--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Lord, we confess our numerous faults, How…" description: "\"“Lord, we confess our numerous faults, How great our guilt has been! Foolish and vain were all our thoughts, And all our lives were sin. 2 But O, my so..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b6/isaac-watts-3445_confess_lord-we-confess-our-numerous-faults-how_33969.png" --- # Lord, we confess our numerous faults, How great our guilt… ![“Lord, we confess our numerous faults, How great our guilt has been! Foolish and vain were all our thoughts, And all our lives were sin. 2 But O, my soul, for ever praise, For ever love his Name, Who turns thy feet from dangerous ways Of folly, sin, and shame. 3 'Tis not by works of righteousness…” quote by Isaac Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b6/isaac-watts-3445_confess_lord-we-confess-our-numerous-faults-how_33969.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b6/isaac-watts-3445_confess_lord-we-confess-our-numerous-faults-how_33969.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b6/isaac-watts-3445_confess_lord-we-confess-our-numerous-faults-how_33969.png) > ““Lord, we confess our numerous faults, How great our guilt has been! Foolish and vain were all our thoughts, And all our lives were sin. 2 But O, my soul, for ever praise, For ever love his Name, Who turns thy feet from dangerous ways Of folly, sin, and shame. 3 'Tis not by works of righteousness Which our own hands have done; But we are sav'd by sovereign grace Abounding thro' his Son. 4 'Tis from the mercy of our God That all our hopes begin; 'Tis by the water and the blood Our souls are wash'd from sin. 5 'Tis thro' the purchase of his death, Who hung upon the tree,”” [Isaac Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-watts/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A confession of human sinfulness and reliance on divine grace for redemption, emphasizing that salvation is a gift, not earned by deeds. **In simple terms:** Human sin, divine grace, redemption Key Takeaway Grace, not works, saves. Themes Sin Grace Redemption Humility Faith Mood solemn hopeful reverent Type Hymn Theological Devotional When to use this quote - Personal repentance - Worship services - Sermons on grace - Spiritual counseling - Christian education Key Concepts Confession Divine mercy Salvation through Christ Practical Applications - Teaching doctrine of grace - Encouraging repentance Questions to Reflect On - How does acknowledging sin affect one's spiritual life? - What role does grace play in personal transformation? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Regret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regret/) ## Related quotes > [Great is the guilt of an unnecessary war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/great-is-the-guilt-of-an-unnecessary-war/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) > [The fearful face usually betrays great guilt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/the-fearful-face-usually-betrays-great-guilt/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [“Shame is a hold that sin uses on you. As long as you're ashamed of the sin, it has a hold on you. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-benson/shame-is-a-hold-that-sin-uses-on-you-as-long-as-you-re-ashamed-of-the/) Angela Benson > [“My sin is my shame.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/my-sin-is-my-shame/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [O loving wisdom of our God when all was sin and shame, a second Adam to the fight and to the rescue came.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henry-newman/o-loving-wisdom-of-our-god-when-all-was-sin-and-shame-a-second-adam/) [John Henry Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henry-newman/) > [My life has always been wrapped around anger, sorrow, guilt, shame, getting even, sin, drugs, alcohol, self harm, suicidal thought. But when I look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-life-has-always-been-wrapped-around-anger-sorrow-guilt-shame/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Sin and shame ever go together; he that would be freed from the last must be sure to shun the company of the first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bradstreet/sin-and-shame-ever-go-together-he-that-would-be-freed-from-the-last/) [Anne Bradstreet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bradstreet/) > [I cry out from the ashes, burned with sin and shame. I ask you Lord to make me whole again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-st-james/i-cry-out-from-the-ashes-burned-with-sin-and-shame-i-ask-you-lord-to/) [Rebecca St. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-st-james/) > [We often wonder that certain men and women are left by God to the commission of sins that shock us. We wonder how, under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-holland/we-often-wonder-that-certain-men-and-women-are-left-by-god-to-the/) [J. G. