And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, 'I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.’ Acts 13:22

What does it mean to be a person after God’s own heart? The person after God’s own heart does God’s will. Perfectly. All the time. We do well to understand three realities about that statement.

First, there is only one Person who fits that description perfectly. Jesus. Jesus never did anything contrary to His Father’s perfect will, nor did He ever fail to accomplish a single detail of the Father’s will. Jesus never sinned. Then what about David? He sinned, sometimes greatly.

Second, David, though a sinner, was a man who, in spite of his sin, loved God. His love for God did not exempt him from sin, but when he sinned, he was repentant. Read Psalm 51 for a snapshot of David’s repentant heart.

Third, repentance alone does not render us sinless in God’s eyes. That happens only when we are “in Christ.” Being in Christ means acknowledging one’s sin, that Jesus is the only remedy for our sin, trusting in Him for forgiveness—and then repenting. When we are in Christ, the Father sees us as being people after His heart—sinless “in Christ Jesus,” living lives that, while not sinless, are lives of ongoing confession and repentance for our sins.

Our repentance doesn’t save us. Jesus does. And those who trust Him, like David, have repentant hearts.