Repentance of the Believer

 2 Corinthians 12:20-22


20 For I fear lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I wish, and that I shall be found by you such as you do not wish; lest there be contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, backbitings, whisperings, conceits, tumults; 21 lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and I shall mourn for many who have sinned before and have not repented of the uncleanness, fornication, and lewdness which they have practiced.


Do you know the difference between confession of sin and repentance? We should be careful not to confuse the two—because it’s possible to confess without moving into genuine repentance. I speak these words with a heavy heart because for such a long time, I was in this snare as well. I only knew true freedom in Christ when I finally learned the difference. To confess sin is to agree with God’s assessment of our transgression, but repentance goes further. It involves taking responsibility for our sin by deliberately turning from it and committing to walk in obedience to God by the power of His Spirit. What that means is tough in today's standard. That may mean humbling yourselves to people you've done wrong. That may be accepting the fact that many others will know of your sin. That may be the fact that you will have to openly acknowledge where you have transgressed and that means you will have to make amends for it. Repentance is action upon our sorrow. Repentance humbles us. When we humble ourselves, we draw closer to God. No, when we humble ourselves, He draws closer to us. He loves us and cares for us. When He sees that we have a humbled and repentful heart, that's when He becomes proud of us the most. He huddles into us and gives us the strength to carry on. You will truly feel forgiven, even when it seems others may not. The forgiveness of the Master is an awesome thing.

It’s not enough to merely feel sorry and confess sin but change nothing. Jesus’ gracious forgiveness isn’t like a “get out of jail free” card from a certain board game. We must do more than casually say, “Lord, I’ve messed up again. I’m sorry.” To triumph over habitual sin, we must rely on God’s power, both to resist temptation and to obey Him. We might fail again, but it’s important that we keep coming to the Lord in sincere confession and repentance until He gives us victory­­—in this life or in the one to come.

If you are struggling with particular sin, ask the Lord to show you how grievous it is to Him. Then look at it from His perspective. I pray this results in a true spirit of repentance, and that your admission leads you to a more intimate relationship with the Father.

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