The possession of an evil nature never makes the conscience bad in the Lord's presence. It is only when it is at work in any way that the conscience becomes defiled. The cloud is felt, preventing the soul's enjoyment of communion in the light. Here then comes in God's blessed provision for that which is made manifest in His presence where there is failure in our ways as Christians. It is confession of sins. Just as when a man with his clothing soiled or in disarray enters a room full of light and mirrors, instinctively arranges his attire (for the light shows whatever was wrong), so one cannot help confessing if when in the light of God there is the slightest soil—anything that the light reveals. "Whatsoever doth make manifest is light," and God is "faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
When the sinful nature is yielded to and permitted to appear in the shape of "sins" the conscience is defiled and unhappy; the Spirit is grieved, and the more sensitive the conscience the more keenly it feels the stain. Here it is we learn what causes the bowing of the heart and conscience before God about the sin. The advocacy of Christ has been in exercise, not because I have repented of the sin and judged myself about it, but because I had sinned and needed that my soul should be bowed for the failure before the Lord. A living Person—Jesus—deals by His Word and His Spirit with my heart and conscience, makes me feel the sin, and bows my heart in confession to Him who is faithful and just to forgive "and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." It is "If any man sin" (not repent of his sin), "we have an advocate with the Father" (1 John 2:22And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:2)). He forgives the sin and cleanses the heart from the remembrance of that which had caused the sorrow and distress of soul.
True confession is a deep, deep, painful work in the soul. It has not only to do with the actual failure, but also with the root of the matter which, unjudged, had produced the sin. Peter's case in John 21 gives an illustration of this dealing of Christ when he needed a sense of his sin not heretofore possessed. Peter had "wept bitterly" over the sin (his denial of Christ), yet the roots were unreached and liable to break forth again. The Lord deals with him—not charging him with his sin or even making mention of it: "Lowest thou Me more than these?" Dost thou still have overweaning confidence in thyself? for he had boasted that though others would deny Him, yet he would not. The Lord did not look to the stream but to its source. The root was reached and all was out before His eve. The spring was laid open, judged, and dried up. Blessed dealing of One who loves us perfectly and cares too much for us to spare us when we need to learn ourselves.