Word of Salvation – Vol. 18 No.27 – July 1972
What Is Sin?
Preparatory sermon by Rev. Jac. Jonker, B.D. on Psalm 32:1-2
Scripture reading: Romans 5:1-9; Psalm 32
Psalter Hymnal: No.10:1,2;
139:1,2 (after the Law of 10 commandments); 219; 315:1,2
Congregation of the Lord Jesus Christ,
What kind of thoughts enter your consciousness when you hear the word SIN? Quite possibly no more than a thought of some good food gone to waste.
The word SIN seems to have lost most of its meaning among people. The reality of what SIN means is most of the time far from our conscious thoughts.
SIN is a bible-word; that’s where you read it…!
SIN is also a church-word, used by ministers and elders and by your father, when he is very angry with you.
Could the fact, that the word and the idea of sin has become so commonplace, be one of the reasons that the message, brought by the gospel – that there is GRACE – is not so important anymore? We hear everywhere and time and again how we are supposed to live and the word sanctification is whirled like a lasso over our heads. But where but in a prayer do we hear the word “grace”? Do we feel we need grace? Do we realize that without God’s grace we are doomed to go into destruction for evermore?
Do we feel that we need forgiveness for the sins we do and for the sinners that we are?
Or would it be true that we only feel the need of it, when we realize that we are nearing death?
Or is it that we only feel this on Sunday morning and go to church, but that we feel it no longer when it is Sunday afternoon with the result that we stay home?
When people so easily can live without the church and its preaching and the consecration of its sacraments, then they do not feel guilt, they do not feel sin; even though they all the time accept that there is a God and that Jesus really did die on the cross! This is the reality when today we want to prepare ourselves to celebrate the Lord’s Supper: that we must believe with all our hearts, that there is forgiveness for all our sins because of the atonement worked by our Lord Jesus Christ in his death on the cross. Let us not beat about the bush, but ask ourselves: How do we appreciate that forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ?
* * * * * *
We read it here in our text: Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
The word BLESSED means “congratulated”!!
So the text says: Lucky is the man whose Sin is forgiven! Hereby are mentioned, what for the people of God are the FACTS OF LIFE! The facts of life as they are taken up in the covenant of God with his people.
In the Old Testament dispensation of this covenant there was given, among other sacrifices, the slaughtering of the lambs at the Passover to commemorate the fact that the angel of death would pass by the homes of the Israelites in Egypt. (You know the tenth plague!) In the place thereof comes, in the New Testament dispensation of God’s covenant with man, the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus on the cross. He is the Llamb of God whose death will save us.
Therein are given the two ways in which it is brought to our notice, the MAIN TREASURE of life: THAT GOD FORGIVES!!
* * * * * *
But – indeed, but – this is only recognized as a treasure when we are aware of our guilt! If not, this becomes a WORD and no more, that with God is FORGIVENESS!
Here now it is that our text does its utmost to try to penetrate our conscious mind by using all the various words for SIN!
We read about TRANSGRESSIONS, ABOUT SIN, and there is the word INIQUITY as well!
The meaning of TRANSGRESSION is very easily seen: it is the crossing of the forbidden line and thereby it means that one openly does what is wrong before God.
SIN on the other hand has more to do with our heart. It is the tainted, rotten core inside us. Here is indeed the source of all wickedness.
INIQUITY gives another angle on what is wrong: it points to something that superficially may look alright, while in the deepest sense it is not!
So now we have to put the question: where is it that people lack the appreciation of God’s covenant? Where is there no need felt for grace? Where does one hear nothing about forgiveness?
We can go on. Where is the real purpose of the church forgotten? Where is there too much accent on worship and yet it is overlooked that we must be contrite before the Almighty?
Well, the only answer is: Where there is no consciousness of sin. In religious circles it is asked sometimes: What is Jesus today? Why do we not experience miracles of healing? Also the bitter complaint in trouble: Why do so many painful and dreadful things happen to me and my family?
