"Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin" (Rom, 4:7-8).
THOUSANDS of persons are harassed and perplexed, and kept in doubt and uncertainty in their souls, through not apprehending the blessed truth that the Lord will not impute sin to the believer.
If you ask whether they believe in the Lord. Jesus Christ, they answer readily in the affirmative, but yet have no lasting peace. On conversing with them further, you find the reason is that they thought that when they believed they were forgiven, and that for the future they would be able to keep from sin altogether. But, again and again, they discover that through unwatchfulness they allow things which they hate, and sin in thought, word, or deed. Satan immediately accuses; the conscience is defiled; despair seizes the soul; they think they Cannot be forgiven, or converted after all.
Now, how is all this? Would God have his people in such misery day after day?
Surely not. It arises simply through unbelief, through not taking God wholly at His word, and being occupied with self instead of Christ.
God not only forgives the poor guilty sinner all his sins, the moment he truly believes on the Lord Jesus Christ, but never will impute sin to him at all.
This seems too good to be true to many a troubled soul, but it is the word of God, the word of Him who cannot lie, that declares it.
Believing it gives peace, present and lasting.
Let me give you an illustration.
Supposing you dwelt in a house at the yearly rent of ₤20, and your landlord again and again called for the year's rent that was due, and you had no money to pay, you would find yourself in a great strait. You say to the landlord, "Will you kindly let me off?”
“No," he replies,” I must have my money; you must pay me my due." “But I have nothing to pay with." “Then you must take the consequences," he rejoins. But suppose the landlord's son, heir to his father's immense estate, steps in and offers to pay the money for you. The landlord accepts the payment, and offers you a receipt. You believe his word, you accept the receipt, and you are at rest about the matter.
But time runs on, and you continue to dwell in the house, still having no money.
Every day gets you deeper and deeper into debt again. Month after month runs on, and rent day is again approaching. Though at rest about the past year's rent, you have no peace as to the present or future, and live in constant dread of being imprisoned for debt.
But suppose further, that when the landlord's son paid the past rent, he also handed to his father on your behalf, say £50,000; a sum very much greater than the whole house is worth. What says the landlord to his tenant now? Why, he not only gives him a receipt for the past rent, but also signs a paper to say, that as all his claims have been perfectly met, an amount far exceeding the whole value of the house being paid, the tenant shall henceforth live entirely rent free; adding, that, as the said tenant has been so kindly dealt with, the landlord expects that he in return will do all he can to protect the house, and preserve it from damage of every kind.
What is the result? The landlord is perfectly satisfied, the tenant at perfect rest.
Now rent day may come round again, but it is no longer a source of dread or fear to the tenant. The landlord might knock at the door on the very day, still he is perfectly undisturbed about the rent. He may not have a farthing in the house, and yet is glad to see him. Nothing can render the signed paper null or void. There is no imputation, no reckoning of rent against you. The landlord never has a thought of making any further demand. It would be an act of injustice on his part. If you do not accept the paper, or will not believe that the kind friend has paid the money, that is your fault. If you cannot pay yourself, and will not accept the payment made by another, you must take the consequences.
But, perhaps, you reply, “Wont the landlord come down on me for the rent if I break a window, or damage the paint?" No, you are rent free forever. “But will he not say anything at all if I were to do such a thing?”
If after you have received such kindness you should act so badly, and the landlord is sure to see or hear of it, you will have a very bad conscience, and be very unhappy until you have expressed your sorrow to him and received his forgiveness. But still there is no reckoning of rent. "Well," you reply, “that is grace beyond all I expected." It would be, indeed, but yet even this falls very far short of the rich provision of God's grace in the Gospel.
