Godly sorrow produces
repentance leading to salvation… —2 Corinthians 7:10
{CHAMBERS} “ … Conviction of
sin is one of the most uncommon things that ever happens to a person. It is the
beginning of an understanding of God. Jesus Christ said that when the Holy
Spirit came He would convict people of sin (see John 16:8). And when the Holy
Spirit stirs a person’s conscience and brings him into the presence of God, it
is not that person’s relationship with others that bothers him but his
relationship with God— “Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this
evil in your sight…” (Psalm 51:4). The wonders of conviction of sin,
forgiveness, and holiness are so interwoven that it is only the forgiven person
who is truly holy. He proves he is forgiven by being the opposite of what he
was previously, by the grace of God. Repentance always brings a person to the
point of saying, “I have sinned.” The surest sign that God is at work in his
life is when he says that and means it. Anything less is simply sorrow for
having made foolish mistakes— a reflex action caused by self-disgust.[…] The
foundation of Christianity is repentance. […] If you ever cease to understand
the value of repentance, you allow yourself to remain in sin. Examine yourself
to see if you have forgotten how to be truly repentant.”
{ELGIN} I am in the process
of writing a treatise on forgiveness. (I had to look the definition of treatise
up) The supernatural act of forgiving.
There is a progression that leads to forgiveness. As Christians we sin. We come under conviction. That conviction
produces godly sorrow which leads to repentance. Repentance leads to forgiveness
and restoration. Think about that. Granting forgiveness without repentance is called
enabling. Even though you will be tempted, don't give someone a "pass" because you
feel sorry for them. That means you don’t love
them enough to get to the point of repentance which brings healing and
restoration. Think about the parable of
the prodigal son. (Luke 15:11-32) What is the remarkable point of that
story? God is the “father” and we are the
“wayward son”. The father loved the son,
but did not go after the son to convince him to come home. The father waited
for the son to be convicted, to repent of his sin and return to the father
seeking forgiveness. The son did not
even imagine that he would be restored as a son. The best he hoped for was to be treated like a
hired hand. An evidence of a broken and
humble heart. Every day, the father looked to the
hills in the hope that his son would repent one day and return. He loved his son. He loved him enough to let the process take
its course … even though the father hated what his son was going through. The father knew that until his son’s heart
was changed, there could be no restoration.
That is true for us as
well. We are commanded to forgive, but
we must be careful that the forgiveness is not misapplied … and abused. That means we must exercise spiritual
discernment and emotional restraint. We
must be ready to forgive, as we have been forgiven. (Ephesians 4:32) But remember, forgiveness comes after repentance and not
before.
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