When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. 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 (Psalm 32:3-5).
The psalmist, King David, doesn’t hold back in the verses quoted above.
He speaks plainly about what guilt over his unconfessed, unacknowledged sin was doing to him. Trying to hide it and trying to excuse his wrongdoing were eating him alive. His bones wasted away. His guilt weighed heavily on him. His strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.
Maybe you know well what David was experiencing. Maybe you’ve felt such guilt before. I know I have.
There’s no remedy for guilt that we can find in ourselves. There’s no lasting relief that we can gain from ignoring, avoiding, or excusing the wrongs we have done and the good we have failed to do.
But there is a remedy and lasting relief that we can find elsewhere, as David did.
“Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.’”
Confession is more than just the mumbled apology children rush through after they did something wrong. It’s a recognition brought about by God’s law working on our hearts. A recognition that what we did was wrong—sinful. A recognition that we are sinners, deserving nothing but God’s wrath and punishment for all eternity.
Confession is not simply about finding temporary relief for our guilty consciences. Recognizing that we’re wretched sinners in need of rescue, we long for God’s forgiveness. We long to know that we are at peace with God and are his dearly loved children. These are things we cannot earn or accomplish for ourselves by anything we do. And so, in Spirit-worked faith, we cry, “God, we’ve sinned. Have mercy on us!”
And God’s response?
As David wrote it so simply, so beautifully, “And you forgave the guilt of my sin.”
Coming after David’s vivid account of what guilt was doing to him, it’s an abrupt statement. But it’s the final word on the matter and needs no further explanation.
Our heavenly Father points to his Son Jesus and says, “You’re forgiven.”
It’s done. There’s nothing more to say.
In his Word and sacraments, God points us again and again to what Christ Jesus has done for us—the forgiveness he won for us by his perfect life, innocent death, and triumphant resurrection from the grave.
Our sins have been forgiven. Guilt has been taken away. Forgiveness and peace are ours. Heaven is our home. Not because we’ve earned or deserved it, but because of God’s grace, mercy, and love in Christ Jesus.
For Further Reading
The Heart of Faith: Reflections on Key Chapters of the Bible
Written by various authors, each chapter in this comforting book contains explanations of key themes that carry gospel comfort, including the forgiveness of sins, Jesus’ ministry and sacrifice, and our resurrection hope.
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Alex Brown is the marketing and content copywriter at Northwestern Publishing House and a 2023 graduate of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary with a Master of Divinity degree. He enjoys reading, writing, and spending time in God’s creation with his family.
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