Repentance
17
“Have mercy upon me, O God, according to
Thy loving-kindness:
According unto the multitude of Thy tender
mercies blot out my transgressions....
For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my
sin is ever before me....
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean:
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow....
Create in me a clean heart, O God;
And renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from Thy presence;
And take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation;
And uphold me with Thy free spirit....
Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, Thou
God of my salvation:
And my tongue shall sing aloud of Thy
righteousness.”
Psalm 51:1-14
.
A repentance such as this, is beyond the reach of our own power
to accomplish; it is obtained only from Christ, who ascended up on
high and has given gifts unto men.
[26]
Just here is a point on which many may err, and hence they fail
of receiving the help that Christ desires to give them. They think that
they cannot come to Christ unless they first repent, and that repentance
prepares for the forgiveness of their sins. It is true that repentance does
precede the forgiveness of sins; for it is only the broken and contrite
heart that will feel the need of a Saviour. But must the sinner wait till
he has repented before he can come to Jesus? Is repentance to be made
an obstacle between the sinner and the Saviour?
The Bible does not teach that the sinner must repent before he can
heed the invitation of Christ, “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and
are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28
. It is the
virtue that goes forth from Christ, that leads to genuine repentance.
Peter made the matter clear in his statement to the Israelites when he
said, “Him hath God exalted with His right hand to be a Prince and a
Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.”
Acts