Forever Home in the Eternal Family of God

A Daily Devotional by Kenton Cheek

13 May 2024

Reading From Psalms 32, 51, 86, 122

“Have mercy on me, O God,
    according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
    blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity
    and cleanse me from my sin.

For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is always before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned
    and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
    and justified when you judge.
Surely I was sinful at birth,
    sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
    you taught me wisdom in that secret place.”

–Psalm 51:1-6

     The Spirit of God communicated through David the reality of our inherited, imputed and personal sinfulness.  Inherited sin (or, original sin) is the natural inclination of every human after Adam and Eve to sin.  Sin is rebellion against God and breaking His law.  We are born with predisposition toward going our own way apart from the Lord’s.  Inherited sin means our character is naturally corrupt and we need God to fix the glitch.  It cannot be repaired without Him because Jesus was the only One qualified to be the perfect sacrifice, paying the ultimate penalty for sin.  Imputed sin means that our inherited sin has affected our standing with God.  Sin has created a chasm of spiritual separation between us and God that can only be bridged by the cross.  Personal sins are the disobedient thoughts and actions that every human struggles with every day.  We sin because we are sinners (inherited and imputed sin) and we are sinners because we sin (personal sin). 

     By accepting Jesus as our Savior, we are born again and a new nature is created within the very core of our being by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit.  This begins the process of sanctification, spiritually growing more and more like Jesus as we are transformed from glory to glory.  This reverses the effects of original sin.  We go from spiritual death to spiritual life abundant and eternal and then grow up in our salvation, all the while our sinful nature is wrestling with our new nature which is fused with the Spirit.[1]  We are saved at the new birth[2] and this will culminate with our salvation as we are delivered through the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.[3]

     Through faith and trust in the Second Adam (Jesus) and His atonement, we have justification, right standing, with God the Father.  His righteousness imputed to us reverses the effect of imputed sin.  We are no longer enemies of God, but rather His beloved children, born of His Spirit.  Through faith in Him, His victory at the cross and from the grave, the gap is closed between the believer and the Most High God.  Romans 5:1-2 reveals, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

     While the core of our being is fundamentally changed and we are a new creation in Christ, we still wrestle with our flesh, our natural tendency to commit personal sins.  These personal sins affect the quality of our fellowship with God, but they do not cause us to enter and exit the eternal family of God multiple times every day.  In order for our relationship with God to be healthy, we listen to the convicting voice of the Holy Spirit urging us with His kindness to confess, repent and move forward in faith, walking in the newness of life.  Walking with God through this process makes our faith and testimony stronger.[4]

     “You taught me wisdom in the secret place.”  This phrase from Psalm 51 offers a glimmer of hope for every human.  While we do have that inherited, natural tendency toward sin, we also are born with a capacity for good.  As we call upon His Name and believe His promises for us, we are cleansed of all unrighteousness by the blood of Jesus and filled with His Holy Spirit.  May we our lives be filled with more and more of the goodness of God and may we seek to be filled to overflowing with the Spirit.

“Heavenly Father, thank You for Your forgiveness and the sanctifying work of Your Holy Spirit in my life.  I pray that more and more people will experience the freedom that comes with Your redeeming power.  I am grateful for the truth of Your Word the Bible and for guiding me forward.  Amen.”

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. –I John 1:7

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[1] I Corinthians 6:17

[2] Colossians 1:13-14

[3] Ephesians 4:30

[4] Philippians 2:12-13, Romans 7:15-20