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-holland/) > [“To trust in you, Jesus—to boast in the gift of your righteousness, to rest in the constancy of your love, to wake up each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scotty-smith/to-trust-in-you-jesus-to-boast-in-the-gift-of-your-righteousness-to/) [Scotty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scotty-smith/) > [“God has made provision for our sin in Christ. So when we struggle to believe and obey, we should run to Him, not from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-chandler/god-has-made-provision-for-our-sin-in-christ-so-when-we-struggle-to/) [Matt Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-chandler/) > [“It's a sin and a shame before God that these people who govern us would let things come to such a sad state. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-aydin/it-s-a-sin-and-a-shame-before-god-that-these-people-who-govern-us/) [Andrew Aydin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-aydin/) > [Some sin for gold, some sin for shame, some sin for cash, some sin for gain, some sin for wine, some sin for pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/acdc/some-sin-for-gold-some-sin-for-shame-some-sin-for-cash-some-sin-for/) [ACDC](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/acdc/) > [I have a word for you. I know your whole life story. I know every skeleton in your closet. I know every moment of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/i-have-a-word-for-you-i-know-your-whole-life-story-i-know-every/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [The sin and the shame and the sorrow, The crime and the want and the woe That are born there in your workshop, No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-wheeler-wilcox/the-sin-and-the-shame-and-the-sorrow-the-crime-and-the-want-and-the/) [Ella Wheeler Wilcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-wheeler-wilcox/) ## More by Isaac Watts > [“When the Eternal bows the skies To visit earthly things, With scorn divine he turns his eyes From towers of haughty kings. He bids…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-watts/when-the-eternal-bows-the-skies-to-visit-earthly-things-with-scorn/) [Isaac Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-watts/) > [Whatever brawls disturb the street, There should be peace at home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-watts/whatever-brawls-disturb-the-street-there-should-be-peace-at-home/) [Isaac Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-watts/) > [The Fondness we have for Self, and the Relation which other Persons and Things have to ourselves, furnish us with another long Rank of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-watts/the-fondness-we-have-for-self-and-the-relation-which-other-persons/) [Isaac Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-watts/) > [Salvation, O the joyful sound! 'Tis pleasure to our ears; A sov'reign balm for ev'ry wound, A cordial for our fears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-watts/salvation-o-the-joyful-sound-tis-pleasure-to-our-ears-a-sov-reign/) [Isaac Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-watts/) > [For one drop calls another down, till we are drowned in seas of grief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-watts/for-one-drop-calls-another-down-till-we-are-drowned-in-seas-of-grief/) [Isaac Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-watts/) > [What bliss will fill the ransomed souls, when they in glory dwell, to see the sinner as he rolls, in quenchless flames of hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-watts/what-bliss-will-fill-the-ransomed-souls-when-they-in-glory-dwell-to/) [Isaac Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-watts/) > [What's amiss I'll strive to mend,And endure what can't be mended.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-watts/what-s-amiss-i-ll-strive-to-mend-and-endure-what-can-t-be-mended/) [Isaac Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-watts/) > [Let dogs delight to bark and bite, for God hath made them so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-watts/let-dogs-delight-to-bark-and-bite-for-god-hath-made-them-so/) [Isaac Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-watts/) > [“The Spirit is sent down to breathe On such dry bones as we. 6 Rais'd from the dead we live anew; And justify'd by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-watts/the-spirit-is-sent-down-to-breathe-on-such-dry-bones-as-we-6-rais-d/) [Isaac Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-watts/) > [Vice and virtue chiefly imply the relation of our actions to men in this world; sin and holiness rather imply their relation to God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-watts/vice-and-virtue-chiefly-imply-the-relation-of-our-actions-to-men-in/) [Isaac Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-watts/) > [Ten thousand things there are which we believe merely upon the authority or credit of those who have spoken or written them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-watts/ten-thousand-things-there-are-which-we-believe-merely-upon-the/) [Isaac Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-watts/) > [Do not spend the day in gathering flowers by the way side, lest night come upon you before you arrive at your journey's end,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-watts/do-not-spend-the-day-in-gathering-flowers-by-the-way-side-lest-night/) [Isaac Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-watts/) > [Once a day, especially in the early years of life and study, call yourselves to an account what new ideas, what new proposition