Sin is like that. It’s destructive. It comes in the trappings of fun and satisfaction, but it leaves with scars, scratches, and lasting stains. Sin never benefits its participants. Sin is a monster, bent on the destruction of the best thing God ever created, mankind.

In the 51st Psalm, David exercises his right to approach God and beg for His forgiveness. Oh, what a privilege. What a blessed prerogative our God has given us, that we can approach Him and know that He will hear. David’s plea is, finally, the plea of us all.

Create in me a clean heart, O God. Which of us has not made the same or a similar plea before His throne of grace? And often, too. Had you ever thought what a power it took for God to create in us a clean heart when we, out of lust and disdain for Him, have polluted and blighted our character with sin? It took the blood of His Son, Jesus. Without that shed blood there not only would be no possibility of forgiveness for David, but for us as well. Jesus is the propitiation for our sins (Rom. 3:25, 1 Jn. 2:2). Thanks be to God, we can have a clean heart by His grace.

Renew a right spirit within me. Sin takes away the good in a man. It causes irreparable damage so for as man is concerned. He can, of himself, do nothing about it. His conscience can have no relief through any efforts of his own; he is doomed to guilt with no peace. “Renew” is a strong, imploring cry. It attests to one’s recognition of his undone condition. It states, with shame and admission, the need for something better, something one once had before his flirtatious affair with immorality, weakness, and corruption. One can hardly consider a renewal without feeling some relief, some joy that something has been put back like it was. Only God can renew a right spirit within us. Only He can give us peace of mind, the sheer satisfaction that all is right between us and Him.

Cast me not away from thy presence. It’s a horrible thing, separation is. It indicates that something has separated us from what is good, that something has impeded our relationship, that something has happened to bring division between us and that which is advantageous for our well-being. To be banished from the presence of God is a horrible thought. It means that we must face eternity without advocacy, that we must stand alone at the judgment. What a horrible and devastating thought! But that’s what sin does. It separates man from His maker, it separates Him from His deliverance (Isa. 59:1-2). How horrible to be separated, and how devastating to know that you were “cast away,” like something that has no longer any value.

Restore in me the joy of thy salvation. Good news always brings joy. And the greatest joy of all is to know that you are right with God, that He recognizes you as His own, that you can go to Him with confidence. “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16). Oh, the joy of our salvation! How wonderful is the knowledge of forgiveness. What peace it produces, what relief, what unspeakable joy. We should never let the joy of our salvation diminish, but always keep it near. It is the source of meaningful peace, the expression of our contentment, the high statement of our happiness and satisfaction. All other blessings pale in its presence. It is the essential joy, the first one, the ultimate one.

Sin is horrible. Salvation is wonderful. In the contemplation of what we consider to be important in life, let us remain ever mindful, ever thankful, for our salvation. Let us consider—and often—the heinousness of sin and the price that was paid for our deliverance from it. And then let us, like David, say to Him, “Restore in me the joy of my salvation.”

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