This Psalm is about righteousness. It is quoted by Paul in Romans to demonstrate that all are in need of salvation from sin, Jews and Gentiles alike.
The writer describes us as “filthy” and Isaiah, perhaps allusion to this Psalm, describes our righteousness as “filthy rags”, a poor covering for us to stand in God’s presence.
Experience bears this out. Not a single day passes without some sin transpiring in our lives, be it a thought, a word, a deed, or an omission. For centuries the Confiteor has been part of the Christian liturgy (http://www.preces-latinae.org/thesaurus/Basics/Confiteor.html).
Acknowledging that we are sinners and that we lack the means to overcome our sin by ourselves is the first step on the road of repentance. Sin comes in a variety of forms from “small” acts of self-indulgence to serious offences that will also result in criminal prosecution if picked up by the secular authorities.
Sin begins in the heart. Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount that we have only to think something sinful to have committed sin. We need not act on it to be rendered sinful. We are thus defiled at the root, unfit for God’s heaven, unless He first cleanses us.
Paul, building on the teachings of Jesus, emphasises that we are to focus on love and seek God’s Spirit. This requires self-discipline, but it would be wrong to think that by our effort alone we can overcome sin. Protestantism, looking to Paul’s teachings, advises that we should be conscious of our sin, but keep our focus on living in gratitude for what God has done for us. Where we fall into a deep pit of shame and despair, we are weak against temptation. Faith is, among other things, about trusting God, who is working in us to make us more and more like Jesus. We must focus on Jesus and benevolence and for those grievances in our lives, we must trust that God will make things right on the Last Day.
All Along the Watchtower 
What do you make of Paul’s teaching in Galatians 2:15?
“We are Jews by nature and not sinners from the Gentiles;”
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I would need to read it further in context but I think Paul is saying that Israel was in covenant with the one true God and that Israel was the vehicle of God’s plan of salvation. This is the contrast with the pagans who would need to be grafted into Israel. I don’t think he is saying that the Israelites were free from sin and he criticises certain Pharisaic attitudes in that epistle. I think Paul’s teaching in Roman’s that all have sinned is the overriding principle.
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Rob – sometimes you have good points, but it can be difficult to see what it is supposed to be. It would probably be better if you stated what *you* thought Galatians 2v15 was all about, then people like Nicholas and myself could decide on the extent to which we agree with / disagree with it, etc ……
You indicated some time back that you were not impressed by the NIV translation, yet this seems to be the one that you have chosen.
This text, particularly the NIV translation *would* (out of context) suggest that Paul takes the view that `Jews from birth’ are not `sinful’, unlike the Gentiles. That is clearly not the meaning (unless he is being sarcastic in his approach to Peter) and would mitigate against huge chunks of what Paul says in other places (for example `all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’, which is a brief executive summary of the first three chapters of Romans, indicating that there is no difference between Gentile and Jew.
If we’re picking over verses, then I’d probably prefer the NKJV `We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, 16 knowing that a man is not [i]justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.’
The emphasis is different, but with the NKJV, it could be taken as `we who are Jewish sinners by nature rather than Gentile sinners by nature ….’ But I haven’t figured out the point you are trying to make (other than ask people to get their heads around Galatians 2v15) so I can’t say any more. I think I have a good general understanding of the Pauline message, which isn’t helped by nit-picking over every single word and phrase.
As far as `the law’ goes, I found a very interesting take on it over the summer, when I was reading Karl Barth’s commentary on Romans. In dealing with Romans 7, on a verse about the law, he directly jumped into a comment on `religion’ (and he didn’t say why on a verse about `law’ he saw fit to substitute `religion’ for `law’). It was the verse where Paul is making the point that the law, which was supposed to be good, actually brought death.
Later in the chapter, Barth made it clear what he meant. He draws a distinction between `the law’ and `the righteous requirements of the law’. The righteous requirement of the law was not to eat of the tree. This did not bring death. Barth points out that the first act of religion recorded in Scripture was Eve listening to a sermon on Communion with God, delivered by the Serpent, and hearkening to what the Serpent had to say. That is what brought death.
I found this very useful.
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This is another good one Nicholas. I do get worried sometimes about our attitudes to sin. Yes, we are all sinners, and anyone who says she isn’t is lying. But we are made in God’s image and he loved us so much that we cannot be ‘filth’. Why would God love filth? Why would Jesus die to redeem filth?
I have always thought this psalm is about the consequences of sin, that is of living in the world as though God did not exist. And yet, as the psalmist tells us, God does not give up on his world. We should not give up on ourselves. If God loves us, then we can respond to that love. As one who has suffered from low self-esteem, the danger is that concentrating on one’s shortcomings tend to inculcate and attitude of helplessness and even hopelessness from which it can be hard to raise ourselves.
If we do our best, if we pray, if we help each other, if we love each other, if we receive Christ in the Mass, then we are following his ways, and we must trust in his redeeming love. It is not the falling that matters, we all fall, it is the getting up, saying sorry, and trying hard to go on which count. God has not given up on us. If he seems far away, that’s when we are far away. He is there, arms out, even if we’re sometimes too far distant to see him.
Sorry for chattering on, but you inspired me xx
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I agree. I think the Psalmist is saying that we need to appreciate how serious sin is, which is why he uses strong language. Sin corrupts the soul : it makes us unloving.
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Yes, you are correct, and if we do not love one another then we fail to reflect God’s love for us xx
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Which reminds me, are you familiar with Tennyson’s Saint Simeon Stylites?
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No, but I am now 😊xx
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I do not recall that the New Testament ever refers to a disciple of Christ as a sinner. They are usually called saints, which is not to say that saints do nor sin.
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Agreed. Saints are justified, clearly all are in need of salvation, hence Paul’s comment about us being freed from the kingdom of darkness and brought into Christ’s kingdom.
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I should add, my paragraph referring to us as sinners is in reference to when one first becomes a disciple of Christ. I mean repentance in the sense of conversion.
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True – disciples are not referred to as sinners. But what is your point? They are sinners, whether they are referred to as such or not. The word `sinner’ isn’t used with reference to Judas Iscariot, but I think we can take it that Judas really was a sinner.
As the good book says,
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
and as it says in another place
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
What point are you trying to make? Are you trying to say that the disciples were not sinners? You’ll find plenty of Scripture that tells us that we do not reach a state of sinless perfection in this life; we have to wait for the heavenly life to see ourselves in that state.
So what exactly is your point?
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” … those grievances in our lives, …”. I’ve never been able to understand ‘holding a grudge’ or those folks who wish terrible things upon folks they believe have hurt them. God, as always, takes care of justice and does a fine job. And sometimes, if you’re paying attention, He’ll let you see Him do it.
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There’s a Psalm for everyone in that respect. For those of us who have trouble letting go, there are Psalms that eloquently express our grief and anger. I’d also recommend Cranmer’s blogpost on Psalm 23 that came our a few days ago. Mourn with those who mourn.
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Audre – how about Adolf Hitler? Not OK to hold a grudge against old Adolf? How about those who (quite rightly in my opinion) kept searching for the Nazis who had committed atrocities at places such as Auschwitz? Were they wrong to not let go?
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