2 Samuel 24:10 I have sinned greatly in what I have done; but now, I pray, O Lord, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly.
The first and greatest Benefit for believers is, without a doubt, Forgiveness. Who forgives all our iniquities. (Psalm 103:3) Without it, we are doomed to a life of bondage and torment in the natural and eternity in Hell in the spirit. The Word of God speaks of both sin and iniquity. Jesus went to the Cross of Calvary so we may be forgiven of both but is important for us to understand the difference between the two.
SIN is rebellion against God. This includes thoughts, words and actions. The Apostle Paul wrote: for whatever is not of faith is sin. (Romans 14:23) Billy Graham described sin in this manner: A sin is any thought or action that falls short of God’s Will. God is perfect, and anything we do that falls short of His perfection is sin. The Bible actually uses a number of examples or “word pictures” to illustrate what this means. For example, it tells us that sin is like an archer who misses the target. He draws back his bow and sends the arrow on its way, but instead of hitting the bull’s eye, it veers off course and misses the mark. The arrow may only miss it a little bit or it may miss it a great deal, but the result is the same: The arrow doesn’t land where it is supposed to. The same is true of sin. God’s Will is like the center of that target, and when we sin, we fall short of His Will or miss the mark. And this is something we do every day; as the Bible says, For all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God. (Romans 3:23). Even when we aren’t aware of it, we commit sin by the things we do (or fail to do), or by the way we think.
INIQUITY addresses the character of the person. It goes far deeper than the act of sin. It is the reason or motive for the sin. The Hebrew word for iniquity is “avon.” It means to bend, twist, distort or pervert. Iniquity is when we purposefully bend, twist, distort or pervert the Word of God. This action stems from the intent of self gain or self righteousness. Iniquity is the willing transgression of God’s Divine Law rooted in one’s own desire for self gain. The root of all iniquity is pride.
Generational sin is founded in iniquity. We acknowledge, O Lord, our wickedness and the iniquity of our fathers, for we have sinned against You. (Jeremiah 14:10) Personal acknowledgment of our iniquity is required to be Delivered from it. We must admit that our hearts are not right and our motives not pure before God. As long as the iniquity remains, the sin will continue.
However, God made this Promise: I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against Me, (Jeremiah 33:8) Only God can change the wicked heart of man. When we come to Him in true, sincere repentance and want to change, He will do it!
David sought the deliverance of his iniquity. He knew his heart was evil and he understood that it was due to his iniquity that he committed all those sins against God. And so he prayed, Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. (Psalm 51:10) Let this be our prayer today.
Only God can……….turn the tide………..in your life.
Create in me a clean heart oh God, Doreen
