Breaking Down Barriers

“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.” Psalm 51:4

When we sin, we do more than break God’s law. We break God’s heart. Sin is an affront to everything that God is, and it dishonors every gift He has given us in His Son. King David understood this truth, based on his words in Psalm 51:4. Even though he had committed adultery and played a first-hand role in a man’s murder, David said that his sin was against God alone. Sin, by its very definition, has to be against God, because it is only because of God’s law that there is such a thing as sin in the first place.

When I say, “God’s law,” I am not just talking about the Ten Commandments. After all, sin entered the world through Adam and Eve long before God established the written law. The law given to Adam and Eve was complete freedom within the Garden of Eden except for the fruit of one tree, The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Fruit from that tree would bring death. We know how the story went…they did disobey God and eat from the forbidden tree. And sin and death entered the perfect creation of God. Why? Because they disobeyed God.

At the root of Adam and Eve’s sin was unbelief. Was God really good? Did He know best? Was He withholding something good from them? This doubt and unbelief are at the root of all sin. I think this is one glaring reason that sin breaks God’s heart…because when we sin we are choosing ourselves over Him, even though He has given us everything we need.

If you have a healthy relationship with God, then when His heart breaks, your heart will break, too. You will not want there to be any barrier between you and God. When the dirt of sin clogs up God’s communication line you will not hear Him the way you should, see Him the way you should, or enjoy Him the way you should until things are made right through confession and repentance.

At sin’s deepest level, it is only God that can redeem you and restore you. And He always stands ready to do so. “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with Me,” Revelation 3:20.

God, Please forgive me for forgetting that all of my sin is ultimately against You first and foremost. Please help me to turn from my sin so that there is no barrier between us. In Jesus’ name, amen.