When President John F. Kennedy appointed newscaster Edward R. Murrow director of the United States Information Agency, a Senate committee asked Murrow how he would combat communist propaganda against the United States. He replied simply that the agency should print all the news, “the warts and blemishes” as well as the “sunshine.”
When the Bible tells about a biblical character, it does just that. It presents his “warts and blemishes” as well as the “sunshine” of his life. King David is an example. While the Bible says he was a man after God’s own heart it also tells us of great sins in his life. Psalm 51 contains his confession of sin and reveals to us the five steps to forgiveness:
The first step is faith. We must believe in the love and mercy of God. When it comes to sin none of us wants justice. If the Lord should mark inequities none of us could stand. What we want is mercy. Fortunately, God is a God of mercy and will forgive us.
The second step is confession. We must acknowledge our sin to God. When we do something noble and kind most people are only too glad to accept the credit. But when we do something base and harmful we often sidestep the blame. The only way to deal with sin is to call it by the right name and accept the blame for it.
The third step is prayer. We must ask for cleansing. David does not merely long for forgiveness. He goes to God for it. So our desires should become prayers.
The fourth step is repentance. We must turn to a life of active service for God. A forgiven person is a grateful person, and a grateful person is a serving person.
The fifth step is sorrow. We must be broken-hearted about our sins. God does not want us to pay for our sins. He only wants us to be sorry and turn from them.
These are the five steps David took to get back in fellowship with God, and we can take them too.