Psalms 1 Family Worship Notes:
Translation: NASB 95
Key Terms:
Impute – To set to one’s account or lay to one’s charge
Verses 1-3:
All humans by birth are in sin. Adam passed on a sinful nature to his children. The thinking of all humans is set on evil that leads to sinful speech and actions. God sees all humans as children of wrath by nature. Christians still struggle with the remaining effects of sin from their bodies and temptations from various sources. A Christian body has sinful tendencies that remain after salvation. This first section is not about Christians seeking after God through meditating on God’s law and avoiding the way of sin. Why? Christians join into sin in many ways. Who did this perfectly? Jesus Christ is the only one. There is no sinful nature in Jesus Christ by birth or by Jesus Christ becoming a sinner by sinning.
Jesus Christ never joined the path to practise sin but the opposite. He did not stand in the way of sinful humans to join in or stop them from their sin as He walked on earth. Jesus Christ did not join in with humans who mocked others out of sin. Jesus Christ called many out of their sin to find rest. There were times when Jesus Christ passed judgment in the Jewish temple because of stealing that was occurring. God passing judgment is different than preventing sin. How? God’s response to sin was in passing judgment. This is not preventing sin that leads to God’s judgment. Humans in sin were not prevented by Jesus Christ from following their sinful nature. What did Jesus do instead?
When Jesus Christ was young He stayed days in the Jewish temple to meditate on the law. The law would be what we call the Old Testament with the writings of Moses and Prophets. Christ in His public ministry delighted in the law. He quoted love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. Then He continued with love your neighbour as yourself. These are Old Testament passages that summarize the whole law. Jesus Christ delighted in the law as a sinless human to serve God.
Did Jesus Christ as a sinless human worshiping God through delighting in God’s law cause Him to prosper? Yes. There were many fruits from God’s law in Jesus Christ’s life because His soul as a human was well nourished. Jesus Christ prospered being full of spiritual nourishment. This spiritual nourishment leads to greater trust in God to become a better servant. Jesus Christ’s well nourished soul led Him to His crucifixion. Christ’s crucifixion leads many humans to be set free of Adam’s curse of sin.
Verses 4-6:
Are humans in sin like Jesus Christ? No. All humans without salvation will perish quickly. To live 100 years is quick compared to the non-aging and unchanging God. These humans will have souls not nourished by God’s law. There will be no delight in what is good and pure. Humans in sin will feel the effects of sin until death comes. God is timeless without change inside of Himself that rules over every point in history. Humans in sin die while Jesus Christ continues forever.
Will these humans in sin be able to stand in God’s holy and perfect court? No. Adam imputes to give death to whom he represents. All in Adam die. God will see the sinful nature and additional sinful crimes done by each human. Will God say to sinful humans you are guilty and that leads to conscious hell forever? Yes. No human can stand in God’s court. Is there hope? There is hope found in Jesus Christ who imputes to give life. Jesus Christ knows the way of being legally faultless in God’s holy court. Where Adam imputes death to all humans Jesus Christ imputes life to some humans. Either Adam or Jesus Christ represents humans. The promise of Christ’s salvation is given to Adam and his cursed family. What if there is no sin passed on to humans because humans are not a part of Adam’s curse or family? Salvation is optional at best. This is not the case because all humans descend from Adam with his curse. Any human that rests and trusts in Jesus Christ will be found faultless because Jesus Christ imputes His perfection to these humans through salvation. Christians after salvation delight in God’s law where they receive some spiritual nourishment that is intermixed with sin. How? By following Jesus Christ’s way of life as explained in the Bible. Amen!
Reformed Baptist Reflections 