The confession and contrition of past saints can be helpful to Christians today. Our generation has become too self-obsessed. The sentiments of our secular culture have bled into the church – instead of the church influencing the culture. We’re seeing this in certain creeping movements into the church. Some churches are feeding spiritual junk to professing Christians who desire to be coddled by appeasement.
On the other hand, contrition of sin seems to be out of fashion. What does God say, though?
The LORD is near to the brokenhearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise. Psalm 51:17
What is a broken and contrite heart? See the following articles from Got Questions and GTY HERE and HERE.
Confession of sin
I found these prayers in the devotional “Be Thou My Vision” by Jonathan Gibson. They are examples of how our hearts ought to be towards God, not focused on ourselves.
Henry Thornton,
We have great reason, O Lord, to be humbled before you, on account of the coldness and insensibility of our hearts, the disorder and irregularity of our lives, and the prevalence of worldly affections within us. Too often have we indulged the tempers which we ought to have subdued, and have left our duty unperformed. O Lord, be merciful to us for your Son Jesus Christ’s sake. Produce in us deep repentance, and a lively faith in that Saviour who has died for our sins, and risen again for our justification. Amen.
Ambrose,
O Lord, you have mercy upon all – take away from me my sins, and mercifully kindle in me the fire of your Holy Spirit. Take away from me the heart of stone, and give me a heart of flesh, a heart to love and adore you, a heart to delight in you, to follow and to enjoy you, for Christ’s sake. Amen.
A Contrite hymn
The following hymn by Charles Wesley was taken from “Spurgeon’s Own Hymn Book.”
O that I could repent,
With all my idols part,
And to Thy gracious eye present
A humble, contrite heart.
A heart with grief oppress’d,
For having grieved my God,
A troubled heart that cannot rest,
Till sprinkled with Thy blood.
Jesus, on me bestow
The penitent desire;
With true sincerity of woe,
My aching breast inspire.
With softening pity look,
And melt my hardness down;
Strike with Thy love’s resistless stroke,
And break this heart of stone.
Maranatha!
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