Secret Faults and Presumptuous Sins

Scripture Reading: Psa 19:12, 13, "Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression".

We all have secret faults from time to time that are just between God and ourselves. I earnestly try to work on mine and pray for God to help me have a pure heart and mind. We are to bring every thought unto the obedience of Christ (II Cor. 10:5). We cannot fill our hearts and mind with garbage and expect for them to then be pure. Hence, we have to be extremely careful what we let into our hearts and minds. If something is wrong or worldly and it is in our power to avoid, then we must. We might hear someone in the grocery store use foul language, but we are not forced to turn on a movie or listen to music with the foul language in it. We may have to see immodestly dressed people out in the world, but we do not have to go to the public swimming areas where we are sure to see them. Should we go to the public festivals of our area knowing there is going to be plenty of drinking and barroom activity? No, we should not. We do have the power to guard our hearts and keep it or else God would not have instructed us to do so in Proverbs 4:23. We just have to exercise that power. We have to stop talking ourselves into believing that the sin we let in is justified. This is the presumptuous sin spoken of here. I looked up the word and it means proud, swelling. This is what Barnes commentary had to say about this word in this context:

Presumptuous: "The prevailing thought is that of pride, and the reference is particularly to sins which proceed from self-confidence; from reliance on one's own strength. The word does not mean open sins, or flagrant sins, so much as those which spring from self-reliance or pride."

We have to stop with the thinking, "I can handle it", “I can tune this or that out", or “it is a matter of opinion”. Some things are a matter of opinion, but not the things that fall under the category of that which God calls sin. To me this is a very dangerous area that many Christians face. I face this myself a lot, especially being married to a man whose not a Christian. He does not understand some of the things that I must avoid in keeping my heart and mind pure before God. This very real danger is ever before me by just being in this world. The severities of presumptuous sins are also referenced in the book of Numbers: Num 15:30, 31: “But the soul that doeth aught presumptuously, whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Because he hath despised the word of the LORD, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him. “
I don't know all there is do know about presumptuous sins, but it would be in my benefit as well as yours to study it further and make sure that we are not guilty of such. II Peter 2:9, 10 says: "The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the Day of Judgment to be punished: But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, self-willed, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. “The Greek definition for the word here means a daring audacious man. I don't want any part of that verse that describes the unjust to be a description of myself as well. May I always make sure I do all in the name of the Lord (Col. 3:17).

Donna Ribardi