Proverbs 20:9

9Who can say, “I have made my heart clean,
I am pure from my sin”?
-Proverbs 20:9

This is a vital question for us to sincerely ask of ourselves. Of course, the immediate response for any believer would be, "Not me!" We know it is only by Jesus that we are made clean. The question that I arrive at in considering this proverb is this: do we live like that? If you stumble in sin, how long does it take you before you run to Jesus and get past it? I have found for many believers that they continue to mourn their sin and beat themselves up for something that was already confessed and dealt with. It is as though our sin is more present to us than the sacrifice of Christ. When we confess our sin to the Lord, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness, just as it says in 1 John. Godly sorrow leads to repentance. It does not follow it. I think that many of us have fallen for the trap that we are not truly forgiven until we no longer remember our shame. This is far from the case. We are truly forgiven by Christ alone. So let us run to nothing else. Let us not think of ourselves as able to justify or repay our own sin. We have nothing to offer but that which the Lord gave to us. Walk, then, as the redeemed of the Lord! God's grace is sufficient for you. His sacrifice is enough. Praise the Lord!