“Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression.” -Psalm 19:13
Seeing the Law of the Lord is necessary to reveal errors and hidden sins, how much more do we need God’s help to be freed from those presumptuous or insolent sins that would tend to rule our lives?
Calvin rightly warns, “unless God restrain us, our hearts will violently boil with a proud and insolent contempt of God” Sin left unchecked will grow in power and take dominion over us like a tyrant takes dominion over once free people who do not keep their ruler in check. This is why our Lord has taught us to pray, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:13). We are not capable of doing so on our own. We need God’s Law, God’s Spirit, God’s church, and ultimately, God’s Savior.
Those who regularly and constantly allow the perfect Law of liberty to check their sins will be spared the great transgression because they will be regularly and constantly driven to the foot of the cross where Jesus’ blood covers all sin—hidden, insolent, or great!