4 magic little words...they unlock our hearts from fear, from cover-up, from hiding, from shame…these words are, I am a sinner.
Paul says it and then some in 1 Tim 1:15 – “…Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.”
David says it and then some in Psalms 32 and 51. In 51:3-4, he says that his sin “is ever before” him. Then in v. 4, he cries out, “Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You are justified when You speak and blameless when You judge.” He even goes on in v. 5 to trace his sinful lineage to his conception.
These are both godly men, upright in right. But they found as believers the freedom that comes with confessing one’s sins. When David stopped hiding his sin from God, he immediately found forgiveness (Psa 32:5). He rediscovered that God was his “hiding place” that preserves him from trouble (32:7).
The only way to truly open up your heart is to know that God does not count your sins against you (Psa 32:2). God unilaterally and completely gives grace in forgiveness and covering to the worst of the worst (Psa 32:1; 1 Tim 1:13-14).
When you know the freedom from guilt, shame, and condemnation that Christ provides through His blood, you can and want to be honest about who you really are. Usually, we present the best versions of ourselves to others because we’re afraid of what they’ll think. But when we’re believing in the forgiveness of Christ, we can say, “Who cares?” and be vulnerable about our sins. Why? Because in Christ, we’re justified. We’re adopted. We’re royal priests. It doesn’t matter what others think; I’m a perfectly righteous child of the King. And that status will never ever change.
The gospel liberates my soul to be the real me in front of others – my family, my church, my neighbors, and my God. Of course, this doesn’t mean liberation to sin or stagnation. But when we know the freedom from sin that Christ gives us, we don’t want to abuse it; we want to exploit it for His glory and for the good of others in love.
So, let the gospel of grace soak into your soul deeper still…until it fills your heart with confidence in Christ and joyful transparency before others.
