Lakewood Blog

NT Connect: 1 John 1:5-10

Weekly Reading: 2 Samuel 13-17

Forgiveness

How far we’ve fallen since God’s covenant with David in 2 Samuel 7! Since that promise, David seduced Bathsheba and murdered her husband. Then, sin rushes through David’s family like a raging infection. One of his sons raped his own sister, and then another son, Absalom, murdered that brother to avenge his sister. Not content with the murder of his brother, Absalom began a war of rebellion against his own father, David. 

Perhaps the deadliest of sins from these chapters was not what was done but what was left undone. Did you notice how David reacted to the incestuous rape of his daughter? Look again at 2 Samuel 13:21, “When David heard all of these things, he was very angry.” He was furious – how could he not be? But he did not act. He had the authority as king to bring justice to this situation – to bring justice to his own daughter, but he did nothing. Did the guilt of his own sexual sin paralyze him? Did he fear being seen as a hypocrite? Whatever the reason, sin was left unpunished, and as a result, his family and his nation were left in ruins.

Sin is infectious. It is a cancer that destroys both ourselves and those we love. We lie to ourselves if we think any sin is private. Every one of our sins affects those around us. Sin has deadly consequences for us and for those we love.

Thus, our sin must be dealt with. We cannot hide our sin as David tried to do with Bathsheba. We cannot ignore our sin as David did with Amon. Nor can we be like Absalom and keep feeding our sinful thoughts, growing angrier and angrier until we burst.

We can only deal with our sin by taking it to the cross. At the cross, God has dealt with our sin. At the cross, God is both just and the justifier. He punishes sin and promises forgiveness. Christ took on our guilt and punishment in order that we might have his righteousness. God does not merely cover up our sin and pretend it never happened. He does not ignore it, acting as though it were harmless. Instead, the Lord punishes our sin. Jesus Christ bore the wrath and the punishment of God for sinners like you and me. Out of his great love for us, the Father sent his Son to be the sacrifice for sin.

We look to Christ, we confess our sin, and the Lord forgives us and heals us. The Apostle John reminds us, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Sin must be dealt with, and God in Christ dealt with our sin on the cross. 

We all stand in need of forgiveness, but the Lord stands freely offering that forgiveness through Christ his Son. Look to the cross for the forgiveness of your sins and the hope of everlasting life.

John Morrison