Who Shall Stand

Who Shall Stand

If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?

Psalm 130:3

We must face the truth about ourselves. The Word of God is like a spiritual mirror. It shows us who, and what we really are. That is, in many ways, a very stark picture. It is not easy to behold. We prefer to be the person we have fashioned ourself to be in our own minds. The Scripture speaks truth to us. Our text today declares, ‘If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?’ The fact is, we are breakers of the law of God. If He were to ‘mark iniquities,’ that is if God were to hold against us all of our breakings of His Law, which of us would ‘stand?’ The answer to that is, not one of us. This is, at once, a broad condemnation, and curiously, a comfort. Our sin condemns us before this Holy God. We are sinners by nature and by choice. ‘All we, like sheep have gone astray, we have turned, everyone unto his own way.’ The comfort is, that we are not exceptional. I am a member of a large company of sinners. It is not as if I stand more in need of the grace of God than others, nor that I stand less in need. Not one of us can claim any personal righteousness whatsoever. This brings us to Someone who is greater than ourselves, and greater than our sin. It brings us inevitably to Christ. Once we have seen ourselves for who and what we really are, we conclude that there is no hope within ourselves. We must then look elsewhere, and before us the Sovereign God has placed the Saving Christ.

Our Most Merciful and Loving God, we confess unto You,
that we are all together sinful, breakers of Your law and rebels against Your Rule.
We praise You that You lead us unto the living Christ,
with Whom there is abundant forgiveness.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning