The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart And saves such as have a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all. He guards all his bones; Not one of them is broken. Evil shall slay the wicked, And those who hate the righteous shall be condemned. The LORD redeems the soul of His servants, And none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned. (Psa 34:18-22 NKJ)
In Christian theology, contrition, from the Latin meaning ‘ground to pieces’, is a state of remorse and repentant. A central concept in much of Christianity, contrition is regarded as the first step, through Christ, towards reconciliation with God. It consists of repentance for all one’s sins, a desire for God over sin, and faith in Christ’s redemption on the cross and its sufficiency for salvation.
Contrition or brokenness isn’t just a pre-salvation state. We need always to make sure that the ground of our hearts is ready to receive from God and that it hasn’t become hard.
