Confession 2.0 | NIV
Of the Second Part of Prayer, which is Confession of Sin, Complaints Regarding Myself, and Humble Professions of Repentance
Having ascribed to God the glory due his name, Psalm 29:2(NIV) I must next take shame to myself, which is my due, and humble myself before him in the sense of my own sinfulness and vileness; and herein also I must give glory to him, Joshua 7:19(NIV) as my Judge, by whom I deserve to be condemned, and yet hope, through Christ, to be acquitted and absolved.
In this part of my work, I must acknowledge the great reason I have to lie very low before God and to be ashamed of myself when I come into his presence and to be afraid of his wrath, having made myself both odious to his holiness and obnoxious to his justice.
O my God! I am too ashamed and disgraced to lift up my face to you, my God, because my sins are higher than my head and my guilt has reached to the heavens. Ezra 9:6(NIV)
I am covered with shame because I have sinned against you. Daniel 9:8(NIV)
I am unworthy – how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth, Job 40:4(NIV) and bury my face in the dust – there may yet be hope – Lamentations 3:29(NIV) crying out with the convicted leper under the law, “Unclean, unclean!” Leviticus 13:45(NIV)
If you place no trust in your holy ones, if even the heavens are not pure in your eyes, how much less man, who is vile and corrupt, who drinks up evil like water! Job 15:15-16(NIV)
When my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty, I have reason to cry, “Woe to me! I am ruined.” Isaiah 6:5(NIV)
Dominion and awe belong to you; you establish order in the heights of heaven. Your forces cannot be numbered; and upon whom does your light not rise? How then can a man be righteous before God? How can one born of woman be pure? Job 25:2-4(NIV)
You alone are to be feared. Who can stand before you when you are angry? Psalm 76:7(NIV) You, my God, are a consuming fire; Hebrews 12:29(NIV) and who knows the power of your anger? Psalm 90:11(NIV)
Even if I were innocent, my mouth would condemn me; if I were blameless, it would pronounce me guilty. Job 9:20(NIV) Though I wished to dispute with you, I could not answer you one time out of a thousand. Job 9:3(NIV)
If my conscience is clear, that does not make me innocent, for it is the Lord who judges me – 1 Corinthians 4:4(NIV) the Lord, who is greater than my heart and knows everything. 1 John 3:20(NIV) But I myself know that I have sinned, Father, against heaven and against you, and am no longer worthy to be called your child. Luke 15:21(NIV)
