“Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation…” —2 Corinthians 7:10
“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.” – Oswald Chambers – My Utmost For His Highest
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 the sinful behavior. 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, even
though I suspect the father knew where the son was and what he was doing. 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 could 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, the benefit
of forgiveness, which is restoration, comes after repentance and not before. We
can still love, like the father, but the relationship and trust is restored
through the act of true repentance. Someone saying “I am sorry” is not the test of
repentance – changed behavior is. If you act on someone merely saying "I am sorry" without demonstrated repentance, you might be disappointed when they do it again - and again - and again. Our salvation is a picture of how we are to
respond to one another. Don’t confusing not loving with no forgiving. Not
holding a grudge against someone – which is a love issue - with forgiveness –
which is a trust issue.
Think about it. I want to encourage you to examine your heart –
your motives for withholding love and, if necessary, get your heart right with
God. Then let your light Shine Bright my friend and give God the place and
glory He is due.
By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone
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