Forgiven

Psalm 32 presents a picture of what it is to be forgiven and what it is to not be.

NIV Psalm 32:1 Of David. A maskil.
Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.
2 Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.
3 When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Selah
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD"-- and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah
6 Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him.
7 You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.
9 Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.
10 Many are the woes of the wicked, but the LORD's unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him.
11 Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!


To be forgiven is to know freedom from sin, is to have your sins covered so that they cannot be seen. The sins are no longer counted against him, so that your sins are not only forgiven but they are forgotten (or are they???) Being forgiven means that there is nothing between you and God there is no impediment to relationship with God.
The person who is unforgiven is in pain, they groan they are wasting away. God's hand is heavy upon them, they seem to be completely affected by God's hand on them they are sapped of all strength, David compares it to the effect of the heat of summer. If I remember back to the 1st of January 2006 where it was 37 degrees in my Brother in Laws air conditioned house all you could do was think about the heat, the body was incapable of doing much else. The summer heat can be completely oppressive, and this is how I imagine David is describing the effect of knowing that he was unforgiven by GOd.
Although I think we know the feeling, when there is something between us and someone we love, it is hard to do much else until it is dealt with. Until you have asked for forgiveness or received forgiveness there isn't a great deal you can do with it. It is necessary that you be forgiven for the relationship to return to what it was before, it is important because without that you are stuck.

THe bridge from being unforgiven to being forgiven in the psalm is that David confessed his transgressions to the LORD, he acknowledged his sins to the LORD, he did not cover up his iniquities. Confession seems to be the answer, acknowledging himself as a sinner before the LORD led to his being forgiven.

Being forgiven is truly a wonderful status to have, I think status is a good way to think about it, abit like asking someone their marital status, you could ask someones status with God are they unforgiven or forgiven?

To be forgiven is wonderful because there you cannot be judged by God, you have been delivered, and with that Status God instructs and teaches, he counsels, he gives wisdom with which a person can live a person can live surrounded by GOd's unfailing love.

Thank God that he is a forgiving God.