or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-watts/once-a-day-especially-in-the-early-years-of-life-and-study-call/) [Isaac Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-watts/) > [Instructors should not only be skilful in those sciences which they teach, but have skill in the method of teaching, and patience in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-watts/instructors-should-not-only-be-skilful-in-those-sciences-which-they/) [Isaac Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-watts/) > [No science is speedily learned by the noblest genius without tuition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-watts/no-science-is-speedily-learned-by-the-noblest-genius-without-tuition/) [Isaac Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-watts/) [Explore all 130 Isaac Watts quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-watts/) ## More Confess quotes > [What better can we do than prostrate fall before Him reverent, and there confess humbly our faults, and pardon beg with tears watering the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/what-better-can-we-do-than-prostrate-fall-before-him-reverent-and/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [On a related subject, Signore Pazzi, I must confess to you: I'm giving serious thought to eating your wife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harris/on-a-related-subject-signore-pazzi-i-must-confess-to-you-i-m-giving/) [Thomas Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-harris/) > [“I wanted to come clean many times. I wanted to admit my jealousy, to confess my sarcasm and endless anger, to put all my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/invisible-sam/i-wanted-to-come-clean-many-times-i-wanted-to-admit-my-jealousy-to/) Invisible Sam > [I want to confess as best I can, but my heart is void. The void is a mirror. I see my face and feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingmar-bergman/i-want-to-confess-as-best-i-can-but-my-heart-is-void-the-void-is-a/) [Ingmar Bergman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingmar-bergman/) > [Tell me, if I confess my feelings to you, will you say you feel the same? Or am I going to have to cringe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernajoy-vaal/tell-me-if-i-confess-my-feelings-to-you-will-you-say-you-feel-the/) [Bernajoy Vaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernajoy-vaal/) > [I confess freely to you, I could never look long upon a monkey, without very mortifying reflections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-congreve/i-confess-freely-to-you-i-could-never-look-long-upon-a-monkey-without/) [William Congreve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-congreve/) > [“We rarely confide in those who are better than we. Most often, on the other hand, we confess to those who are like us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/we-rarely-confide-in-those-who-are-better-than-we-most-often-on-the/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [You dont go to hell for being gay unless you confess your sin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-dont-go-to-hell-for-being-gay-unless-you-confess-your-sin/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Why will no man confess his faults? Because he continues to indulge in them; a man cannot tell his dream till he wakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/why-will-no-man-confess-his-faults-because-he-continues-to-indulge-in/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [“You got what you deserved. Now be a man and confess to what most of us already know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-buck/you-got-what-you-deserved-now-be-a-man-and-confess-to-what-most-of-us/) [Stacy Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-buck/) > [Oh yes. You’ve caught me. I confess. My sole purpose in life is to gleefully, willfully, maniacally destroy all of your precious chrome babies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-estep/oh-yes-you-ve-caught-me-i-confess-my-sole-purpose-in-life-is-to/) [Jennifer Estep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-estep/) > [“Confess your sins, worship God, and get on with your life. You can experience the mercy of God no matter what you’ve been through.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-s-mcgee/confess-your-sins-worship-god-and-get-on-with-your-life-you-can/) [Robert S. McGee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-s-mcgee/) > [“My name is John Creedmoor, and I would like to confess my crimes. Hope you all weren't going anywhere this week...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-gilman/my-name-is-john-creedmoor-and-i-would-like-to-confess-my-crimes-hope/) Felix Gilman > [“The truth is, not one of is innocent. We all have sins to confess.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-w-gortner/the-truth-is-not-one-of-is-innocent-we-all-have-sins-to-confess/) [C.W. Gortner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-w-gortner/) > [People never confess to failure. They should.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-ibrahim/people-never-confess-to-failure-they-should/) [Mo Ibrahim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-ibrahim/) Browse all 412 Confess quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Lord, we confess our numerous faults, How great our guilt has been! 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