Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Is Saying You're a Sinner Really Humble?

Why do the people of our church always end most prayers with a plea for the forgiveness of their sins, even the ones they don’t remember? I wonder if the Holy Spirit revealed to them that they were sinning? Let’s try an experiment.

Let’s not ask for forgiveness any­more, unless the Holy Spirit convicts us. I know some of our backgrounds will call that heresy, but the Holy Spirit is able to reveal to us when we blow it and in our spirit we will agree with Him, thank Him, and get on with the business of living. If the Holy Spirit hasn’t prompted us, then God hasn’t prompted us. (John 16:8-15.)

Some of you are thinking, “Well surely I’ve done something wrong.” I say if you have then the Holy Spirit will bring it to your attention. And your Advocate has already interceded on your behalf. (I John 2:1, not I John 1:9.) It is forgiven. What you’ve done wrong has already been dealt with. Agree with Him that you are forgiven.

However, because many believers haven’t experienced consummate ongoing forgiveness (living in a state of forgiveness), all they are hearing is “surely you’ve done something wrong.” We think it’s humble to talk about being sinners. Oswald Chambers says we start with this false humility of calling ourselves sinners, this pious humbleness, in order to make ourselves sound good to the ears of men is near blasphemy to ears of God. Do you see the fallacy of continually calling your­self a sinner?

You say, “It is arrogant to the ears of men to say I’m righteous. I can’t say I’m righteous. I can’t say it.”


Well, we had better decide with whom we are going to agree. Because if we do not agree with God we are never going to get out of the sin trap.

- Dan Stone

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