SIN IS AGAINST GOD

By Steven Greene

Website: https://sabbathreflections.org

David was both an example of someone who was a dedicated servant of God as well as a man whose passions caused him to commit grievous sins of murder and adultery. Oddly enough, he was so blinded to his actions that God eventually had to send Nathan the prophet to address those sins. It was at that moment that David not only seemed to realize what he had done and admitted his sin saying, “I have sinned against the LORD” (2 Samuel 12:13).

For most of us, this is probably not the first thing we think or say when we sin. In fact, it can sound rather odd since David’s sin resulted in the murder of Uriah the Hittite. But this was not the only time David said this. Notice his plea to God in the Psalm:

PSALMS 51:1-10 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. 5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. 6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. 9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

David was obviously very repentant even though these few, simple words could hardly fully express the tears and sorrow that were in his heart. However, what David said in verse 4 is not something most people understand. One might assume that David sinned against Uriah because it was Uriah that was murdered; however, Uriah was dead and in the grave. Those who are dead know nothing (Ecclesiastes 9:5).

So what is sin? “sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4). Since the Law did not originate with Uriah, David’s sin could not be against him. God is the source of the Law so, Uriah, if he were alive, could accuse David of breaking the Law but Uriah could not claim that David sinned against him because he broke God’s Law. Because the Law originated with God (Romans 7:7), sin is defined by God, which means that all sin is against God! Why is this distinction important? Notice verse 11:

PSALM 51:11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.

Knowing that our sins are against God is important because sin separates us from God. Notice what Isaiah the prophet said:

ISAIAH 59:2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

Uriah also has no authority to judge David. In other words, while David could have been convicted of breaking God’s Law and put to death according to the Law, no man, including Uriah, has the authority to determine whether or not David loses out on eternal life. All sin is against God because God is the source of Law. He alone has the authority to determine who receives eternal life in His mercy and grace. This is why repentance toward God is crucially important—it is the only way to be reconciled to God. Notice how Paul describes how the Corinthians sought repentance from God:

2 CORINTHIANS 7:10-11 For sorrow unto repentance before God works out salvation not to be repented of; but the sorrow of the world works out death. 11 For see how this very thing—your personal sorrow before God—brought about such earnestness in you! And, what a defense, and what indignation, and fear, and vehement desire, and zeal, and vengeance! In every way you have proved yourselves to be pure in the matter.

Their repentance was full of earnestness, heartfelt pleas, indignation, fear, vehement desire, zeal, and vengeance. This is what David expressed in Psalm 51 above. He asked to be purged, washed, and cleansed. Even in those few words we can feel his sorrow and repentance. Likewise, we must repent of sin with supplications to God in sincere and heartfelt sorrow:

ACTS 2:37-38 Now after hearing this, they were cut to the heart and they said to Peter and the other apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” 38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized each one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you yourselves shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Those who have God’s Holy Spirit do not need to ask what to do. We know! When we sin, we must turn to God in true sorrow, pray to have godly repentance, and ask for His forgiveness. How much forgiveness do we expect to receive if our repentance is nothing but a show? We need to consider that sin causes God to withdraw and separate from us. Our repentance is a measure of how much we desire to be reconciled to God and be in His Kingdom.

At the Passover, God made Jesus Christ to be sin for us and then abandoned His Son in the final moments before His death. If God cannot tolerate sin to the extent that He forsook His own Son, imagine the chasm that can exist between us and God because of our sins for which Jesus Christ died!

We must realize that the purpose of overcoming sin through repentance is so that God will not cast us from His presence. Knowing this, then, we must be as David who repented in heartfelt sorrow, sincere earnestness, and fear with all desire to overcome as the Corinthians. This requires the fullness of zeal and vengeance because we desire above all things in this life to stand before God’s throne, now and forever.