Christ Our Righteousness
63
bless yourself. It is true; you are helpless. But lift up Jesus before him:
“I have a risen Saviour. In Him I trust, and He will never suffer me to
be confounded. In His name I triumph. He is my righteousness and
my crown of rejoicing.” Let no one here feel that his case is hopeless,
for it is not. You may see that you are sinful and undone, but it is
just on this account that you need a Saviour. If you have sins to
confess, lose no time. These moments are golden. “If we confess our
sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness.”
1 John 1:9
. Those who hunger and thirst
after righteousness will be filled, for Jesus has promised it. Precious
Saviour! His arms are open to receive us, and His great heart of love
is waiting to bless us.
Some seem to feel that they must be on probation and must prove
to the Lord that they are reformed, before they can claim His blessing.
But these dear souls may claim the blessing even now. They must have
His grace, the Spirit of Christ, to help their infirmities, or they cannot
form a Christian character. Jesus loves to have us come to Him, just as
we are—sinful, helpless, dependent.
[49]
Repentance, as well as forgiveness, is the gift of God through
Christ. It is through the influence of the Holy Spirit that we are
convicted of sin and feel our need of pardon. None but the contrite are
forgiven; but it is the grace of God that makes the heart penitent. He is
acquainted with all our weaknesses and infirmities, and He will help
us.
Some who come to God by repentance and confession, and even
believe that their sins are forgiven, still fail of claiming, as they should,
the promises of God. They do not see that Jesus is an ever-present
Saviour; and they are not ready to commit the keeping of their souls
to Him, relying upon Him to perfect the work of grace begun in their
hearts. While they think they are committing themselves to God, there
is a great deal of self-dependence. There are conscientious souls that
trust partly to God and partly to themselves. They do not look to
God, to be kept by His power, but depend upon watchfulness against
temptation and the performance of certain duties for acceptance with
Him. There are no victories in this kind of faith. Such persons toil to
no purpose; their souls are in continual bondage, and they find no rest
until their burdens are laid at the feet of Jesus.