Being a Disciple Means Repenting of Sin
This was a devotional based on Psalm 51 written for our Young Adults’ Retreat. This psalm speaks honestly about our sin, and models confession and repentance for us. We share it here for our encouragement and meditation.
The dark background of this psalm can be found in 2 Samuel 11 and 12. David, being lustful and greedy, slept with Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba, then had Uriah killed to cover his tracks. Nathan the prophet then confronts David with his sin and he repents, and writes this psalm in response.
David pleads for forgiveness on the basis of God’s character - “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love” (Ps 51:1). His confidence in receiving mercy rests on God, not on his own works. He recognises that he needs to be cleansed of his sin, that if even a little bit were to remain on him, he would be doomed (Ps 51:2). Notice too how David doesn’t try to shift blame or shirk responsibility — the sin is his, and his alone (Ps 51:3).
Sin is primarily against God, before it is against others. It is on the basis of God’s holy law that sin is defined, so God is right to stand in judgement over us.
David then says something surprising about his sin – “Against you, you only, have I sinned” (Ps 51:4). Understandably we might wonder, what about Bathsheba, what about Uriah? But David is not saying that sin doesn’t cause real harm to those around us. What he’s saying is that sin is primarily against God, before it is against others. It is on the basis of God’s holy law that sin is defined, so God is right to stand in judgement over him. Sin also runs deep, being something that we inherit from Adam on the day of our birth (Ps 51:5).
David recognises that what he needs is a clean heart and a right spirit that only God can create (Ps 51:10). God is the one offended, yet also the one who delivers. And who will He deliver? Those with a “broken and contrite heart” (Ps 51:17). It is this posture that forms the basis of what David hopes will be the outcome of his repentance: acceptable and joyful worship of God that glorifies Him (Ps 51:19).
David shows us how horrified and sober-minded we ought to be with our sin, yet how confidently we can come before God and seek His forgiveness. If this were true for him, how much more true is this for us as Christians! David was contrite before God and was forgiven, even though he didn’t fully see how it could be so. He simply trusted God and His promises. But now God has revealed to us Christ, the supreme expression of God’s steadfast love and mercy. When we cry out “Have mercy on me, O God”, we can look to Jesus and take heart that God has shown mercy. He gave us a Saviour who died in our place, and raised Him from the dead so that all who trust in Him can walk in the newness of life (Rom 6:4).
A disciple of Christ must hate sin, yet not despair at its presence. A disciple of Christ takes their sin with all of its ugliness, and lays it at the feet of Jesus.
Do you need to confess any sins to God? Take some time to bring them to the Lord today.