Answer: Psalm 19: 12, 13 reads, “Cleanse thou me from secret faults. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.”

The “secret faults” may be of two kinds: (1) faults which were secret to ourselves at the time committed – slips, unintentional errors; and (2) faults in the sense of being unknown to any but ourselves and the Lord – imperfections or faults of the mind before they take the outward form of actual and presumptuous sins of any kind.

Outward or “presumptuous sins” have their beginning in secret faults of the mind. Sins of presumption result from undue self-confidence, ambition or pride. Many are guilty of them without seemingly being aware of the fact. To presume means to take for granted without authority or proof, for example, presuming to approach God in our own righteousness and not appreciating the necessity for the precious blood of Christ; or presuming that the Lord “takes the will for the deed” instead of actually “keeping” His words. They may take the forms of dictating our will to the Lord rather than submitting to His will, perverting what He has revealed, or claiming and holding any doctrine merely on the ground of human reasoning.

If presumptuous sins are allowed to have free course they will soon gain dominion over the sinner; and he will cease to be upright, and eventually he will be guilty of the great transgression – willful, deliberate, intentional sin – and the wages of totally willful sin is death, the Second Death (Numbers 15: 30, 31) (1 John 5: 16).  

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