Will God’s Barcode Scanner Beep?

Daily Devotional – Monday, January 17, 2022

If you, LORD, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand?

Psalms 130:3 (NIV)

Today, a friend made an interesting observation. If God had a barcode scanner (like the ones used in supermarkets), to detect sin, how many people would escape the beep sound? I guess none.

Here is the confirmation from David: “All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.” (Psalms 14:3). Paul is blunter: “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23).

All Our Righteous Acts are Like Filthy Rags

How about my virtuous and kind actions? Well, they don’t measure up to God’s standard, as Isaiah observes, “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags.” (Isaiah 64:6).

Back to the barcode scanner analogy. How many times would the scanner beep if I passed by it? Probably, they would have to lower the volume! Everyone would have to wait until my long list of sin is cleared.

A Memory Chip to Store Sin

What if the barcode scanner for sin had a memory chip to store my past sins, and would begin beeping, starting from the earliest to the latest sin? God would have to either disconnect the gadget or create a special one for me because my list would be very long!

That is why I identify with David when he asks, “If you, LORD, kept a record of sins,
Lord, who could stand?” (Psalms 130:3). If every time I went to confess my sins before God He fished out my list of previous sins, I would bow in shame and leave His presence.

But With You there is Forgiveness

I know people who keep a record of my sins. Every time I hurt them, they dig into their archives and pull out my past misdemeanours. How many times will I forgive you? Do you remember sin number 37? Do you want to upset me as you did five years ago?

It is not all gloom, though. Like David, I can confess this about God, “But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you.” (Psalms 130:4). Where would I be without God’s forgiveness? How would I stand before God and human beings?

He Who Remembers My Sins No More

I will worship and serve the God who forgives me and does not keep the record. Here is a wonderful self-description of my forgiving God: “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.” (Isaiah 43:25).

When God forgives you, He wipes away the record of your sins. You no longer have to carry your guilt along. It does not matter what people think about your past. It is all behind you because with God, there is total forgiveness and reconciliation.

If We Confess Our Sins, He Will Forgive Us

If you have unforgiven sin in your life, claim this promise now: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9).

Loving Father, than You because, “You will again have compassion on us; You will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.” (Micah 7:19).