STEP FIVE
Admitted to God to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
[FONT=TimesNewRoman,Italic]Psalm 51:3-4 (N.I.V.)
[FONT=TimesNewRoman,Italic]For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.[/FONT]
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In his search for forgiveness the psalmist opens his sinful heart to God. The variety of words that he uses for sin expresses its seriousness. He knows himself intimately and sees how rebellious he has been. His confession is more than introspection as he knows that he has sinned against the Lord. The psalmist does not reject or argue with divine justice because he knows that the Lords’ verdict is right! God already knows everything about us but he asks us to confess our wrongs to him. Once we acknowledge these wrongs he and we are able to move toward the correction of them in us.
Confronted by God’s righteous verdict the psalmist is more deeply pricked by his own sinfulness. His confession of depravity is not an excuse for his treachery but serves to heighten the distance between the Lord and himself.
God is just whereas human beings are so corrupt that their whole being cries out for help. In their sinfulness they cannot respond in confession unless the Lord sends wisdom from on high. This alone can bring remedy to the sinful heart! Only by receiving revelation from the outside can the inside become whole!
