Articles
The Matter of Sin
While the world denies the reality of sin, God's word does not, and neither should we. The Bible is clear on this, too: “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). That means me, and it means you; none of us can honestly claim to be 'good enough' to merit eternal life. Despite the perception of one of our Presidential candidates who declared he had never asked for forgiveness, and the attitude of many who think they don't need it, either, the truth is, we are all in need of forgiveness because we all have sinned.
And even as Christians, we still sin. While some might argue this matter and claim Christians don't sin, God's word is plain on this too. When John wrote to Christians of the first century, he said, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8), and, “If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us” (1 John 1:10). The difference between the one outside of Christ and the one in Christ [a Christian] is that the Christian has the benefit of prayer for forgiveness (1 John 1:9); one outside of Christ cannot be forgiven until he or she submits to Christ and is baptized (Acts 2:38). The point we must not miss in all this is that no man is without sin. Sin touches every individual on this Earth.
If we acknowledge this point, we must then ask if it makes any difference. Some will acknowledge their sins, but do nothing about it because they either think God will just forgive everyone in the end, or think sin isn't something worth thinking about. But, as with all spiritual matters, we must consider and accept what God's word says about it, and God's word tells us plainly, “sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4) , and, “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:3). Sin is a serious matter, whether we think so or not. So, since it is such a serious matter, we would do well to do a little self-examination to see if sin is in us and, if so, what we must do. Let us consider the words of the psalmist in Psalm 19:12-14, where he reveals to us the reality of sin, and some kinds of sin we may not see or admit.
The psalmist, in his praise of God and His work and word, also turns to self and asks God, “Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults. Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, and I shall be innocent of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer” (Psa. 19:12-14).
With these words in mind, let us consider, first, the reality of sin.
Our Sins Are Numerous. Note the first part of what the psalmist wrote: “Who can understand his errors?” We might say it, "What man can really know all the times he has erred?" While some brethren say a man must enumerate every sin before he can be forgiven, I daresay there isn't a man on Earth who can remember — or even know — every sin he has ever committed. Sometimes, our ignorance or imperfect knowledge of God's will means we sin; but just because we don't know something is a sin doesn't mean it isn't a sin. Part of the difficulty for man in “understanding his errors” is recognizing that he has sinned. Part of the difficulty is also remembering all those sins.
When we think about our sins that we do know, and maybe all those we don't know, and then consider that every other person on Earth has sinned about as much as we have, we see the overwhelming transgression of man and, at the same time, the overwhelming measure and power of God's grace. Paul said it well when he wrote, “where sin abounded, grace abounded much more” (Rom. 5:20). God is willing to forgive every sin, if we would but seek His forgiveness.
Secret Sins. The next thing the psalmist asked of God was simple: “Cleanse me from secret faults.” In another psalm, he would ask of God, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me” (Psa. 139:23, 24), and, “Prove me, O Lord, and try me; test my heart and my mind.” (Psa. 26:2). He understood that, even with his best effort, he might overlook [intentionally or unintentionally] some sin in him. Here was a man who wanted no stone unturned, and no sin covered up, overlooked, or ignored. He knew that if he had sin in his life, he would not be pleasing to the Lord, and he wanted a thorough search of his heart and life to find anything that was not right, that he might correct it.
The apostle Paul spoke to this need when he wrote, “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves” (2 Cor. 13:5). Self-examination is needed if we are to ensure no sin is in us, but we must look into the mirror of God's word that we might know our true standing. Man tends to think of himself as 'good' and will often overlook sin in one's own life, while easily identifying and condemning the same thing in others. Let us make a thorough examination to ensure no sin is hidden and, thus, unforgiven.
Presumptuous Sins. The psalmist then asked of God, “Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me.” Presumption is nothing more than acting with "unwarrantable or impertinent boldness." Sin is sin, but presumptuous sin is acting with the idea that you 'have a right' to sin, or will not face consequences for sin. Under the Old Law (Leviticus 4-5), God specified sacrifices that were to be made for those who sinned unintentionally, but there was nothing given for those who sinned presumptuously. While Christ died for all sins, it would not be wise to test the grace of God by presuming to be able to sin, and to face no consequences when we do. Such attitudes are the height of arrogance, and are abominable to the Lord.
Still, we might wonder just how frequent these presumptuous sins might occur; we might think, "No faithful disciple would sin purposefully." And we would be wrong. The psalmist — David — prayed that these kinds of sins might not have “dominion over” him, so he thought it might be a problem. Maybe it was a danger when in a position of power such as he was, but I do not believe that is exclusive to him and his position.
Each and every disciple faces the danger of presumptuous sins. When we look into God's word and see a command that is difficult to obey, and we arbitrarily decide we can forgo that command, that is a sin of presumption. When we see God's word tells us every servant of the Lord must be able to teach, with the inference being that we are then to go out and teach (2 Tim. 2:24-26), and we tell ourselves [and others], "That's the preacher's job!" — that is a sin of presumption. When we see that we are to love one another (John 13:34, 35), but we withhold that love because we deem someone 'unworthy,' it is a sin of presumption. When we sin any sin, thinking to ourselves, "I will ask forgiveness later," it is a sin of presumption.
As is clear from this short passage, sin is something to be seriously considered. Our sins are numerous, without a doubt, with some even possibly unknown to us. Some sins, too, may demonstrate we have become arrogant or self-centered — sins of presumption. Let us seriously, thoroughly, and honestly examine ourselves that we may ensure no sin is in us. Let us “be holy, for [He is] holy” (1 Pet. 1:16). Let us walk in newness of life.
—— Steven Harper
