Romans 4:4-8, Sins Forgiven and Reconciliation with God

Romans 4:4-8 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. 5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. 6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, 7 Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. 8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. 

The psalmist David gives us the portrait of the man blessed of God declared in Psalm 32:1-2, “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity… “

The glorious gospel is preached here by the psalmist David, explains the Apostle Paul, when David speaks of the blessings of sins forgiven and reconciliation with God. Notice the words “transgression, sin and iniquity” describing man’s depravity. Transgression is a rebellion against God; sin is measured against God’s law, and iniquity is the outworking of sin in a person’s life in crooked ways. And three similar words “forgiven, covered and imputeth not” describing how a man finds justification before God. They form a triac. Three different words with the same meaning. The psalmist use the repetition of words similar in the sense but different in sound and origin for emphasis.

When we sinned against God, our conscience gives us no rest until we repent and submit to God’s authority and sovereignty in our lives. The inner struggles of the heart are described by the psalmist and how he had no peace in his heart until he yielded to God and repented of his sins.

Transgression is from the root, to break or to break with, hence to break covenant with God is to rebel, to transgress, to revolt, to sin.”To be forgiven” is to have one’s sins taken away. The word means “lifted off”. This word is in the passive describing that we cannot take away our sins. It is being taken away by an external party – God. Remember in Pilgrim’s Progress, how the burden of Christian’s back was lifted off him when he came to the cross?

Sin is missing the mark against the standard of God’s Word, as delineated most emphatically in the Ten Commandments. It also describes to miss the step or footing and to stumble – hence to err, go astray, trespass. Every departure from God’s law is, therefore, a missing of the mark and trespass against Him. The word “cover” is the word in the passive. It means “being covered”. The action of covering is done on the subject, the sinner. We cannot cover our sins. The Bible tells that our sins “are covered” by the righteousness earned on our behalf by the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Hence, God’s wrath is averted against the sinner.

Iniquity means “a bending or curving”, speaks of actions, acting crookedly or perversely. It is rendered “perverseness”. It is the outward manifestation of sin in perverted behaviour. The word “imputeth” means to ascribe, to credit, not to count against us, not remembered is the sense in this verse.

When a person receives the gospel by faith and is saved, he is a very happy person as the psalmist testified in Psalm 32:11 Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart. 

Remember the great joy of the lame man at the Temple gate Beautiful who was healed not only of his physical infirmity but was healed of his sins – Acts 3:8-9 And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God. 9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God: 

It demonstrates the power of the gospel to save. Amen.