Purity and Peace

"If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us."- 1 John 1:8 "So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you do not fall!"- 1 Corinthians 10:12 These are the verses that came to mind when reading Oswald Chambers in My Utmost for His Highest today. He encourages us to examine our hearts and let Jesus convict us of our sin. How is this encouraging? Because I know that even with the darkest sin that may lurk in my heart, Christ cleanses me and "it is well with my soul". Here is what he says... "Matthew 15:19, 'Out of the heart proceed...' We begin by trusting our ignorance and calling it innocence, by trusting our innocence and calling it purity; and when we hear these rugged statements of Our Lord's, we shrink and say- But I have never felt any of those awful things in my heart. We resent what Jesus Christ reveals. Either Jesus Christ is the supreme Authority on the human heart, or He is not worth paying any attention to. Am I prepared to trust His penetration, or do I prefer to trust my innocent ignorance?... I am likely to come to a place where I find with a shuddering awakening that what Jesus Christ said is true, and I shall be appalled at the possibility of evil and wrong in me....when I am undressed before God, I find that Jesus Christ is right in His diagnosis. The only thing that safeguards is the Redemption of Jesus Christ. If I will hand myself over to Him, I need never experience the terrible possibilities that are in my heart. Purity is too deep down for me to get to naturally: but when the Holy Spirit comes in, He brings into the center of my personal life the very Spirit that was manifested in the life of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, which is unsullied purity."