Psalm 32:1. The Psalm of David begins,

“Blessed [or oh the bliss.] Oh the bliss is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered [concealed].”

Now, I have preached through the Table of The Lord series and the Change of Mind series that our sins are no longer just covered; that is Old Testament. In the New Testament, our sins are not just covered, they are removed forever. So, we have more to be joyous about, Oh the bliss! Our bliss should be greater knowing that our sins are removed forever. That is what David foresaw, I believe, in the prophetic psalms he penned. I think Paul understood it, too.

Turn to Romans 7:14,

“For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not [a better translation than allow is know; I know not]: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. [And there is the struggle.] If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.”

There was a popular saying decades ago, “The devil made me do it.” Some of you who are old enough can probably remember that saying circling around in the United States. A famous comedian made it popular. Likewise, here Paul is saying:

“…no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me,” [Or, sin made me do it; and he is right.] Continuing in verse 18 Paul writes, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. [He sought but he could not find.] For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”

A better translation is this body of death; Oh, wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from this body of death.

“I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.”

Then Paul continues in Romans 8,

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” In these verses, Paul was trying to explain that having admitted as much as he tried, he just could not completely stop sinning. That is what Paul is saying here. And he gives us God’s perspective from the Scriptures on the matter. He said when he sinned, it was no longer he himself who sinned but the sin that lives within him. I know it is hard to comprehend, but you must wrap your brain around that. It was no longer he who sinned, but the sin that lived within him and here is what he meant; go to Romans 7:9.

“For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived [the Law], and I died.”

What does that mean? “I was alive without the law once”? What was Paul talking about here? He is talking about the age he became accountable for the sins. Before he reached that age, he was not accountable. Therefore, as Paul would say, he was alive, he had eternal life. Even though he was born in sin like all of us are as babies—we are born into sin—God does not hold children accountable until they reach a certain age when He does hold them accountable. Now, if you are living by the Law or by whatever means you follow, you are still accountable. Again, before he reached the age of accountability, Paul was not accountable, and he had life. Not because he did not sin, but because his sins were not counted against him. But when he became old enough to be held accountable, the penalty for his sins was applied and he no longer had eternal life. Now, let’s try to piece that together using other Scriptures.

Matthew 18:3 tells us,

“And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
Meaning, unless you have a change of mind and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

John 3:3 states,

“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Putting these verses from Jesus, together with what Paul said in the Romans letter and his comments on accountability, we can see these two statements made by the Lord are not unrelated, are they? Paul said little children have eternal life because their sins are not counted against them. Those are Paul’s words. Now Jesus, from the verses that we looked at, said that in order to enter the kingdom, we must become like little children again. But He also said in the Scriptures here that in order to enter the kingdom, we must be born again or born from above. So, putting this all together, the way to become like little children (as Jesus mentioned) so our sins are not counted against us, is to be born again or born from above. The proof for this is when Paul was born again, God no longer counted his sins against him and the same is true for us. In Romans 7, Paul attributed it to the sin that still lived within him. He attributed those sins, and sins past, present and future, and those sins that still lived within him as a struggle that all of us face. But if we are born from above, the struggle is over. So, stop struggling over it. If we are born from above, the sins, past, present, and future are no longer counted against us. Paul was saying in Romans that he gained eternal life and although he could not prevent himself from sinning, he still had that eternal life promise, because he was born from above, he was born again.

When you put your trust and confidence in Jesus Christ and you faithe and trust in His redemptive work, and understand your sins are not just covered anymore, they are removed forever, because of what Christ did at Calvary, you become born from above. The Spirit of God comes into your life and He will work you and mold you into the being He wants you to be, not what man thinks you should be, but what He wants you to be.

We must become like little children again according to what we find in the Scriptures and stop struggling with the concept of sin. You must understand that if you put your trust and confidence in what Christ did on that cross, then your sins are removed.

I am not saying to go out there and sin it up. Like I said a moment ago, He will work you over and He will mold you, and He will form you into the person He wants you to be, the being He wants you to be for His purposes, and change is coming. What you must do is submit and become a disciple who learns from God’s Word what Christ wants you to be, not what man wants you to be.

Become like little children again. Become child-like, understanding that as their sins are not accounted to them, our sins too are not counted against us because of Jesus, our precious Savior. He came down and rescued anyone who would put their trust and confidence in Him.

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