Psalm 32
"when I kept silent"
It is noteworthy that the first sign of the Fall was hiding from God. Shame was the first symptom of our transgression.
Psalm 32 begins with this hiding, the fear of exposure:
When I kept silent, my bones became brittle
from my groaning all day long.
For day and night your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was drained
as in the summer’s heat.
The secret keeps taking its toll. Eventually, confession is made:
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
and you forgave the guilt of my sin.
The confession brings relief and joy. The catharsis of coming clean before God:
How joyful is the one
whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered!
How joyful is a person whom
the Lord does not charge with iniquity
and in whose spirit is no deceit!
I think it's noteworthy how, in the Old Testament, there isn't a whole lot of metaphysical mechanics involved in God's forgiveness. No great theory of atonement is floated about how God needs to jump through some hoops to remit our sin. All that seems necessary is honesty and confession. "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise" (Ps. 51.17). Admitting our guilt. I think of David's response to Nathan's confrontation: "You are the man!" Once David owns his sin his relationship with God is restored. Yes, there are consequences, but honesty mends the relationship.
Perhaps it is that simple. The sin is easily dealt with, but it's the hiding, lying, avoidance, denial, silence and obfuscation that is killing us.
Maybe all God wants from us is the truth.
Great post. I run a recovery meeting that is based on the simple concept of confession and forgiveness. We spend the first half of the meeting in self-examination in preparation for a time of silent confession to God. The second half of the meeting begins with a proclamation of forgiveness, followed by some reflections on the implications of being forgiven.
It is a powerful pattern, one summarized by Jesus' message to "repent and believe".
My church body emphasizes the "Great Exchange" on the cross as the purest form of gospel. However, Jesus doesn't spend a lot of time breaking down the metaphysics of forgiveness. He says simple things like, "neither do I condemn you," or "your faith has healed you." Faith in what, exactly? Not the great exchange. Because it hadn't happened yet. Nor does Jesus explain it in the moment.
And then you have Peter so confused about the metaphysics of forgiveness that he appears to be positively screaming at Jesus that he won't let the crucifixion happen on his watch. [But, we and the rooster all know how that went)
Jesus disposition to love and forgive is so ingrained, and so unconditional, that even understanding how it works isn't a condition to receiving it.
Coming clean about sin is an act of faith in the grace and mercy of God, acknowledging that I can't save myself and putting myself, in fear and trembling, in the hands of the One I most want to hide from, to deal with me as He will. This kind of faith in God is honored in both Testaments, no matter the implicit atonement theories behind it.