Our sins were ever before Him

The science of our salvation is weighing the fear of God or forgetfulness of Him.

“For I acknowledge my transgressions” (Ps. 51:3).

“My sin is ever before me.” (Ps. 51:3).

The first step of the first step to justification and reconciliation with God: If we would never forget about sin, we would always fear to sin. In the correct context—that is, in the context of Jesus—sin needs to be ever before us. What sin does to Jesus and His Father must be our guide.

We have pet phrases, “the Christian life”, “the science of salvation”, and “victory over sin”. Psalm 51:3 is the first step of the first step of the first step in that science: acknowledging our sins with all the guilt and shame, and remembering our sins in the light of Gethsemane. In everything remembering Gethsemane and remembering the word of God.

“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee.” (Ps. 119:11).

“The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” (John 6:63).

When the word of Jesus enters, “the spirit that quickeneth” and “the flesh profiteth nothing” (John 6:63). When His words enter our heart, His blessed Spirit enters with them. His presence enters with His words.

“I have set the LORD always before me: because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.

For Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in Thy presence is fulness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” (Ps. 16:8-11).

This is the science of salvation. This is righteousness by faith. This is “the path of life” (Ps. 16:11). This is being “in Thy presence”. (Ps. 16:11).

“For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.” (Ps. 51:3).

“…[the scriptures] are they which testify of Me.” (John 5:39).

Do you want to see Jesus? Do you want more details about Jesus to meditate on and to love? Do you want to keep Him ever before you? Remember John 5:39. “[The scriptures] are they which testify of Me.” (John 5:39). The Law and the sacrifices were “a shadow of good things to come.” (Heb. 10:1). We must trust in the word of God, the Law of God, and gratefully savor each inspired drip of the water of life. We must let His Spirit bring the scripture to life, as they were when the Bible characters lived at the time written of. Then His Spirit will bring scripture to life in His life. And then as long as His word is in our heart, His Spirit will be in us. His words and life create faith and the power to obey; they create love for the Law, love for the scriptures. His words and Spirit in our spirit is the principle behind “the righteousness of faith” (Rom. 4:13), “the righteousness which is of faith” (Rom. 9:30), “righteousness by faith” (Gal. 5:5), “the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith.” (Rom. 1:17).

Faith comes by seeing Jesus. He is the great Creator of faith, the great Redeemer. His faith becomes our faith. His stance on obedience to His Father’s Law becomes our stance on obedience to His Father’s Law. His strong fear of God becomes our strong fear of God. His love of righteousness and victory over the love of sin become ours, because we see Jesus in His written word that comes into our mind and heart through His powerful Spirit.

In Psalm 51 you see David repenting. But, do you also see Jesus repenting? If all we were to see and hear is David, the words would mean almost nothing to us. If it were David’s experience, then yes, we have an example to follow. But it would be a dead example. What we need is God, not a human—a quickening Spirit more than a living soul. We need to love God, more than a human. Without seeing Jesus in it, David’s experience was his; but that’s the end of it. We need the same experience, but David cannot impart that experience. There is no Spirit of David to enter our heart. But there is “the Spirit of [God’s] Son [that influences our hearts to cry], Abba, Father.” (Gal. 4:6).

In himself David has nothing to offer us. But when we accept Jesus as the Son of God, that little seed of faith allows us to further see Jesus through the inspired experience and words of David. By David repenting of sin we see Jesus repenting of sin, David for his own sin, Jesus for our sins. Then we glean details and content of Jesus’ infinite sorrow. We learn what was happening in Gethsemane. “Then saith He unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death.” (Matt. 26:38). “The chastisement of our peace was upon Him.” (Isa. 53:5). His mind “was wounded for our transgressions”, His conscience “was bruised for our iniquities:” and “with His stripes we are healed.” (Isa. 53:5).

“For we are consumed by Thine anger, and by Thy wrath are we troubled.

Thou hast set our iniquities before Thee, our secret sins in the light of Thy countenance.” (Ps. 90:7,8).

“My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me? why art Thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?” (Ps. 22:1).

“For day and night Thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.

I acknowledged my sin unto Thee...” (Ps. 32:4,5).

“Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid Thine hand upon me.” (Ps. 139:5).

“He had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto Him that was able to save Him from [eternal] death, and was heard in that He feared.” (Heb. 5:7).

