December 7

 ‘The new life will manifest itself in conscious repentance and unconscious holiness, never the other way about.’ – OC
What does it mean to be convicted of sin? According to OC it is ’the threshold of an understanding of God.’ It is what separates remorse from repentance.
I believe WE must be readied for the forgiveness of Christ our sins in four stages.
The first stage is to be convicted of our sin. To be convicted of sin is to take ownership of it. To understand that we have not followed God’s law and have in fact, broken it. The ownership of our failures regarding God’s law helps us to place value on keeping it. (Imagine each of your sins constituting hammer blows on the nails as they crucify Jesus) This is why He atoned for us. My sin has cost Him thus.
Secondly, we must repent of our sins. It is true that Jesus came as a living sacrifice so that we can be clean in our relationship with Him. Unfortunately, this sacrifice did not dissolve sin in the world. Each of our sins is new and oft repeated. We are imperfect and as such are prone to breaking God’s law repeatedly. Let me be clear in that we must repent daily.
Thirdly, we must change the way in which we live. Forgiveness is not a ‘get out of jail free’ card. OC notes that conscious repentance will produce an unconscious holiness. This is true because if we are truly penitent daily, we are reminded of what God’s law requires of us. It is always at the forefront of our minds and exhibited in our actions. Thus, as in anything, external actions lead to internal changes. Our conscious repentance produces unconscious holiness. It is at this point that we find we have changed. It is at this point that Christ is evident in us to others.
Finally, we must accept forgiveness. We must remember that we are destitute and can offer God nothing comparable to what He has given us. We must lower ourselves in humility to Him only. By asking for His forgiveness, we are absolved of our sins and made pure enough to be in His presence. If we are absolved of our sins, we must let them go. The forgiven person does not dwell on past sins because they are invalid following forgiveness from God.
It strikes me just how powerful forgiveness is. Not only does forgiveness allow me to live again for eternity with God, but it also gives me new life here on Earth. It gives me the confidence to approach all obstacles in life with vigor and worthiness because I know that I have already been convicted in the presence of the most holy and He has forgiven me.