By Jeremy Bell
God gives so much freedom to people, the expressions of honoring Him are endlessly creative. Because of the broken relationship with Him in this existence, there is often disagreement about those expressions. It is important to remember that there are many agreements about God among all believers. While expressions of teaching, reproof, correction, training, and application may vary, the fundamental truths are agreed on. When believers remember Jesus as their source of truth and the fundamentals of what this means, they are more easily united in celebrating their diverse expressions. Teaching, reproof, correction, and training can be administered in love.
In Psalm 51 there is support that people have the ability to do good things during their lives, but they are unable to repair or establish relationship with God. God alone reaches out. All people from all of time need Gods help. The human condition is desperate. Salvation is only by grace through faith alone. God forgives trespass in the work of Jesus, and if we confess our sins, in Christ, forgiveness is given by grace. The church is made up of individual believers, individual sin confessors. The preached gospel is the means to salvation and every believer is under the commission to do it. If we confess our sins, and we are gifted forgiveness, we are under command to tell others this good news. Of these things all Christians agree.
(Motif groupings from my book, Psalms in Motif Visualization)
[ Psalm 51 ]
For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David, when Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.
Have mercy on me, God, according to your loving kindness.
According to the multitude of your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity.
Cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions.
My sin is constantly before me.
Against you, and you only, I have sinned,
and done that which is evil in your sight,
so you may be proved right when you speak,
and justified when you judge.
Behold, I was born in iniquity.
My mother conceived me in sin.
Behold, you desire truth in the inward parts.
You teach me wisdom in the inmost place.
Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean.
Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness,
that the bones which you have broken may rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all of my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God.
Renew a right spirit within me.
Don’t throw me from your presence,
and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation.
Uphold me with a willing spirit.
Then I will teach transgressors your ways.
Sinners will be converted to you.
Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, the God of my salvation.
My tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
Lord, open my lips.
My mouth will declare your praise.
For you don’t delight in sacrifice, or else I would give it.
You have no pleasure in burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit.
O God, you will not despise a broken and contrite heart.
Do well in your good pleasure to Zion.
Build the walls of Jerusalem.
Then you will delight in the sacrifices of righteousness,
in burnt offerings and in whole burnt offerings.
Then they will offer bulls on your altar.
[ Romans 3: 3 – 6, 20-26 ]
What if some are without faith? Will their lack of faith nullify the faithfulness of God? May it never be! Yes, let God be found true, but every man a liar. As it is written,
“that you might be justified in your words,
and might prevail when you come into judgment.”
But if our unrighteousness commends the righteousness of God, what will we say? Is God unrighteous who inflicts wrath? I speak like men do. May it never be! For then how will God judge the world? Because by the works of the law, no flesh will be justified in his sight; for through the law comes the knowledge of sin. But now apart from the law, a righteousness of God has been revealed, being testified by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all those who believe.
For there is no distinction, for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; whom God sent to be an atoning sacrifice, through faith in his blood, for a demonstration of his righteousness through the passing over of prior sins, in God’s forbearance; to demonstrate his righteousness at this present time; that he might himself be just, and the justifier of him who has faith in Jesus.
[ Colossians 2: 13 – 15 ]
You were dead through your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh. He made you alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, wiping out the handwriting in ordinances which was against us. He has taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross. Having stripped the principalities and the powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
[ Luke 15: 3-10 ]
Jesus told people this parable. “Which of you men, if you had one hundred sheep, and lost one of them, wouldn’t leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one that was lost, until he found it? When he has found it, he carries it on his shoulders, rejoicing. When he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ I tell you that even so there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance.”
“Or what woman, if she had ten drachma coins, if she lost one drachma coin, wouldn’t light a lamp, sweep the house, and seek diligently until she found it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the drachma which I had lost.’ Even so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner repenting.”
God Desires, He Does Not Need
God is Self-Sufficient. He maintains Himself independently of outside aid. God does not need anything or anyone. He does not need money; God does not need food. He does not even need worship. God is such that who He is, is who He is in completeness. What God has created is for His pleasure and His glory, not out of need. The human condition in sin is desperate, who can earn salvation? No one. God alone reaches out; God alone has accomplished all that is necessary to reconcile and redeem people. It is by the grace of God alone, through faith in Jesus, His son, that one is forgiven and saved for His purposes and pleasure. If we confess our sins, He is just and faithful to forgive them.
There is joy in in the presence of the angels over a person repenting, or fully turning to God. How much more the joy in that person who proclaims God’s grace in a message of good news. How much more the joy in the congregation of the saved. Sacrifices of thanksgiving and offerings of total surrender and commitment to God. These are not offerings of earned payment for deeds, these are thank offerings for the gift of life, though death was earned. If we confess our sins to the Father in Jesus, these become offerings in unity, in communion, with the people of God, and with the Jesus, the Nature of Joy.
Resources and Notes
All scripture in this article is from the WORLD ENGLISH BIBLE (WEB). The World English Bible (WEB) is a Public Domain (no copyright) Modern English translation of the Holy Bible. The World English Bible is based on the American Standard Version of the Holy Bible first published in 1901, the Biblia Hebraica Stutgartensa Old Testament, and the Greek Majority Text New Testament.
For more related to this blog, check out my post on Unity in the Bible Truths About God.
This is a reliable translation, but it is always good to read other translations as well. Biblegateway.com has a multitude of translations to read from. It is a great resource.
Another great resource is Biblehub.com. There are multiple translations, commentaries, and so much more. Great research can be done on this platform.
One more I use regularly is Gotquestions.org. This is a great site to answer questions and find threads of related questions.
There are many resources. The key is that God wants relationship directly with you, the individual. His primary source for revealing who He is and growing in intimacy is His word, the scriptures. Don’t just read for instruction. Analyze and read for understanding. Explore, ask questions, and be transformed in Jesus every moment you possibly can. There is no dispute this is a key desire of God. People are brough to the Father, in the Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit. This… This is the Nature of Joy.
Jeremy is an author, musician, and business intelligence manager. His mission is to equip and encourage those in Christ, to equip and encourage others in Christ. Jesus, Christ, is the Nature of Joy and melody of the heart. Jeremy unites business analytics (business intelligence), songs, and Scripture for Christian living in the power of the Holy Spirit.