Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. (Psalm 51:2,3)

Every person upon this earth is prone to sin and it is something that we can do in abundance. As Christians, we’re instructed to live pure and godly lives, but we often fall short. I’m amazed when I hear some people say that they’ve overcome sin and are now sinless — falsely believing that they have some how achieved sinless perfection (see Romans 7:24). Our lives don’t have to be ruled by sin, but we will slip up occasionally — sometimes badly.

David’s Sin, Cover Up, And Confession

David was one such follower of the Lord who blew it big time. He lusted after another man’s wife, committed adultery with her, attempted to cover up his sin by having her righteous husband killed off in battle, and lived a life of denial for many months thereafter. Finally, when the prophet of God confronted him about his sin, David readily confessed — perhaps just as glad to be relieved of the heavy burden as wanting to make his life right with God again.

In our culture today, we love to “dig up dirt” about other people and broadcast it for all of the world to see. Even when someone has clearly repented of their transgression, there are people who reach back into history and pull up unseemly information about that individual. Oftentimes, this done under the guise of “people’s right to know” when God calls it something else: gossip.

In David’s case, his sins were made apparent to all because of the position that he was in. As the human ruler of Israel, God put plenty of responsibility on his shoulders to guide His people. David’s sins could have brought down the entire country, but God let him bear the responsibility and suffer personal consequences. In the midst of his sinning, David got the other man’s wife, Bathsheba, pregnant and she ended up losing their child (see 2 Samuel 12:15).

The Restoration Of David

After we genuinely confess our sin to God, forgiveness is instant but restoration takes time. We can’t pretend that we’ve sinned and all is done and simply forgotten and that is the end of that. Rather there is a time of restoration that takes place.

It isn’t penance — where we atone for our sin, which is something that only Jesus can do — rather, it is allowing God to begin healing our hearts and souls, bringing us to the point where we can once again serve Him freely (without guilt and shame weighing us down).

David is an excellent example of someone who recognized his sin, knew that he deserved God’s punishment (God could have killed him), but also recognized the mercy of God and the consequences his sin brought forth (death of a child, rebellion of Absalom, public disgrace and humiliation, etc.) Still, God was merciful to David, allowing him and Bathsheba to bear a son, Solomon, whom God loved and whose name is in the lineage of Jesus.

Have You Confessed Your Sins To God?

Of course, sinning has its consequences and it isn’t something we should do. God knows our frail condition and is there to intervene on our behalf.

If you’ve never committed your life to Jesus Christ, your sins are separating you from God. Only Jesus can forgive you of your sins as He atoned for all sins — past, present, and future — when He died upon the cross. Confess your sins to Jesus and allow Him to take full control over your life, bringing healing and restoration to you.

God loves you just as you are, but He also loves you too much to leave you as you are.

Further Reading

David and Bathsheba: Sin, Cover-up, Condemnation, and Restoration

How To Become A Christian

The Dangers of “Sinless Perfection” Doctrine

As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3 - NIV)

One question often asked these days besides, “Is there a God?” is the one asking if we are nearing the end of the world.

Even people who do not believe in God, in a supreme being, or do not put their trust in some other entity understand that we live in perilous times. Sure, these same folks aren’t always using the word “perilous” to describe present day conditions, but that doesn’t matter — some have a strong inkling that things today are just not quite right. Hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, fires, famine, excessive heat, sandstorms, volcanic activity, and more are impacting the earth today.

Certainly, it seems that some of that concern centers on one area chiefly — global climate change a/k/a global warming.  Scan the internet, pick up your daily newspaper, or read almost any magazine and you’ll be under the distinct impression that the world is going through some very trying times. And, if you were to heed the warnings from environmental advocates such as Al Gore, you’d understand that we don’t have much time to do something about it.

I have nothing against those who want to be good stewards of this earth, but I believe another agenda can be found just below the surface. Namely, some of the leaders of the environmental movement seem to want to exert their control over mankind. Specifically, by measuring a person’s “carbon footprint” or judging how they use earth’s resources seems to be some of the ways that they are going about doing this.

Others have expressed alarm that the Mayan calendar, written many centuries ago, only goes through 2012. I’ve read that a Mayan prophet was said to have predicted that the earth will end on winter solstice of that year which is December 21, 2012. In other words, don’t bother to do your Christmas shopping that year!

I find it useless to engage in conversations that have little or no merit or distract people from what they really need to hear: God loves them, their sins separate them from Him, sinners (every person on earth) must realize that Jesus already paid the price for their sins, and that by asking for His forgiveness and restoration, communion with God will be restored.

Will the world end in 2012? Well it could.  But, we aren’t to concern ourselves with a date. Instead, in Matthew 25:13, Jesus said: “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.”  The only way we can truly watch is by having eyes that see and only those eyes opened up by God can truly comprehend the events of our day.