Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile…. 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 32:1-2, 5 (KJV) emphasis mine

This Psalm speaks of someone who has committed transgressions, sin, and iniquity against the Lord, but the Lord doesn’t leave him like that. With the Lord, we can find forgiveness. As we explore this topic of forgiveness, we should first define these three words in Psalm 32: transgression, sin, and iniquity.

Transgression

Transgression in the Hebrew means guilt, willful deviation from, and therefore rebellion against, the path of godly living. It speaks of crossing over a line, stepping over from right to wrong, rebelling and disobeying God. According to the Meriam-Webster dictionary, it is an infringement or violation of law or of a command.

When we ask God for forgiveness, He forgives and cleanses us of willful rebellion and disobedience. He cleanses us from all unrighteousness and the guilt of sin.

Sin

But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. James 1:14-15 (KJV)

The word sin in the Hebrew means offence. It means to miss the mark. Sin means that we know to do right and we don’t do it. It is willful and knowing disobedience. The more we sin, the stronger it becomes in our lives and the harder it is t resist it. The more we say no to sin, the stronger we become against it. Sin weakens but righteousness strengthens.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I John 1:9 (KJV)

Sin causes us to do what is wrong, yielding and saying yes to it. When we confess it to God, He cleanses us internally of not doing right so we can do right externally.

Iniquity

Iniquity in the Hebrew is guilt, punishment, and is derived from a root word which means to be bent, bowed down, twisted, perverted. it speaks of a twisting, a bending and perverting out of the right way. Iniquity could be explained as being bent to do wrong, with something in us twisted and perverted. It is a deep-rooted sin that has shaped us. It points to an identity that is perverted. However, when repented of and confessed to God, those deep-rooted issues are pulled out by God. He forgives, cleanses us, and does a deep work in us to free us and puts us on the path to Christlikeness.

Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: Philippians 1:6 (KJV)

Forgiveness

How do we find forgiveness? What do we do to be cleansed by God?

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 (KJV)

We must acknowledge our transgressions, sin, and iniquity. We cannot hide anything from God, but as we confess it all to the Lord, God forgives us. That is how we find forgiveness… and it is beautiful thing.

Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. Isaiah 55:6-7 (KJV)