The Happiness of Confession - Psalm 32

Yesterday, we said that confession is good for the soul because it clears out our guilty fears and puts us back into fellowship with God through His forgiveness.

Especially when our unconfessed sins have led to God’s chastening of us, as it did in David’s life (32:3-4), the freedom and forgiveness that our confession brings makes us want to forsake our sins even more. And it makes us want to abide in Christ even more. The sweetness of being preserved by God and surrounded by His grace tastes so sweet (v. 7). It fills our hearts with joy.

When you realize how holy God is and how good He’s always been to and how wicked your sins are – especially the fact that you covered them up – you’re shattered by God’s forgiveness. You’re beside yourself with gratitude, with happiness. There’s nothing better in the world than to experience firsthand that God’s grace superabounds to us in our sins (Rom 5:20).

So, let me ask you this question that my friend likes to ask: When you have confessed your sin to God, do you feel forgiven? That’s a different question than, “Do you understand that you are forgiven?” You likely do. But do you feel the reality of divine forgiveness in your soul? Do you feel the joy of knowing that God does not impute your iniquity to your spiritual bank account because He’s imputed all of them to Christ?

When you realize the great transaction of your sin for Christ’s righteousness that happened at the cross and then was applied to you at your conversion (2 Cor 5:21), you start to sing. “How blessed I am!” You sing “songs of deliverance” that God has surrounded you with in the gospel (v. 7).

You didn’t have to lift a finger to have this done for you. There’s nothing you could do. God in Christ did it all for you. And each time you confess your sin God forgives you completely and instantaneously because Jesus Christ already paid for every single one of your sins at the cross.

That is how the cross, the gospel, works joy in our hearts. That is how you can feel forgiven after confession – when you confess your sins believing that in Christ you are forgiven. Not conditionally and not partially. But unconditionally and completely. Do you believe this?

If you do, you will feel forgiven. . . because in fact you are.

Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones; And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart – Psalm 32:11