Psalm 103:3–5 (NLT)
3 He forgives all my sins
and heals all my diseases.
4 He redeems me from death
and crowns me with love and tender mercies.
5 He fills my life with good things.
My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!
Jehovah Rapha (the God who heals) gives us another reason to praise Him. God’s healing and redemption even happens in death. While still here on the earth, He is giving love and mercy, filling our lives with good things, and renewing our strength! This is a generous and kind God!
God Forgives All Our Sins!
Let’s zoom in on the first part of verse three… “He forgives all my sins…” Wow! What kind of forgiving is happening here? Is it like yo-yo forgiveness where it goes up and down depending upon how God is feeling? Does God take out a long list of naughty things we have done in the past and hold those things against us? Do our sins really get forgiven or is God still seething about our disobedience?
It is true that God is just, and his perfect justice must punish sin. Romans 6:23 tells us that “the wages of sin is death,” and for sin to be forgiven – payment (atonement) must be made with blood. In the Old Testament God provided forgiveness through the animal sacrifices. But when Jesus came, it was His own blood, the blood of Jesus that made payment for all the sins of the world for all time. It was a once and for all sacrifice (Hebrews 9-10).
Our sins can be forgiven if we trust Jesus with our life and follow Him.
1 John 1:9–10 (NLT)
9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.
Romans 3:23 also reiterates that we all have sinned and fall short of God’s perfection. So, our sins can be forgiven by God if we confess them.
Our Sins are Forgiven and Forgotten.
When God forgives our sin, is it really gone for good?
Psalm 103 is saying that God removes our sin from us “as far as the east is from the west.” This is a strange phrase to many of us, but it communicates an infinite distance to which we can never arrive. If you turn and face west and start walking, driving, flying – you will never arrive at a place called “west.” The same is true if you turn around and head east.
No matter how hard you try you can’t dig up your old sins because they have been taken from you an infinite distance away.
Another illustration in the book of Micah for God’s forgiveness gives us a helpful visual of what God does with our sin.
Micah 7:19 (NLT)
19 Once again you will have compassion on us.
You will trample our sins under your feet
and throw them into the depths of the ocean!
Our sins are tied to a big heavy rock and thrown into the sea, quickly sinking to the ocean floor. They are never to be seen or remembered by anyone.
Back in the 1990’s, a music artist named Morgan Cryar gave a concert at the church where I was serving at the time. Morgan and I spent time sitting around chatting and I saw a real desire in him to communicate the truth of the gospel. He wrote a song called, “What Sin?” that he performed that evening. It was a striking reminder of what God says about how He removes our sin described in Psalm 103. Click on this link to listen to the song.
Paid In Full
So, today, if you are having a hard time believing that God has truly forgiven your sins, realize that Jesus uses the Greek word Tetelestai (which means It is Finished) as He dies on the cross. This word was used by people in accounting in the ancient world to indicate “paid in full.” Our sins were paid for in full on the cross. The work of Jesus was finished on the cross 2,000 years ago.
John 8:36 (NLT) says,
36 So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.
I declare over you that Jesus’ payment was enough for you to receive forgiveness for any sin you have committed. While you will still face the consequences on earth of poor decisions and some pain may remain because of what you have done, with our God, you ARE forgiven, and you have been set free.
May God bless you as you walk in a new sense of freedom and forgiveness today!
I look forward to seeing you this Sunday at our Worship service at 10:00 a.m. in the Dome. It will also be live-streamed on Facebook and YouTube.
Need encouragement? Text the word Encourage to 530.296.3689 to receive an encouraging scripture or quote from me several times a week that is sent right to your phone.
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