Hymn of Forgiveness

I have worked among Evangelical Christians for many years. I am never really prepared for the lack of biblical knowledge in this Pastors and leaders of my friends when it comes to forgiveness. First, most cannot distinguish between True Moral Guilt and False Social Guilt. The term, "I feel guilty" is universally used to describe all kinds of negative feelings that have little or nothing to do with biblical Guilt. 

Second, we can't tell the difference between  confession and ruminating on our failures. Confession is stating my fault and asking God for forgiveness. It is agreeing with God about my faulty behavior. We are not surprising God with confession. God already knows all about it.

A man told me once that he did not want to confess his sins to me because he did not want God to find out what a failure he was. Fear of facing failure is pretty common. My friend Bob Vincent sent this hymn to a discussion group and it is pretty powerful.

When I have privately sought to encourage people to seek God's forgiveness, I have sometimes had them read Hart's words while I quietly sang it. What can take away the guilt of people who have committed murder, broken their marriage vows, hurt spouses, harmed children, defrauded others, blasphemed God? Here are Pastor Joseph Hart's original, 1759, seven stanzas as found in the sixth edition of his work.

Come, ye sinners, poor and wretched,

Weak and wounded, sick and sore;

Jesus ready stands to save you,

Full of pity join'd with pow'r.

He is able, he is able, he is able;

He is willing: doubt no more.

Ho! ye needy; come, and welcome;

God's free bounty glorify.

True belief and true repentance,

Ev'ry grace that brings us nigh,

Without money, without money, without money,

Come to Jesus Christ and buy.

Let not conscience make you linger;

Nor of fitness fondly dream.

All the fitness he requireth

Is to feel your need of him:

This he gives you, this he gives you, this he gives you;

'Tis the Spirit's rising beam.

Come, ye weary, heavy laden,

Bruise'd and mangled by the Fall;

If you tarry till you’re better,

You will never come at all.

Not the righteous, not the righteous, not the righteous;

Sinners Jesus came to call.

View him grov'ling in the Garden;

Lo! your Maker prostrate lies.

On the bloody Tree behold him:

Hear him cry before he dies:

It is finish'd; it is finish'd; it is finish'd.

Sinner, will not this suffice?

Lo! th’incarnate God ascended,

Pleads the merit of his blood:

Venture on him, venture wholly;

Let no other trust intrude.

None but Jesus, none but Jesus, none but Jesus,

Can do helpless sinners good.

Saints and angels, joined in concert,

Sing the praises of the Lamb;

While the blissful seats of heaven

Sweetly echo with his name.

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Sinners here may sing the same.

(J. Hart (1769) _Hymns, &c. composed on various subjects_, sixth edition, (London: M. Lewis), pp. 133-134)

Philip P. Bliss included the revised chorus in 1874:

I will arise and go to Jesus,

He will embrace me in His arms;

In the arms of my dear Savior,

O there are ten thousand charms (http://youtu.be/vmn9wZf7pOo).

If you want to now more about ways to minister to people with "Holes in their Souls" get my book, Breaking Free. It is a PDF. that can be downloaded and printed out.