“Only acknowledge thine iniquity….” – Jeremiah 3:13
We all fail at some point and find ourselves in need of forgiveness. Sadly many take the wrong approach. Some believe that they can compensate for their wrong by doing something right, but that never works. You can’t make up for a bad deed by doing a good one. Nor does it help to merely regret your sin and resolve to do better. Forgiveness comes only by the heart felt confession of sin. James Smith explained it well, he said:
“Will the Lord receive us when we have backslidden from Him, and are desirous of returning to Him? Oh, yes, He invites, He exhorts, He beseeches us to return. Nor does He prescribe any hard conditions, but He says, “ONLY ACKNOWLEDGE THINE INIQUITY.”
He is so ready to forgive, so infinitely gracious in His nature , that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Have we wandered? Have we left our first love? Let us go and return to our first husband, for then it was better with us than now. His bowels yearn over us, His arms are open to receive us, and He waits to fall upon our neck and kiss us.
Let us go to His throne, and there confess our sins, crave His pardon, sigh for the enjoyment of His love, and He will restore unto us the joys of His salvation, and establish us with His free Spirit. Let us daily confess our iniquities unto the Lord, and He will pardon our numerous sins. In His favour is life. In His frown is distress and woe. He delighteth in mercy. He will receive, pardon us, and bless like a God. His mercy endureth for ever.”
“This glorious news dispels my fears,
Makes glad my heart, wipes off my tears,
Displays the riches of His grace,
Inflames my love, and claims my praise,
A pardon’d sinner lives to prove
The height and depth of Jesus’s love.”