In the garden “He was oppressed, and He was afflicted.” (Isa. 53:7). All of our sin was before Him.

“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” (Isa. 53:6).

The sin of the world was ever before Jesus. His Father’s presence no longer shielded Him from the aggravating desolation that came with the sight and sound of it all. The lust of the flesh, the pride of sin, the emboldened daring to live ungodly before the all-seeing eye of the Judge of all the earth was destroying His peace. His Father’s Spirit without measure became a battle against Satan without measure. All that Satan has done to the children of Adam, he did to the Son of the Highest. Wickedness pressed itself in close from all sides. There was no escaping it. The Most High was laying on the Sacrifice infinite guilt and shame. “The wrath [was] come upon [Him] to the uttermost.” (1Thess. 2:16). He was “[being filled] up [with the world’s] sins always.” (1Thess. 2:16). He could not “be saved” (1Thess. 2:16) from any of it. He had no deliverance from the violence of our wickedness, “small and great, rich and poor, free and bond” (Rev. 13:16). He was not allowed to see “holiness and righteousness before Him, all the days of our life.” (Luke 1:75). All He could see was sin. “Sin is ever before me.” (Ps. 51:3). And it destroyed Him.

Jesus could identify with the plight of penitent sinners. For our sake and His He entered into our experience, infinitely dead to the flesh and only surviving the agony by His undying Spirit. While being tempted in every point the deceiver threw at Him, unto death without sin “He went and preached unto the spirits in prison.” (1Pet. 3:19).

“Have mercy upon Me, O God, according to Thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of Thy tender mercies blot out My transgressions.

Wash Me throughly from Mine iniquity, and cleanse Me from My sin.” (Ps. 51:1).

“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.

Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did My mother conceive Me.

Behold, Thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part Thou shalt make Me to know wisdom.

Purge Me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash Me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Make Me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which Thou hast broken may rejoice.

Hide Thy face from My sins, and blot out all Mine iniquities.” (Ps. 51:4-9).

“Create in Me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right Spirit within Me.

Cast Me not away from Thy presence; and take not Thy holy Spirit from Me.

Restore unto Me the joy of Thy salvation; and uphold Me with Thy free Spirit.

Then will I teach transgressors Thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto Thee.

Deliver Me from bloodguiltiness, O God, Thou God of My salvation: and My tongue shall sing aloud of Thy righteousness.

O Lord, open Thou My lips; and My mouth shall shew forth Thy praise.” (Ps. 51:10-15).

He intimately learned our griefs and infinitely carried our sorrows. As terrifying as that night and day were, He could not be our High Priest without it all. Without the eternal memory of Gethsemane to Golgotha, and of the infinite struggle of mind and the spiritual suffering of heart by His Advocate, Elohim the King could not be satisfied with infinite and eternal intercession. And without faith in Christ all we are left with is David another sinner, which is all that Babylon has to this day.

He took the beating of our consciences that abused that powerful soul to death. He was left fatherless and every nerve electrocuted, every synapse overdosed with judgment. And now He leaves our consciences a shelter from all our storms. In response to His mercy for our sakes our gratitude meekly says, “I shall go softly all my years in the bitterness of my soul.” (Isa. 38:15). The surrender of His newborn children to His breaking and humbling forever unites them to Him. “For which cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren.” (Heb. 2:11).

Now in the heavenly sanctuary, where He is still sanctifying and sealing His candidates for translation, “[our] sins are ever before [Him]”. Let’s allow that thought to give us perfect hatred for our sins, and open our souls to His correcting and perfecting. While our ever-present sin remains before our conscience, and we let Jesus take it all ever upon Himself also, ever before us and Him during this investigative judgment, we will bare it together going softly all the years of our life. Together. Us in Him in His Father, “one Spirit” (Eph. 4:4). “According to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love” (Eph. 3:16,17). “He that is joined unto the Lord is one Spirit.” (1Cor. 6:17).

Together Jesus and we carry His burden. Our yoke to come to and our cross to bear means togetherness with Jesus. “This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing.” (Isa. 28:12). The Son of man rules our Sabbath and the Latter Rain of His Spirit.

We will dwell with Him and He with us, in His house, no longer dwelling in ours.

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.” (Ps. 23:6).