July 29
Psalm 32: 1: Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose
sin is covered. 2: Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no guile.
These verses declare two branches of the work
accomplished by the triune God in Christ Jesus which makes the believer a
blessed man. One is the work God
accomplished for the believer. The other is the work God accomplished in the believer.
First, is the work which Christ
accomplished for the believer. Since Adam was the head and representative of
all men, his breaking of God’s law, made every sinner guilty before God. Yet, since, Christ is the Head and
Representative of all God’s elect, by satisfying Justice the transgression of
the believer is forgiven by God, his sin is covered, and the LORD imputes not
iniquity but the righteousness of Christ unto him because Christ, who knew no
sin, took the sin, guilt, and punishment of all God’s elect, satisfying divine
justice, making us the righteousness of God in Christ.
Still, there is another work of equal
importance and of which Christ is worthy of equal glory for accomplishing
through the Holy Spirit, through the preaching of the gospel. It is the work Christ accomplishes in the
believer. By Christ being formed in us,
God gives a new heart and God puts his Spirit within us, so that the believer
is a new creature in the righteousness and holiness of Christ. So the believer is sincere in his repentance
from his sin, sincere in his faith toward Christ, and not a hypocrite full of
guile. He truly sees no good in himself but looks only to Christ for pardon and
righteousness. There is plenty of guile in the old man of flesh for it has not
been touched in regeneration. But there
is no guile or sin in the new man, which is created after the image of Christ
who created him. These are they who are
the true Israel of God. It is what
Christ meant when he said of Nathaniel, “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is
no guile!” (Jn 1: 47)
Where the work of redemption is accomplished
by Christ for the believer and the work of regeneration is accomplished in the
believer, there is a blessed, happy man.