Our greatest problem is not sickness, hardship or even death, but something we carry beyond death – the silent burden of guilt. Only the forgiveness of God can eradicate guilt and here is how God has made this possible, and how we may be reconciled with Him.
‘I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake and will not remember thy sins.’
Our subject, very simply, is ‘everyone has an invisible burden.’ Without exception. And this is the greatest problem of human beings, the heaviest burden of all. All human burdens, heavy as they may be, pass by. Sickness, injury, even death. All these things have, for most, only a certain duration. But there’s a problem which lasts and which you take into eternity with you. And it is the problem of the burden of sin, of guilt. What is the difference between sin and guilt? Sin is the act and guilt is the stain, the record that is left behind. Sin is the deed, guilt the record of that sin. And that is the greatest burden.
In this verse, it’s interesting because it is as if the record of sin is a great scroll. The illustration is implicit. I, even I, am he that blots out thy transgressions, rubs them out, rubs out the record. So the picture in mind is a great scroll with all sin recorded, every deed. What a massive record that must be for everyone for breaches of God’s law, for sins against God, for sins against fellow human beings, not only acts and deeds, but that constantly running program of sin, the state of heart.
It’s not just that human beings lie, it’s that they are by state liars. It’s not only that we do proud things, it’s that the state and condition that we’re in is that of proud people. We are proud. So it’s not just the deeds, it’s the continuous running record of our state or condition of sin.
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