The sinner owes to God for his sins, but has nothing to pay with, absolutely nothing; he is a beggar, utterly penniless. When he wakes up to the fact that he has to answer for his sins (and, dear reader, if you have never been aroused to this fact, may you be so now) he asks God in mercy to forgive him. But God says, payment most be made. The sinner cannot pay; then he must take the awful consequences. And what are they? “The wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6:2323For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)). After death the judgment (Heb. 9:2727And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: (Hebrews 9:27)). After judgment the lake of fire (Rev. 20:12-1512And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:12‑15)).
Guilty sinner, think of your awful doom, if you die in your sins, DEATH, JUDGMENT, and THE LAKE OF FIRE.
But God has a Son, His only-begotten, His well-beloved, and He has made payment with His precious blood (Heb. 9:2222And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. (Hebrews 9:22)). “God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son" (John 3:1616For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)). Jesus died and rose again, and is now seated in glory as Lord and Christ (Acts 2:30-3630Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; 31He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. 32This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. 33Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. 34For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, 35Until I make thy foes thy footstool. 36Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. (Acts 2:30‑36)). Believe on Him, and your sins are forgiven. “Through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins" (Acts 13:3838Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: (Acts 13:38)). Do you believe? You reply, "Yes." What then? “Oh! I am happy, my sins are forgiven, God says so." Then go on your way rejoicing.
But to-morrow comes; next week, next month comes; and though you had the joy of forgiveness, resting on God's word, you are still troubled, because you find you still sin. You are at times unwatchful; you yield to temper or irritation; you speak or act unwisely; the conscience is defiled; there is no settled peace. This is the experience of thousands. Listen, dear reader, if this be your case, listen. Christ not only put away your past sins by His precious blood, but so perfectly glorified God about the whole question of sin, that God will never impute or reckon it to you again.
The blood of Christ (which God Himself calls precious) is of such value and efficacy before God, that the moment you believe, your sins are all forgiven; God will remember them no more. You are justified from all things; in Christ; and there is now no condemnation (2 Cor. 5:1717Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17); Rom. 8:11There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (Romans 8:1)). Not only is the past rent paid, but you are rent free; your past sins are gone, and God will never lay sin to your charge again. Blessed, blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin; or, whose sin the Lord will not at all reckon to him.
Dear reader, can you say, That blessed man means me?
And now, saith the Scripture, “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid; “far be the thought. What! set to breaking the windows because you are rent free! Shocking conduct indeed! But, perhaps, some one may say, “My difficulty is, I keep on doing what I know to be wrong, though I don't want to do it. Do you mean to say God will not reckon it to me? “If you do evil, you will be unhappy.” But if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous "(1 John 2:22And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:2))." If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness “(1 John 1:99If 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)).
The blood of Christ never needs to be reapplied, but is ever under the eye of God for the believer.
He is viewed before God in Christ forever, sin never imputed. “Christ was delivered for our offenses, and raised again for our justification. Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 4:25; 5:125Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. (Romans 4:25)
1Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: (Romans 5:1)). Your joy and communion will be hindered whenever you sin afresh, but where there is self-judgment, real and true confession, God means what He says. “He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:99If 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)).
To return to our illustration. If the tenant break the window, he does not think that the landlord will charge him with the rent of the house; the signed paper assures him to the contrary; but he is unhappy until he has judged the wrong, and owned it to him. So also, when the believer does wrong, God does not want him to think that He will judge him for all his sin; the Scriptures prove the contrary, and assures us there is no imputation of sin.
But he will surely be unhappy, until true heart-felt confession has taken place before God.
I might add much more as to God's dealings in government with those of His children who trespass on His grace, failing to judge them-selves (1 Cor. 11:26-3226For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come. 27Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. 29For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. 30For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. 31For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. 32But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. (1 Corinthians 11:26‑32)). Also I might speak of the blessed and soul- assuring truth, that God not only does not impute sin, but does impute righteousness, and that without works, to those who believe (Rom. 4:6-116Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, 7Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. 8Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. 9Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. 10How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. 11And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also: (Romans 4:6‑11)). But this would lengthen our paper beyond our immediate object.
E. H. C.