How Can I Be Sure? — Adam’s Angle

Have you ever doubted God’s forgiveness?

I mean, c’mon — you blew it. Big time. Again. How can you be certain that God is still willing to put up with you?

On one hand, you know you’ve been forgiven because you’ve read and re-read 1 John 1:9 — that if we confess our sins then God is faithful to forgive us. But on the other hand, you don’t feel forgiven.

You feel like God is frowning at you. You feel like He’d rather have nothing to do with you. In our guilt we paint a wrong portrait of Him as someone who grudgingly signs over a “get out of jail free” card and then says: “You can have this, but I’m disgusted with you. We’ll talk in heaven, but until then don’t bother calling me unless you have to.”

If this is our state of mind, we are heartbroken. We’re thankful for the forgiveness, but saddened because we still want fellowship with God. How can we, as believers, be assured of God’s continued presence, fellowship, and blessing in the aftermath of our gross sin?

We can find assurance by understanding who God is. Catching a glimpse of God’s compassionate heart is all it takes to soothe our troubled hearts.

Fed Up

God had good reason to be fed up with the Israelites in the desert. Two words: golden calf.

Just after Moses came down from Mt. Sinai with God’s command:“You shall not make an idol…” the people came together and said, “Hey, let’s make an idol and then throw a wild party to celebrate!”

Don’t laugh too hard. We’ve all been there, in our own way.

Even after God dealt with the sin in the camp, it looked like He was going to abandon His chosen people. God told Moses, “Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way” (Exodus 33:3). Their sin, it seemed, pushed God over the edge.

We Need You

The Israelites were dismayed by the news that God didn’t intend to go with them the rest of the way to the promised land. They mourned and humbly stripped themselves of their ornaments, showing signs of repentance (Exodus 33:4-6).

Fortunately for them, Moses was there to intercede on their behalf. Because of Moses’ favor, God agrees to continue on with the Israelites: “My Presence will go with you and I will give you rest” (Exodus 33:14).

But it seems Moses wasn’t convinced. He continues to plead his case to the Lord, saying: “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here” (Exodus 33:15).

So, God graciously tells Moses a second time, “I will do the very thing you asked because I am pleased with you, and I know you by name” (Exodus 33:17).

But some people (like ourselves) can be hard to convince sometimes. Moses wanted some greater assurance.

Show Me Your Glory

In this context— seeking certainty of God’s continued presence—Moses prays one of the shortest, yet most profound, prayers in all Scripture: “Please show me your glory” (Exodus 33:18 ESV).

God obliged. And, as it turned out, the glory God revealed was of His character and heart:

“I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence . . . The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished” (Exodus 33:19; 34:6-7).

He was more or less saying, “You want to know that I’m going to be with you in the aftermath of this sin? Then understand who I am. I am loving and I am holy.” To assure Moses, God gave him a glimpse of His character.

And that glimpse was just a tiny one. When God revealed His glory to Moses, He only gave him what he could handle:

“You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live . . . When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen” (Exodus 33:20-23).

But when it comes to the glory of God, a tiny glimpse goes a long way.

The scene ends with Moses finding the assurance he needs. God renews the covenant with him, and Moses comes down from the mountain with a glowing face because he has seen the LORD. There is a new start. Moses and the Israelites move forward.

When you and I sin, we sometimes feel lingering guilt even after we repent. What we need to shake us free is to catch a glimpse at God’s goodness and character. We may still be corrected or disciplined by God. We may still have difficult consequences. But if we could only understand —to the smallest degree— how good and compassionate God is, then we too could have radiant faces as we move forward with our loving Lord.

— Adam Pivec
06/14/09