The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. 2 The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. 3 All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one. 4 Will evildoers never learn--those who devour my people as men eat bread and who do not call on the LORD? 5 There they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is present in the company of the righteous. 6 You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor, but the LORD is their refuge. 7 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!

When David says that all have turned from God and none do good, is he saying this as an absolute? Perhaps he is saying that all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory. It certainly is true that when we are measured against God’s glorious perfection we all fall short. There is no room in the heart of God’s people to extol our own virtues or our own goodness because we all have failed God miserably. It is for this reason that God sent his Son, who emptied himself of his position in heaven and then gave his perfect life as a sacrifice for our sin. We only have reason to glory in the cross of Christ.

Perhaps David had in mind that most of the people around him were not really trying to live for God. They had turned aside from God and rejected him as God. This seems to be more the idea as he expresses in verse 5 that God is with those who are righteous. This righteousness is not absolute but is the gist of the lifestyle being lived by those who have given themselves to God. John describes this as walking in the light of God and then goes on to say that this walk prompts God to continue to forgive us thru the blood of Jesus on an ongoing basis. As we continue to live for him, he continues to forgive our sin. Paul asked the rhetorical question in Romans; should we continue in sin so that God’s grace will abound? And then just in case someone missed his point, he replied by saying we most definitely cannot do this. We are no longer servants of sin but we are slaves of righteousness. We belong to God so we live for him. Do we sin? Yes, but he forgives.

Father God, I thank you for your love which is shown in your mercy that prompts your grace. Thank you for the forgiveness that you have given me. Give me faith to accept and know that you have forgiven me. Give me wisdom to use this knowledge to draw closer to you by becoming more like you. May I never use your grace as a license to sin but only as a source of assurance that produces the peace and joy you offer in Christ. Use me today in your service to bring glory to your name. In Christ’s name I pray.