Sin and forgiveness form a direct relationship. The higher one goes, the higher the other must go. The lower one goes, the lower the other must go. If we fail to see the weight of our sin, we will never see the beauty of God’s forgiveness. Conversely, the more we understand the gravity of our sin, the more we will grasp the depth of God’s forgiveness to us in Christ. This was the point of Jesus’ parable of the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18:21–35.

David penned Psalm 51 after Nathan’s confrontation of his sin. We see in the psalm that while David may have believed he had gotten away with his sins, they plagued him and destroyed his joy (vv. 8, 12, 14). Nathan’s confrontation was surely difficult for David, and the resulting death of his son was painful, but through all of the anguish of sin and its consequences, God reminded His servant of the delight of grace.

For those of us who have trusted in Christ, we, too, can experience the same. While we continue to sin and often face its consequences, we can always rest in the grace of God made known to us in Christ. As we grow in our understanding of the depth of our sin, we also grow in our understanding of the marvelous beauty of God’s grace.

How have you experienced the depth of God’s forgiveness and grace recently?