Evening, February 18
Go To Morning Reading
“Father, I have sinned.”
Luke 15:18
It is quite certain that those whom Christ has washed in his precious
blood need not make a confession of sin, as culprits or criminals,
before God the Judge, for Christ has forever taken away all their
sins in a legal sense, so that they no longer stand where they can
be condemned, but are once for all accepted in the Beloved; but having
become children, and offending as children, ought they not every day
to go before their heavenly Father and confess their sin, and acknowledge
their iniquity in that character? Nature teaches that it is the duty
of erring children to make a confession to their earthly father, and
the grace of God in the heart teaches us that we, as Christians, owe
the same duty to our heavenly Father. We daily offend, and ought not
to rest without daily pardon. For, supposing that my trespasses against
my Father are not at once taken to him to be washed away by the cleansing
power of the Lord Jesus, what will be the consequence? If I have not
sought forgiveness and been washed from these offences against my
Father, I shall feel at a distance from him; I shall doubt his love
to me; I shall tremble at him; I shall be afraid to pray to him: I
shall grow like the prodigal, who, although still a child, was yet
far off from his father. But if, with a child’s sorrow at offending so gracious and loving a Parent, I go to him
and tell him all, and rest not till I realize that I am forgiven,
then I shall feel a holy love to my Father, and shall go through my
Christian career, not only as saved, but as one enjoying present peace
in God through Jesus Christ my Lord. There is a wide distinction between
confessing sin as a culprit , and confessing sin as a child . The Father’s bosom is the place for penitent confessions. We have been cleansed
once for all, but our feet still need to be washed from the defilement
of our daily walk as children of God.