Let Them Not Rule Over Us

[Christsfreeservant]

“Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults.​

Also keep back Your servant from presumptuous sins;​

Let them not rule over me; then I will be blameless,​

And I shall be acquitted of great transgression.” (Psalm 19:12-13 NASB1995)​

Because we are human, and we are not God, we might get some things wrong sometimes. We, without realizing it, might say something that is not true, that we thought was truth. We might make a wrong judgment about something not realizing that it was wrong. And/or we might be mistaken about something that we thought we had right. And the older that you get, as your memory begins to go, the more often such things might take place.

These would be considered “hidden faults,” i.e. things in which we have erred, and we didn’t get right or say right or do right, but they are hidden because we do not see them. They are not evident and obvious to us. So this is not speaking of sins being done in secret or that we willfully become desensitized to out of a desire to take into our minds and hearts things which we know are forbidden by God. Hidden faults are unknown to us.

So, hidden faults are mistakes we make unknowingly and unintentionally. But this is never to be used as an excuse for willful, deliberate, and habitual sinful practices. Many addicts will claim that they did not know, when they knew full well, or that they were taken by surprise when they walked through a gate into something they knew full well is wrong. And many of them will repeat the same lame excuses, but they are without excuse.

So, there is a distinct difference between making a mistake unknowingly and unintentionally, and sinning against God and against other humans willfully, deliberately, and habitually in areas we know are wrong, and that are sinful. And it is sinful to then make excuses for and to try to cover up those willful and habitual acts of rebellion against God, against his commandments, and against those humans who are sinned against. God does not accept excuses.

So, the prayer of the Psalmist, which was in Old Testament times, was that God would forgive him of any faults of his of which he was unaware, and that they would not be held against him. And then he asked for God’s help in order that he would not yield to any sins which were insolent, i.e. brazen, i.e. bold, willful, blatant, unashamed, deliberate and habitual, for it was his desire that he would lead a blameless life for God, and not a sinful life.

Now, under the New Covenant that God’s people (Jew and Gentile by faith in Jesus Christ) have with God, by God-provided and God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ, we die with Christ to sin, and we are raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to God and to his righteousness, in walks of obedience to his commands. And now all our sins are forgiven, and we have the hope of eternal life with God.

But.. God requires under the New Covenant that we walk in obedience to his commands, in practice, and that we put sin to death, by the Spirit, in practice, and that we no longer deliberately and habitually sin against God while refusing to obey his commandments, in practice. For if sin is what we practice, and not obedience to God, we will not have salvation from sin, and we will not inherit eternal life with God, regardless of what we profess.

So, if we want to have salvation from sin and eternal life with God, we must die with Christ to our old lives of living in sin and for self, and we must follow him in walks of surrender and in obedience to his commands. That doesn’t make us perfect from that point forward (1 John 2:1-2), but sin must no longer be what we practice. Now obedience to our Lord and to what he teaches us must be our practice, from now to eternity, because we love God.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10]

Songs in the Night

An Original Work / December 18, 2013
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25 NIV ‘84

Lord, I praise You forevermore.
You, my Savior, I now adore.
Hope in heaven awaiting me,
Because You died at Calvary.

I have been forgiven,
And I’m bound for heaven.
Jesus set me free from
All my sin, I say.
I will praise Him always!

Lord, I love You for all You’ve done:
Overcame death, my vict’ry won!
Jesus saved me, and now I’m free!
I rejoice in His love for me.

I will walk in vict’ry!
My sin is but hist’ry!
I am free to please Him
With my life today.
I will love Him always!

Lord, I thank You for giving me
A new life bought at Calvary.
Loving Jesus, I meet with Him.
Tender mercies now flow within.

Lord, I am so thankful;
Through my Lord, I’m able
To sit at His table;
Fellowship with Him.
I will thank Him always!

Let Them Not Rule Over Us
An Original Work / June 12, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love