Against Thee Only Have I Sinned

Minister:
Date: AM
Text: Psalm 51:4
Psalters: 166, 365, 143, 282
Sacrament of the Lord's Supper
  1. The meaning.
    1. This is not overstatement even though David did sin against Uriah and did injury to Israel before their enemies.
    2. The heart of every sin is that we are violating God’s will and doing injury to Him, our Father.
      1. Nothing would be a sin apart from it being against God, no matter how serious it may appear.
      2. A deed against a neighbor is a sin precisely because it is against God, a personal attack against His Person.
    3. When we recognize that sin is against God only, then we are truly confessing (otherwise we are not).
  2. David spoke of God’s sight - implying that the sight of others does not matter.
    1. The expression “in Thy sight” emphasizes that God is Judge as well as the one against whom we sin.
      1. God sees the sin against Himself and condemns it as wicked, and thus He punishes it.
      2. David’s sins expose him, the responsible and accountable one, to divine wrath and eternal condemnation.
    2. Real confession is the awareness of our heavenly Father seeing us, not other humans.
  3. While it is true that genuine confession of sin is the way we experience forgiveness and salvation, we must see that it is much more important that genuine confession of sin serves God.
    1. The first purpose of confession is that it makes us realize that God (against Whom sin is committed) is justified and vindicated.
    2. The second purpose of confession is God’s glory.
    3. Conclusion: genuine confession acknowledges God.