God's Grace Makes Our Repentance Make Sense

Psalm 130:3-4 (NASB95): “LORD, if you kept a record of our sins, who, O Lord, could ever survive? But you offer forgiveness, that we might learn to fear you.”

This is a line in one of what was called a “Song of Ascents.” It was a song celebrated while heading to Jerusalem to come together on an annual occasion as God had commanded Israel. It was a song of remembrance of the precious promises of God’s mercies given to the people. Reader, the whole of God’s work among his people has always been a presentation of his grace and grace alone in this fallen world. They knew it too and they sang about it…a lot. From the start, God’s dealings with Adam, Cain, Noah, Abraham (especially clear), Moses (him too, absolutely), etc., were always works of his grace. God’s covenant with Israel was always one of unmerited grace. You could no more “earn” God’s grace in Moses than you could today in Jesus! Both the Law and the Gospel now work together to reveal God’s grace in the lives of those who’ve done nothing to deserve it. The Psalmist here says that no one could stand if God were to judge them while singing also of his forgiveness. But this all still prompts me to ask a question when I read this line of the Psalm.

Question: if you felt that nothing you did could ever please God, would you care to try to? Think about it in terms of parenting. If a child feels they could never please a parent, they would soon stop trying to wouldn’t they? It is precisely the opportunity of mercy that makes love with God worthwhile. A self-righteous man at this point may same something seemingly pious like, “I would serve God even if it meant hell at the end” but this isn’t the reality of service for a single Christian so it’s a meaningless phrase. Reader, there is the potential of grace with God for anyone reading this. That’s why you should fear him. That grace is why you should repent. You should turn to Jesus in repentance because he loves and will welcome all who do so.

The Psalmist says it well in two parts here. Part one- if God were to simply hold a person accountable for their sin, no one would pass the test. No one would be guiltless. There would therefore be no point in repentance because God would accept no one on the grounds of their own standing. James writes: “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.” James 2:10. This was true in the Psalmist’s Days as well as the days of James. Sin once and in a very real sense it’s as if you’ve broken all of the Law, and you too need God’s grace. This reality was not lost on God. He was under no delusion before the Fall in imagining a world where even some people would be guiltless. No, he knew that the Fall in Adam would result in a completely spoiled humanity. His plan for Creation included this reality. But he will forgive a sea of humanity so large no creature could number it. Are you to be one of them?

In part two, the Psalmist says that God offers forgiveness and thus is feared. God afflicts is children to restore his children. He gives his Law and his grace to them. He calls men to repent because he accepts their repentance. The Psalmist understands this. In the lives of all his readers, there is this offer of grace in life. God offers grace and so he is to be feared. Take him up on his offer of grace. Turn to him and he will receive you. There is grace with God. So fear him. He does accept. He does pardon. He does wash. He does bless abundantly.

God bless!!!