From Death To Life

This morning we are going to hear about how we can have peace of mind about our eternal destination. If you have ever been concerned about whether or not you will go to heaven when you die, or how you can gain God’s favor, then this passage is for you. Concerning Psalm 32, the Bible commentator Matthew Henry says it is “a psalm of David giving instruction, and there is nothing in which we have more need of instruction than in the nature of true blessedness . . . [which] consists in the favor of God.”(1)

This morning we will see that David gives us the prescription for true blessedness, which according to Matthew Henry lies in having favor with God; and the favor of God will allow us access and entrance into heaven when we die and leave this world. So, let’s dig into the Scripture and see what we can learn from the words of David.

We All Need to Be Forgiven (vv. 1-2)

1Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

David said, “Blessed is he . . . whose sin is covered.” Why do we need to have our sins covered? Because we are all sinners. Romans 3:10 says, “As it is written: There is none righteous, no, not one.” Romans 3:23 tells us, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We have all committed sin; specifically against God. In Psalm 51:4, David said, “Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight – that You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when You judge.” We are all sinners from our very birth; meaning that our own death warrant is written into our birth certificate.(2)

In verses 1-2, David shared a threefold description of sin. He spoke of “transgression,” “sin,” and “iniquity.” 1.) “Transgression” depicts a spirit of defiant disobedience against God. 2.) “Sin” denotes a missing of the mark. The Greek word for sin in the New Testament is hamartia, which was an archery term. An archer would shoot an arrow at a target, and if he missed the bulls eye, then the score keeper would shout out “hamartia!” meaning, “You missed the mark!” 3.) “Iniquity” represents a perversion and a distortion of that which is straight.(3) Iniquity is voluntary and willful disobedience.

Each and every person in the world has committed transgression, sin, and iniquity. In verse 2, David said, “Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity.” “Impute” means to hold accountable. So, why is a person blessed whom God does not hold accountable for his or her sin? Because Romans 6:23 tells us that “the wages of sin is death.” Without the forgiveness of sin we are destined to die. We all know that we will die a physical death, but the Bible tells us that we will also die a spiritual death if our sin is not forgiven.

In verse 1-2, we also discover a threefold counterpart to sin. The main word here is “forgiven.” The two other phrases are “being covered,” and “not imputing.” 1.) “Forgiven” means, “to lift up,” “to take away,” and “to bear.” 2.) “Covered” means, “to conceal or hide,” as from the eye; and 3.) “not imputing” pictures the canceling of debt.(4) Our sins can be forgiven and hidden from God’s eyes if we want them to be. Jesus, God’s one and only Son, wants to forgive our sins and take on our burden, and that’s why He declared in Matthew 11:28, “Come unto to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

If we accept Jesus into our heart by confessing Him as Savior and Lord, then God will remember our sin no more. “A man was telling his friend about an argument that he had with his wife. He commented, ‘Oh, how I hate it! Every time we have an argument she gets historical!’ The friend replied, ‘You mean hysterical?’ ‘No,’ he insisted. ‘I mean historical! Because every time we argue she drags up something from the past and holds it against me!’”(5) Let me assure you right now that the Lord won’t get historical with us if we have accepted His Son, Jesus Christ, as our personal Savior and Lord.

So, the Bible tells us that we have all sinned and are in need of forgiveness. In verse 2, David said, “Blessed is the man . . . in whose spirit there is no deceit.” David affirmed here the fact that forgiveness is obtained only when there is absolute sincerity and honesty on person’s part in acknowledging his or her sins before God. Forgiveness is granted to the person in whom there is no deceit and who truly and sincerely desires with all their heart to be forgiven.(6)