gs. It was in these terms that David
confessed his sin, when he prayed, "Against Thee, Thee only, have I
sinned and done this evil in Thy sight, that Thou mightest be
justified when Thou speakest and be clear when Thou
judgest."[footnote11:Psalm 51:4] Let us not fear then, to make such a
confession where God convicts us that we must, thinking that it will
"let Jesus down." Rather the reverse is true, for out of such
confession God gets glory, for we declare Him to be right. This
brings us to a new experience of victory in Christ, for it declares
afresh, that "in me (that is, in my flesh), dwelleth no good
thing,"[footnote12:Rom.7:18] and brings us to a place where we give
up trying to make our incorrigible selves holy and where we take
Jesus to be our holiness and His life to be our life.

Peace and Cleansing.

But the Publican did something more than justify God. He pointed to
the sacrifice on the altar, and found peace with God and cleansing
from sin, as he did so. That comes out in the literal meaning of the
words which he uttered, "God be merciful to me, a sinner." In the
Greek, the words mean literally, "God be propitiated to me, the
sinner." The only way by which a Jew knew that God could be
propitiated was by a sacrifice, and, in all probability, at that very
hour the lamb for the daily burnt offering was being offered up on
the altar in the temple.

With us it is the same. A man never comes to this position of
brokenness, but God shows him the Divine Lamb on Calvary's Cross,
putting away his sin by the shedding of His Blood. The God who
declares beforehand what we are, provides beforehand for our sin.
Jesus was the Lamb slain for our sins from the foundation of the
world. In Him, who bore them in meekness, my sins are finished. And
as I, in true brokenness, confess them, and put my faith in His
Blood, they are cleansed and gone. Peace with God then comes into my
heart, fellowship with God is immediately restored, and I walk with
Him in white.

This simple way of being willing to justify God and see the power of
the Blood to cleanse brings within our reach, as never before, a
close walk with Jesus, a constant dwelling with Him in the Holy of
Holies. As we walk with Him in the Light, He will be showing us all
the time the beginnings of things which, if allowed to pass, will
grieve Him and check the flow of His life in us--things which are the
expression of that old proud self, for which God has nothing but