When sharing the gospel message with others, though explaining the "how" in terms of what Jesus accomplished for us on the cross is crucial, unless the person understands the "why" as to why they actually need their sins paid for, the message will not resonate. As long as people continue to compare themselves with other people and deem themselves "pretty good", or "not that bad", then what necessity is there for a Savior if they already have things covered in their own goodness.

When we read Scripture, it helps to understand context. The backdrop for Psalm 32 is 2 Samuel 11-12. David had sinned in adultery, murder, and deception and his sin was now uncovered. To which we read in 2 Samuel 12:13-14, "So David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the Lord." And Nathan said to David, "The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die." Psalm 32 is called a penitential psalm written in response to God's forgiveness to his transgression. We read in Psalm 32:1-2, "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit." "Impute" is a bookkeeping term that means to "put on the account, to add to the record". When we repent and confess our sins, God cancels the debt and it's no longer on the books. After describing how burdened he was tryting to cover his sins, David describes his freedom in 32:5, "I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord," And You forgave the iniquity of my sin." Transgression means "crossing over the line" and David, knowing the Ten Comandments knew he had done this. Sin means to "miss the mark" and David knew he had not lived up to God's standards. Iniquity means "twisted" and this describes the inner character of the sinner. When David confessed his sins and the Lord forgave him, the burden of transgression was carried away, the debt was cancelled, the twisted was made straight, and the Lord did not put David's sins on the record. David described what he was like and what we are like when we try to work things out for ourselves and cover our own sins in 32:9, "Do not be like the horse or like the mule, Which have no understanding, Which must be harnassed with bit and bridle, Else they will not come near you." Like the horse, David rushed into sin, and like the mule, he was stubborn and tried to cover his sins. Animals must be broken to train them, but David gives us a better way in 32:10, "Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; But he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him."

No matter what we have done or are doing, God is ready and willing to forgive us of our sins. We read in 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." The big question though is whether we try to justify our own sinful behavior or do we seek to be justified by the blood of Jesus Christ. It really is easy to justify ourselves when we compare ourselves to others. Simply compare yourselves to other that you think you are as good as or better than and you have accomplished your goal. But, inwardly there is no peace, since we all know the sinners that we truly are. We can hide it from others, but we can't hide it from ourselves, and we certainly cannot hide it from God. To justify is to declare righteous. When we justify ourselves we are erroneously declaring ourselves righteous. But justification is God's declaring those who receive Christ to be righteous, based on Christ's righteousness being imputed to the accounts of those who receive Christ. This occurs when we repent of our sins and receive salvation based upon our redemption by the blood of Jesus. This is the only way we can enter heaven being made perfect, though still sinners, by accepting His perfect sacrifice. This is summed up in 2 Corinthians 5:21, "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." Instead of imputing our sins to our account, God puts the righteousness of Christ on our account. David describes his freedom from the bondage of sin. We can experience that same freedom. These chaotic times should humble those who don't know Him to approach Him to release their burdens and to find peace. Those of us who have experienced this must not remain silent at such a time as this.