“Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee” (Psalm 51:13).
One can be a soul winner only if he has been put through God’s school of repentance. David describes this process in Psalm 51, written “when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba” (title of Psalm 51).
First, note the recognition of sin and whom it ultimately concerns: “I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight” (vv.3,4). The sinner brings nothing to God but a prayer: “Have mercy upon me, O God . . . according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions” (v.1). He sees himself stained and ruined by sin. “Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me” (vv.2,3).
When a sinner comes to God, he presents himself in his state as a willfully accountable sinner. This kind of vulnerability toward God recognizes also the gulf between what we are and what God desires. “Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts” (v.6).
Only God can make us what He wants us to be: “Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. . . . Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me” (vv.7-10). When God’s Spirit convicts us, He mercifully gives us a glimpse of eternity without Him and our soul cries out: “Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free Spirit” (vv.11,12).
Then after we are restored and upheld, we indeed have “good news” to share. We can “teach transgressors” His ways; and sinners, like us, will be converted. CJH