There people are disgruntled with the value of the Christian faith. Sermons will be appreciated because of their emotional impact or their artistic value but not so much for the PLAIN message of God’s grace given in Jesus Christ.
One of the methods used then is this one: that the church is gauged according to its educational value and its social activities. The more associations and fellowships one finds the more wonderful such a church is.
For this is the horrible truth that where no consciousness of sin is there is no understanding of the Gospel and no right evaluation of the sacraments.
* * * * * *
This psalm speaks about sin. What would it be that was meant here? What kind of sin? This is not said; and the only thing that is clear is, that this sin is felt as a burden. A burden that weighs us down, a heavy hand on our neck and our strength dries up.
But this is the wonderful song of liberation that all of that is forgiven!
“Blessed is he!” That starts the chorus of JUSTIFICATION!
We may learn here what is meant by that heavy term. It is no less than that the transgression is forgiven, is taken away…!
Sin is covered… it remains but has become invisible…! Iniquity is not imputed, that is: no accusation is now made!
And all that is what God does.
That was prophesied in the happenings at the Temple in Jerusalem with priests and an altar and sacrifices made to appease God.
We know, that all that was symbolized in the Old Testament, is fulfilled by Jesus Christ when he let himself be the Lamb of God, sacrificed on the cross. He was the priest who became the sacrifice.
Now it becomes urgent to know how we men stand over against this! The psalm again has something to say in this regard. Blessed is the man… in whose spirit is no deceit! No deceit in your spirit… what kind of man can that be? Is that the perfect man? Without any shortcomings? Or is it the immaculate believer? Always trusting his God and praising his saviour? Or perhaps would this be what some call the “mature” Christian?
Oh no it is simply this:
a man who does not want to deceive God
who does not want to look better than he is.
That means it is the man, who accepts that he has transgressions; the man who acknowledges before God that he has sinned, the man who is aware of his iniquities; it is he, who knows and allows, that he is nothing but a SINNER!
As long as we live in the mood that we are not so bad; that our sins are not so terrible…! Indeed, when we think that we can do a lot ourselves so as to be on a good footing with God – then we have deceit in our spirit; we are not being honest with God!
In that case we don’t receive forgiveness and we don’t deserve the blessing that we are congratulated because of our salvation!
* * * * * *
We feel that here now is the moment to ask ourselves how do we stand! Do you know that we ourselves are sinners? Sinners… perhaps not in the eye of people but surely sinners in the eye of God? Perhaps one of us asks: a sinner…. what do you mean…. against which of the Ten Commandments? Well to find an answer let us start with the first commandment, that we should love the Lord our God with all our heart and all our mind and all our strength…!
Do you love God on the Sunday morning when you come to church? Let us say: yes, we certainly do! And how about the same love for God in the afternoon? Or could it be, that God in the afternoon had to lose the battle against an easy chair, or against the beach? Do we NEED forgiveness and NEED Jesus Christ because we don’t dare to live without Him and His benefits?
Or is there after all still some teeny, weeny spot of deceit in our hearts?
How will we go to the Lord’s Supper? As a church member, as a confessing believer, but not as a miserable, broken sinner? If so, then we have to convert ourselves! We must learn to SEE our sins and to acknowledge them, to confess them in our prayers! If we cannot do that, the Table of the Lord is not for us and we had better stay away so as not to eat and drink judgment to ourselves.
For this is what we have to commemorate at the Table of the Lord; That Jesus Christ gave Himself a sacrifice to forgive, that means to CARRY AWAY our transgressions.
His sacrifice was to COVER our sins; his blood washing them away. He was forsaken by God so that no iniquity would be imputed to us.
How do we need Jesus Christ our Lord?
For that Grace by which God forgives us?
That is right… but if not, then we have first to humble ourselves and confess our deceit before we may share bread and wine at His table.
Amen.