April 1 Daily Devotional

Bible Verse

"But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged" (1 Cor. 11:31).

Devotional

Self-condemnation averts God's condemnation. When a penitent sinner truly, humbly, and graciously sits in judgment upon himself, the Lord will never sit in judgment upon him. The penitent publican, who stood afar off, wrapped in the spirit of self-condemnation, left God's presence a justified man. The proud, self-righteous Pharisee, who marched boldly to the altar and justified himself, went out from God's presence a condemned man. When God sees a penitent sinner accusing, judging, condemning, loathing himself, he exclaims, "I do not condemn you; go and sin no more" (John 8:11). He who judges and condemns himself at God's footstool will be acquitted and absolved from God's throne.

May our Lord give us this secret spirit of self-judgment. Such was Job's, when in deep contrition he declared, "I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes" (Job 42:6). Such was David's, when he penitently confessed, "Against you, you only have I sinned, and done this evil in your sight" (Ps. 51:4). Such was Peter's, when he vehemently exclaimed, "Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord" (Luke 5:8). Such was Isaiah's, when he plaintively cried, "Woe is me, for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips" (Isa. 6:5). Such was the publican's, when he humbly prayed, "God be merciful to me a sinner" (Luke 18:13).

Oh lovely posture! Oh sacred spirit of self-abhorrence, of self-condemnation! The Holy Spirit works it in the heart, and this stamps it as so precious, so beneficial, and so safe. The great day of the Lord will unveil blessings passing all thought, and glories passing all imagination, to the soul who lies prostrate beneath the cross of Jesus, in the spirit of self-condemnation. The judgment-day of the self-condemning soul is on this side of eternity; while the judgment-day of the self-justifying soul is on the other side of eternity. And oh, how terrible will that judgment be!

No, not despairingly come I to thee;
no, not distrustingly bend I the knee:
sin hath gone over me,
yet is this still my plea,
Jesus hath died.

Lord, I confess to thee sadly my sin;
all am tell I thee, all I have been:
purge thou my sin away,
wash thou my soul this day;
Lord, make my clean.

Faithful and just art thou, forgiving all;
loving and kind art thou when poor ones call:
Lord, let the cleansing blood,
blood of the Lamb of God,
pass o'er my soul.

Then all is peace and light this soul within;
thus shall I walk with thee, the loved Unseen;
leaning on thee, my God,
guided along the road,
nothing between.

(Horatius Bonar, 1866)

Be sure to read the Preface by Octavius Winslow and A Note from the Editor by Larry E. Wilson.

Larry Wilson is an ordained minister in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. In addition to having served as the General Secretary of the Committee on Christian Education of the OPC (2000–2004) and having written a number of articles and booklets (such as God's Words for Worship and Why Does the OPC Baptize Infants) for New Horizons and elsewhere, he has pastored OPC churches in Minnesota, Indiana, and Ohio. We are grateful to him for his editing of Morning Thoughts, the OPC Daily Devotional for 2025.