"there has only ever been one perfect man, the Lord Jesus, and we killed him. I only missed a putt."
Psalm 99
ForgivenLORD our God, you answered them; you were to Israel a forgiving God. Psalm 99:8
The Psalm presents God as king and calls on all people to worship him because he is holy. He is presented as king of the world (1-3), king of Israel (4-5) and as king of the individual (6-9). Three times we are reminded that God is holy, a reference to moral majesty. God loves justice. His reign – in contrast to earthly kings and leaders - is characterized by righteousness, justice, equity and fairness. The natural reaction to such a God is to praise his name and ‘worship at his footstool’. (v 5).
Verse 8 is an important reminder of a point which Israel throughout their history often learned the hard way, that God’s holiness is a two-edged sword. God forgives but he also punishes sin. ‘It is this co-existence of God’s judgment and grace, so incomprehensible to the human mind, this insight into the real nature of a God who takes sin just as seriously as the forgiveness of sins, which is the innermost core of God’s holiness’. (Arthur Weiser)
Being forgiven is the ground zero of our faith. – the source of our joy, assurance and perseverance.
Forgiveness of sins is at the centre of our faith, so how do we avoid the danger of not taking sin seriously enough?