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Two fundamental principles of Christian doctrine are faith and forgiveness. The Psalms teach us how these principles apply to us. Faith and forgiveness are like right and left hand to each other; they fit together perfectly. In faith that we will be heard, we ask God for forgiveness and with faith that we have been heard, we accept His forgiveness. It is by faith that we receive salvation, through Christ who died so we could be forgiven.
It is unknown when the Psalms were written and compiled, but manuscripts of the compiled text date back as early as 200 B.C. Using poetry, the Psalms tell us about God’s forgiveness, our need to forgive, His faithfulness to us and His expectation of faith from us. The Psalms are hymns, poetry meant for public performance, usually to be accompanied by music. As such, the themes of the Psalms express concepts that would have been important to their audience. Their themes are still important to us today.
Throughout the Psalms, God tells us how we can be forgiven; we just ask with faith. His willingness to forgive is universal. He doesn’t withhold the opportunity for forgiveness from anyone. “For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.” (Psalms 86:5) Though the Psalms predate the New Testament and teachings about the Christ, the Old Testament method of receiving forgiveness is the same as the New Testament’s method, since Christ is God.
Once we ask for forgiveness, God is faithful to forgive. “Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin.” (Psalms 85:2) He doesn’t forgive us but then keep a ledger of all our sins that He can refer back to later. He forgives and covers our sins up, making them invisible to Him. The New Testament gives us deeper understanding of this concept of God’s forgiveness. It is Christ’s blood, shed for us that covers our sins and washes them away.
When we ask forgiveness and accept with faith that it has been given, our sin is gone. Our spirit is like new again. “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalms 103:12) This renewal of the spirit is the miracle of forgiveness and faith. When we are forgiven our spirit is renewed and made whole and perfect again.
This is why asking forgiveness for sin immediately is so important. Our spirit becomes tattered with sin and we suffer for it with feelings of depression, anxiety, unhappiness, hopelessness and despair. When our sins are lifted away, our heart and spirit are renewed with hope. “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalms 51:10) This renewal of our spirit is the blessing that comes with forgiveness. “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” (Psalms 32:1)
Christians know that we have an obligation to teach God’s ways, to witness His love and mercy. (Psalms 51:13) We also have the obligation to practice what God teaches. In His behavior towards us, God models what He expects from us. This is a stumbling block for many Christians. We have been completely forgiven and renewed but hold on to the resentment and bitterness we have towards those who have hurt us. If we expect forgiveness, we must also forgive. “With the merciful thou wilt show thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt show thyself upright;” (Psalms 18:25)
Forgiving is the right thing to do. “…but the righteous showeth mercy, and giveth.” (Psalms 37:21b) We don’t forgive because it’s good for the person we are forgiving (though it can be). We don’t forgive because the person we are forgiving deserves it. We didn’t deserve forgiveness. We forgive because it is what is right and good for us. Bitterness and resentment hurt us more than anyone else. Forgiving others brings the same renewal of spirit and blessing that we get when we ask God to forgive us. God is faithful to forgive us; we must be faithful to forgive others.
The Psalms beautifully record God’s faithful mercy in their poetry. “Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds. “ (Psalms 36:5) Our capacity for faithfulness and mercy will never meet God’s. That goal is as far from our reach as the heavens and the clouds but our obligation to work at improving is not relieved. Our work on earth is to strive for perfection, to allow God to perfect us for our eternal life with Him. In order for Him to perfect us, we must have faith in Him; we must return His faithfulness with our own.
When we do return His faithfulness, we enjoy His rewards and protection. “O love the LORD, all ye his saints: for the LORD preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer.” (Psalms 31:23) Acting out faith displays obedience and willingness to let God work in our lives. When we are obedient and responsive to His will, we open up doors for blessing.
God does pay attention to our behavior. Sometimes it may not feel like it, especially when we think we have been ‘good’ and deserve something. We should avoid looking at God like a blessing dispenser. While it’s true that He does entrust the faithful with nice things sometimes, our reward for faithfulness is not things. Our reward, the reward that we should long for, is the opportunity to be God’s child, to enjoy eternal life with Him. This is the true and lasting blessing that we receive from Him. “Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me” (Psalms 101:6a)
Because God is merciful, He accepts our imperfection. He knows that we aren’t capable of perfect mercy and forgiveness or perfect faith. He only asks us to let Him work on improving us. When we show this little bit of faith, accept His forgiveness and let Him into our lives, He is pleased.
When we show others the forgiveness He has shown us, we are displaying our faith in Him. Unwillingness to forgive, bitterness and resentment are all barriers to true faith. They keep us from enjoying all that God has for us. We can best display our faith in God by forgiving those who have hurt us, just as He has forgiven us.
(All Scripture is KJV)
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