You can’t get there from here
You can’t get there from here
Psalm 103:12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
One of the things getting older provides, other than aches and pains, is perspective. You have a longer view of life’s journey than you did when you were 20 and thought you knew everything. Sometimes this perspective manifest itself as wisdom. Most bible scholars believe David wrote Psalm 103 during the later stages of his life. He now had the ability to view his past sins through the lens of God’s forgiveness. So here’s a strange question for you. Where were David’s sins located? During the initial stages of repentance our sins feel very fresh and close to us. As time passes we begin to have perspective regarding these past offences. So back to my question. Whether the sin was forgiven 2 minutes or 20 years ago, positionally speaking where are they located? Well to steal a line from a joke of which I can’t remember, “You can’t get there from here.”
How far is the east from the west? Even with our fancy modern day technology, you cannot measure something that is infinite in nature. If David understood this through his faith and long life shouldn’t we have an even better perspective being on this side of the cross? We have over 2,000 years of perspective and very clear Biblical truth regarding forgiveness. Yet we treat our forgiven sins like the old Randy Travis song “Digging up Bones.” If we continue to dig up the bones of our past forgiven sins then it will become our identity. The people we hurt do not have the ability to view our sins the way God does. What allows you to make an amends with those you have hurt is to stand on the promises that positionally speaking the sins are not here. If who you are is what you have done then you will not be able to hear and experience the pain your sins caused others. If who you are is based upon Christ’s performance and redemptive work then you can sit beside the pain of others of which your sin inflicted with compassion and understanding. You don’t have to wait until the end of your life to gain perspective and wisdom regarding your sins and forgiveness. Ask God’s Spirit to provide this understanding and humbly walk in agreement with His truth.
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Jonathan Jones, President and Founder of Perfect Hope Ministry
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