Mourning Over Your Sin

Human sorrow is mourning over some tragic or disappointing turn of events. At such times believers are assured of God's sustaining and comforting grace (2 Cor. 1:3-4). But when Jesus said, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted" (Matt. 5:4), He was referring to godly sorrow, which is mourning over your sin.

"Mourn" in Matthew 5:4 translates the strongest Greek word used in the New Testament to express grief. It is often used of the passionate lament expressed over the loss of a loved one (e.g., Mark 16:10). David was expressing that kind of sorrow over his sin when he wrote, "When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night Thy hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer" (Ps. 32:3-4). His grief and despair made him physically ill.

At that point David wasn't a happy person, but the blessing godly sorrow brings isn't found in the sorrow itself, but in God's response to it. As Paul said to the Corinthians, "I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God. . . . For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation; but the sorrow of the world produces death" (2 Cor. 7:9-10, emphasis added). Godly sorrow is the path to repentance and forgiveness.

After David confessed his sin he proclaimed with great joy, "How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit!" (vv. 1-2). When you understand that your sins are forgiven, you are a happy person!

How do you deal with your sins? Do you deny and try to hide them, or do you mourn over them and confess them (cf. Prov. 28:13)?

If you have allowed some sin to rob you of your happiness, don't let it continue a moment longer. Like David, confess your sin and know the joy of forgiveness.

Why mourn over your sin when God in the New Covenant says, "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more" (Hebrews 8:12)? And again, "their sins and iniquities will I remember no more" Hebrews 10:17.

As it is written, "the just [righteous] shall live by faith" [not works] Habakkuk 2:4. And again, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believes; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith." Rom 1:16-17. And again, "they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ” Rom. 5:17.

The ministry of the Holy Spirit and us in not to remind people of their sins or have them focus on their sins which were fully judged and condemned 2000 years ago on the body Jesus Christ in his perfect sacrifice on the cross. Reminding us of our sins is Satan's job and he's very good at it. Been at it for thousands of years. Our ministry is to remind people of the free forgiveness forever they have in Jesus Christ.

And all things are of God, who has reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and has committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

2 Cor 5:18-21.

Jesus became sin for us so sin is no longer the issue and we are the righteousness of God in Christ a gift. The only issue today is Christ, not sin, because Jesus put sin away forever by his perfect work on the cross. We who have received Christ are the righteousness of God as a gift, not by our works.

As the word of God commands, tell the world, "In Christ you have full forgiveness of sins forever. He loves you. Come to him."

Godly sorrow leads to repentance and that is for unbelievers to come to Christ.

And as the Lord reveals sin in our lives that we need to deal with, then that should be dealt with an put behind us.

So, yes, dwelling on sin that is in the past and has been forgiven is not necessary and actually counter productive. Even worse, it takes our eyes off of Christ and keeps us from growing closer to Him because we are too self focused.

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