"Un-sin me." That is the literal translation for "Cleanse me" in Psalm 51 above. It is David's humble prayer for forgiveness and cleansing that he wrote after Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.
Un-sin me! What a great phrase to pray to God. I think as Christians, our view point of forgiveness is often like giving someone a "re-do" or "do-over." But in God's view, forgiveness is not a re-do, it's an un-do! He literally takes away our sins. As a sinner, I can barely wrap my mind around that.
When I forgive, I still remember the offense. Not intentionally, but I don't get forgiveness amnesia either. No, I remember the person hurt me, and I am on guard to make sure they are not a repeater offender. God doesn't just forgive us. He un-sins us, restoring us to righteousness.
We aren't God. Sometimes remembering the offense is a good protection to prevent future harm. We don't have the ability to cleanse someone, to "un-sin" them like God does. At the same time, the Lord's Prayer clearly states, "Forgive us our sins, as WE FORGIVE those who sin against us." It's important to forgive those who offend us. But I'm thankful for a heavenly Father who doesn't just forgive. He doesn't even forget. He removes.
Un-sin me!
