Great Sin, Great Consequences and Greater Forgiveness
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And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; And I gave thee thy master’s house, and thy master’s wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things. Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun. For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun. And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die. Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.
Next Sunday a lot of churches in the United States will observed “Sanctity of Human Life Day.” Forty-eight years ago — on the twenty-second of January 1973 — the United States Supreme Court struck down numerous federal and state laws that prohibited abortion. Because I won’t be here next week, I thought it would be a good idea to address this topic in this morning’s messages.
According to the National Right to Life Committee, over sixty-one million babies have been slaughtered in the U.S. since Roe v. Wade. Although it’s wonderful that the number of abortions per year has dropped significantly since its all-time high in 1990, the truth is that even one is too many.
Why? Because every child, being an image-bearer of God from the moment of conception, has a right to the protection of the sixth commandment. Genesis 9:6 says,
Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.
Our catechism reflects this and many other passages of Scripture when it adds that “to restrain murder the magistrate is armed with the sword” (HC 105).
Sadly, our system of justice has failed to administer real justice. It’s turned the most vulnerable members of society over to those who have no regard for their lives. Instead of protecting them, civil authorities allow them to be exterminated at will.
And when we consider the number — sixty-one million — we have to wonder how we’re any better than Nazi Germany, communist Russia or any other totalitarian state that refuses to value the lives of those not made in their image.
Anyway, my purpose today is not to address abortion directly, but to consider how it relates to other sins. Is it worse than others? Can someone who’s had a part in abortion be saved? And I particularly want to consider three things: the great evil of sin, the great consequences of sin, and the even greater forgiveness of our merciful God.
Great Evil
Great Evil
First, let’s look at sin’s great evil.
I suppose we all know David’s story. He sent Joab, the captain of his army, into battle, while he stayed home. Instead of commanding his troops, he took an afternoon nap. When he woke up, he summoned Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, to his house for an evening liaison. Later, he learned that his sin resulted in pregnancy and tried to cover it up by bringing Uriah home from battle. But that didn’t work. So, David sent Uriah into the heat of battle and commanded Joab to withdraw, leaving him exposed to certain death and no one to question the paternity of the child.
David failed every step of the way. He failed everyone. He failed miserably. He seduced Bathsheba, one of his subjects. He commanded the death of her husband to cover his tracks. He even threw away the lives of his own soldiers, as if they disposable. Second Samuel 11:17 says,
And the men of the city went out, and fought with Joab: and there fell some of the people of the servants of David; and Uriah the Hittite died also.
Yet, all that I’ve just said barely touches the greatness of the David’s sin. When Nathan confronted him, he emphasized his tremendous ingratitude. Look at all that the Lord had done for David:
The Lord made David king over Israel. When Samuel anointed him, he was just a young shepherd with no expectation of ever having political power. God reminded David of this when David wanted to build the temple. He said, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel (2 Sam. 7:8).
David’s promotion enraged King Saul. This takes us to the second thing that God did for David: he delivered him from the hand of Saul. The latter half of 1 Samuel records numerous instances of God’s protecting mercy.
Further, the Lord gave David his master’s house and his master’s wives. When a monarch died in the ancient world, it was customary for his successor to inherit his house and his harem. Thus, Saul’s death gave David great wealth and a fully-functioning palace.
The Lord also gave David the house of Israel and of Judah. God used David to unite his people more intimately than they had been under either the judges or King Saul.
And if all this had not been enough, God would have given David even more.
Yet, in spite of all this, David chose to sin. He despised God’s law. Nathan asked him, Wherefore has thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? David’s ingratitude can only be described as astounding.
Well, the Lord has also given us more than we can imagine, too. Many of us grew up in Christian homes. We’ve had the privilege of hearing God’s Word from the time we were first conceived. Others have prayed for us. And even if we didn’t come from faithful homes, God’s sovereign grace and mercy still brought us to himself. So, no matter how we look at it, our sins are also expressions of ingratitude.
But as David reflected on his sin, he realized that there was more to it adultery and murder and ingratitude. We see this in verse 13 and again in Psalm 51:
Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
The true ugliness and evil of David’s sin is that it was an assault on the holiness of God. Nathan put it like this: By this deed thou has given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme. Our catechism reminds us that every sin is an insult against “the most high Majesty of God,” and can only “be … punished with extreme, that is, with everlasting punishment both of body and soul” (HC 11).
Abortion clearly fits in here. Yes, it’s a rejection of the glory of motherhood. That’s ingratitude. But even more importantly, it’s the murder of one made in God’s image and, therefore, an attack on God himself. The sin is great.
Great Consequences
Great Consequences
This takes us to our second point: the great consequences of our sin.
Too many Christians have the mistaken idea that believers who repent, whose sins God has forgiven, are exempt from the consequences of their sins. This simply isn’t true. A believer who was or is a glutton will be obese and has to live with all the health problems that obesity brings. Likewise, one who was once a thief or murderer might have to spend time in prison. It’s simply a matter of fact that sometimes our sins destroy our families and other relationships. In the case of abortion, it always destroys a human life. Plus, those who responsible have to live with the guilt and shame of having killed babies.
In our text, the Lord was very clear with David about the consequences of his sin. And keep in mind that David was a believer when he sinned. He loved the Lord. He was the apple (or pupil) of God’s eye, i.e., the Lord always watched over him and protected him (Ps. 17:8). He should have known better. But he still sinned and he had to live with the consequences of his sin. Look at the consequences of his sin, starting with verse 10:
The sword would never depart his house. Warfare and death would plague his reign.
