Thoughts on Discipleship by Dr. W. A. Dillard - HTML preview

SIN, INIQUITY, TRANSGRESSION, A MORAL VACUUM

“I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess

my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.” Psalm 32:5.

Whoa! Hold on there! Wrongdoing is wrongdoing isn’t it? That is a good question, but while it is recognized that all manner of sin is wrongdoing, we must also learn that we are helped in coping with our nature by understanding biblical categories of wrongdoing. So we look at portions of scripture such as Psalm 32:5 and wonder: is David doing double talk, or is there a lot to learn from these selected terms? Let us take a closer look.

David said: “I acknowledge my sin unto thee…” Sin, in the ancient language of the Hebrews, is “Chattah” and means to miss the goal or mark of duty. It also connotes the acquisition of resultant guilt from missing said mark or goal. It is perhaps the best umbrella word for all things wrong, but may be rightfully used to designate the result of other specific acts of wrongdoing, for whatsoever is not of faith is sin, or missing the mark, or the goal of God’s plan for one’s life.

David went on to say: “. . . and mine iniquity have I not hid. . .” Iniquity in the Hebrew language is “Avaw,” meaning to bend, twist, or distort. In Greek of the New Testament, it is “Anomia,” meaning no law or contemptuous of law, willingly ignorant of law (God’s laws in particular) in favor of one’s own views. This is as the old saying, “My mind is made up, please don’t confuse me with the facts.” It is an apt description of today’s diverse “Christian” world.

David continued to say: “. . . I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord. . .” Transgression in Hebrew is “Pasha.” It means to revolt; to rebel. This term denotes that one has a proper understanding of law, especially God’s law, and rejects it for what is more humanly palatable. In the New Testament Greek, it is “Parabasis” and means the same thing as the Hebrew term.

David concluded: “. . . and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah” Just stop and think about that!

So, in expanded, modern language, David said: “I own up to missing God’s goal for my life, and I will lay open the substituting of God’s ways through willful ignorance, and in favor of my own. I said I will confess my rebellion, and revolt against God’s Word, and You forgave my forging ahead in my own judgment willingly ignoring Yours, which constitutes my missing the mark or goal that You have for my life. Selah! (Just stop and think about that!)” What a great and wonderful God we have

FOR THOUGHT: What do you think of the distinct categories of wrong doing that David expressed in Psalm 32:5? Can you identify your specific participation in all three? Which of these three do you believe to be most common among church folks?