An Admission Of Guilt

There once was a governor of the state of Texas who received an invitation to speak at one of the penitentiaries in that state. He spoke to the assembled prisoners and afterwards said that he would be around for a while to listen to anything any of the convicts might wish to tell him. He could take as much time as they wanted, and anything they would tell him would be kept in confidence. The convicts began to come, one at a time. One after another told him a story of how they had been unjustly sentenced, were innocent, and wish to get out. Finally, one man came through and said to him, "Governor, I don't want to take much of your time. I only want to say that I really did what they convicted me for. But I have been here a number of years. I believe I have paid my debt to society and that, if I were to be released, I would be able to live an upright life and show myself worthy of your mercy." This man was pardoned by the Governor.

I know that there are imperfections in this illustration. Some men who claim to be innocent might actually have been innocent. The man who was pardoned might have actually been deceiving the Governor. The point of the story still stands: the first step in the rehabilitation of any man lies in his admission of guilt. To benefit from a doctor, the patient must admit that he is sick.

Just as this is true in medicine, business, and criminal rehabilitation, so is it true spiritually. Therefore, much of the word of God is given over to revealing a person's need so that they might acknowledge their need and turn to God for pardon.