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"And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner."
Luke 18:13, KJV
Using the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18), Hession contrasts the Pharisee's self-justifying protest of innocence with the tax collector's simple admission, “God be merciful to me a sinner.” He argues that our instinctive self-defense — explaining away, minimizing, or excusing our sin rather than agreeing with God about it — is the very thing that blocks the peace and fellowship the book has been describing throughout, and that only honest agreement with God's verdict opens the way to it.
- What is my instinctive first response when confronted with a fault — explanation, excuse, or honest agreement?
- Is there something right now I have been “protesting my innocence” about instead of simply naming it to God?
This is a UECF.NET reader's-guide summary of "Chapter 10: Protesting Our Innocence?" from The Calvary Road by Roy Hession — not the chapter's original text. Read Hession's own words in this chapter from the publisher: CLC Publications (free sample chapter).