“Answer me when I call to you, O God who declares me innocent. Free me from my troubles. Have mercy on me and hear my prayer.” Psalm 4:1
I am innocent not because I’ve never done anything wrong but because Jesus has paid my debt and God, the Just Judge, has declared me innocent. We’re also not declared innocent because we have managed to remember all our sins and sought forgiveness for each one. In John’s letter, we read, “But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).
As we seek to live in a way that pleases God, we’re living in the light. Therefore, we’re cleansed from all sin. While Jesus’ death on the cross was a one-time event that happened in history, the ongoing effect is that we constantly receive forgiveness. When Jesus died, all of my sins were in the future, but for Old Testament characters like David, all of their sins were before Jesus’ death on the cross. However, God is outside time, so when Jesus died it was for all time. In Hebrews we read, “For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time” (Hebrews 10:10). “All time” meaning past, present and future. The adequacy of Christ’s death is remarkable in its scope across time.
Even though he’s declared innocent, David still asks God for mercy and to treat him better than he deserves. While we seek to live in a way that pleases God, we don’t always do so. Yet God knows the intentions of our hearts and continues to cleanse us from sin.
Let’s pray
Thank you Lord for the sufficiency of Jesus’ sacrifice. Right now, I acknowledge I am innocent.
In Jesus’ name
Amen
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