"Behold, if the leprosy have covered all his flesh, he shall pronounce him clean that hath the plague." Leviticus 13:13

This regulation appears strange. Yet, there was wisdom in it, for the throwing out of the disease proved that the constitution was sound.

We, too, are lepers and may read the law of lepers as applicable to ourselves. When a man sees himself to be altogether lost and ruined and pleads guilty before the Lord, then he is made clean through the blood of Jesus and the grace of God. When sin is seen and felt, it has received its death-blow, and the Lord looks with eyes of mercy on the soul afflicted with it.

Nothing is more deadly than self-righteousness or more hopeful than contrition. We must confess that we are nothing else but sin, for no confession short of this will be the whole truth. If the Holy Spirit is at work within us, convincing us of sin, there will be no difficulty about making such an acknowledgment. It will spring spontaneously from our lips.

What comfort this scripture provides. Sin that is mourned and confessed however black and foul, will never shut a man out from the Lord Jesus. Whosoever comes to Him, He will in no wise cast out. Though dishonest as the thief, though unchaste as the woman who was a sinner, though fierce as Soul of Tarsus, though rebellious as the prodigal, the great heart of love will look on the man (or woman) who feels he has no righteousness in himself and will pronounce him clean when he trusts in Jesus crucified. Come to Him, then, poor, heavy-laden sinner.

C. H. Spurgeon, Morning by Morning, pg. 275

Humans, deceived by the devil and charmed by their own pride and abilities, deny that our world is a rebel province in God's universe. They deny that human society has willfully pulled loose from God's rule and the rest of God's domain.

In fact, they deny that men and women are the creation of God. They deny even that they owe any allegiance to God, their Creator!

The Bible is the record of how God deals with mankind and we can draw but one conclusion: all people are morally obligated to repent and to ask forgiveness of God. Failing to do so, they will perish.

How rare it is in our day to hear of genuine repentance. We live amid a proud, selfish and self-sufficient people. Even in our Christian churches there are those who want nothing more than to be known as "respectable church members!" When repentance is real and faith is genuine, the atoning death of Jesus Christ is effective for pardon and forgiveness and regeneration.

A. W. Tozer, Renewed Day by Day, Bk 2, 07/15