Evil would arise within his own house. His son Amnon raped his half-sister Tamar. Two years later Absalom, another of David’s sons and Tamar’s brother, murdered Amnon. Absalom then rebelled against his father and sought to take over his kingdom. And when David was old and feeble, another of his sons — Adonijah — also tried to exalt himself as king. All of this wickedness grew out of David’s sin.
God had been merciful to David in giving him Saul’s wives, but another consequence of his sin is that God would give his wives to his neighbor and he would do so publicly. This public humiliation was carried out, again, by David’s son Absalom. Chapter 16 says,
And Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Go in unto thy father’s concubines, which he hath left to keep the house; and all Israel shall hear that thou art abhorred of thy father: then shall the hands of all that are with thee be strong. So they spread Absalom a tent upon the top of the house; and Absalom went in unto his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.
And the last consequence mentioned in today’s text appears at the end of verse 14. Nathan said, The child also that is born unto thee shall surely die. Those who sin are not the only ones who bear the consequences of their sin. A rape victim has to live with the trauma of her assault for the rest of her life.
But here we have to distinguish carefully between consequences and punishment.
The Lord uses the consequences of our sins to remind us that we are wholly incapable of pleasing him without his aid. They impress upon us both the absolute holiness of God and our own wickedness.
But consequences are not punishment. Every sin, as I said earlier, must be punished with an extreme punishment of body and soul. Unbelievers bear the punishment for their own sins. But the punishment for believers’ sins was borne by the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world (John 1:29). Isaiah wrote, The Lord hath laid on him the inquity of us all (Isa. 53:6). He suffered and died so that we don’t have to. Thus, the Lord may chastise us with the consequences of our sins, but the punishment for every one of them was meted out on the cross.
This wonderful truth gives us boldness and courage to serve the Lord, even though we know how undeserving we are and how unfaithful we’ve been.
Great Forgiveness
Great Forgiveness
Our third point today is that those who look to Jesus Christ as Savior find that his forgiveness is greater than all our sins.
Sometimes the sins we’ve committed seem so enormous that they couldn’t possibly be forgiven. David committed adultery and murder. He also betrayed his own people and caused others to blaspheme God’s name. Can God forgive such things? What about abortion? Can God really forgive someone who has taken the life of his or her own child and, in doing so, attacked the image of God?
Verse 13 of our text speaks to this:
And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.
O, the comfort found in these few words! The Lord has put away your sin! Your sin is no longer yours to bear. God’s justice has been satisfied. His wrath is appeased. If you believe, you have been covered by the precious blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ. The Lord holds no sin over you.
And if you have any doubt that this is so, consider what a great forgiveness the Lord gives those who call upon him:
Forgiveness is great because God himself is great. If there were ever a sin that he couldn’t forgive, then that sin would be greater than he is. But nothing is greater than God. The whole universe is upheld by his sovereign command.
Forgiveness is great because Jesus and his atonement are great. His blood can wash away the filthiest stain. Charles Wesley put it this way: “He breaks the power of reigning sin, He sets the pris’ner free; His blood can make the foulest clean, His blood availed for me.” Yes, it even covered the apostle Paul, who, believing himself the greatest sinner of all, wrote,
This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
And forgiveness is great because the Holy Spirit, whom the Son of God employs to gather and protect his church, is great in the application of redemption. The Bible describes his work as irresistible and invincible. John 6:44 says,
No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
In the few brief years that we live in the world we’ll hear thousands upon thousands of words, but none are as precious to the souls of those weighed down with their sin as, The LORD also hath put away thy sin.
And just as important and precious is the blessing that comes with the forgiveness of our sins, viz., everlasting life. The Lord also said to David, Thou shalt not die. He takes away our sin to give us unending fellowship with himself. Yes, he showers us with more blessings than we can count. It’s no wonder that Psalm 32, which was probably written about the time of our text, begins with the words,
Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
The verse describes a condition of complete blessedness, one in which no sin can annul or cancel our salvation. Nothing can harm us. Nothing in heaven or hell can separate us from God’s love in Jesus Christ. We are his for time and eternity.
Those who call upon the Lord Jesus Christ can rest confidently knowing that we are at peace with God. We can sleep at night because we have real forgiveness. We can die in the sure and certain hope that we belong to a great God.
Now, let’s consider what all of this means in regard to abortion. Yes, abortion is a horrible sin. It’s murder. It’s an attack on motherhood, and an assault against the image of God. And being a great sin, it also has great consequences, including the death of the child, and guilt for those responsible. But remember: it’s not an unforgivable sin. Jesus died for idolaters, rebels, murderers, adulterers, thieves and liars. He died for those who hate their parents and those who hate their children. He died for great sinners who trust him alone for great salvation.
King Manasseh was another such person. The Old Testament says that he shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another (2 Kgs. 21:16),. In fact, he even caused his [own] children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom (2 Chron. 33:3). He didn’t abort his children. No, he waited until they were born and then offered them as sacrifices to the astral gods. Yet, the Lord had mercy on him and granted him humility and repentance. Second Chronicles 33:12–13 says,
And when he was in affliction, he besought the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, And prayed unto him: and he was intreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD he was God.
The Lord even used Manasseh to clean up some of his own mess.
Great sin, great consequences, and even greater forgiveness.
So, no matter what your sin has been or may still be, you can take it to Jesus. Consider all those in the gospels who heard our Savior say, Thy sins be forgiven thee. He says the same thing to you. Today he readily forgives every sinner who comes to him, trusting his blood alone to satisfy for all their sins.
This, beloved, is our hope and confidence. Amen.