Sorrow is Not the Same Thing as Repentance
“Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about.” – Ps. 32:10
Most people think that if you are sorry for your sins and you confess them to God, then you have certainly repented of your sins. However, according to the Bible, confession is not the same thing as repentance. Neither is sorrow the same thing as repentance! Why? Sinners are plagued with many sorrows in life, and many more in the afterlife.
Praying, Seeking, Crying, & Weeping is Not the Same Thing as Repentance
Once upon a time, Esau committed a very serious sin in the sight of God – the same for which he tried to repent (Gen. 25:29-34; Prov. 13:15). A remarkable effort was given, but the man failed miserably.
“Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.” – Heb. 12:16-17
Not everyone who tries to repent can repent! Not even this beloved son of the patriarch, Isaac, was capable of repenting whenever he wanted to in the flesh (Rom. 8:7-8). Esau was exceedingly sorrowful in his pursuit of repentance! Maybe you are too? According to Scripture, “he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry” as he tried to get a blessing from God (Gen. 27:34). Such anguish over the blessings and curses of God would require a significant amount of faith in the LORD (Deut. 28:1-62). Nevertheless, Esau’s faith was perverted, and therefore his sorrow was void of repentance.
“And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept.” - Gen. 27:38
This serves as a lesson to us all (Mal. 1:2-3, Rom. 9:12-13). However, not many people are paying attention to the testimony of Holy Scripture these days. If your local Pastor ever heard the great cries of such an exceedingly sorrowful man, he would quickly deem him to be a sinner who is soundly repenting of his sins. Have you ever heard anyone praying like this? This would be an impressive display of repentance in your average Church. Nevertheless, Scripture emphatically declares that Esau “found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears” (Heb. 12:16-17).
Baptism is Not the Same Thing as Repentance
One fine day, John the Baptist appeared in the countryside of Jordan preaching “the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins” (Lk. 3:3). In the process of time, the preaching had an impact upon society. It wasn’t long before a “multitude” came out to be baptized by John in a great show of public repentance (so it seemed). How do you think John responded to this great crowd of people (Lk. 3:7)?
The famous Evangelists of today would have rejoiced at the sight! With a welcoming smile they would have proceeded to baptize all who came to the waters. Instead, John withstood the multitude at the waters, and solemnly refused to baptize them! Why? Because even though the people were coming with remorseful countenances in a seemingly pious demonstration of faith, John the Baptist discerned that their sorrow was void of repentance.
“Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.” – Lk. 3:7-9
A repentance is known by its fruits. The Baptist didn’t baptize because the people were unqualified for baptism. A benevolent God put this good man at the waters to stand guard! The fruits were bearing witness that the people lacked a genuine repentance (Matt. 7:13-23, 12:33-37; Acts 26:20; 2 Cor. 7:10-11). However, sadly, most people in this condition don’t have John the Baptist stopping them from getting baptized. Innumerable people to date have gone into the waters, and they came out the same person they were before! No difference. Now the Churches of today are filled with impenitent sinners who think they are Christians because they got baptized.
Going to Church is Not the Same Thing as Repentance
In such circumstances the superstitions abound. These same people proceed to religiously attend Church and partake of the communion bread of the Lord’s Supper. Through faithfully observing this ritual they reassure themselves that they are believers in Christ. However, if the prophet Jeremiah were present, he would stand in the gate of the Church and loudly rebuke the people for a lifestyle void of repentance (Jer. 7:1-4)! Why? Real communion with God produces repentance.
“The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, Stand in the gate of the LORD'S house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the LORD, all ye of Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the LORD. Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, are these.” – Jer. 7:1-4
God does not see as man sees. God looks to the heart! Things are different from a divine vantage point. Everyone in Church on Sunday may very well be praying to God for mercy, but the mercy that they seek isn’t for repentance. Herein lies the problem. Chances are that they don’t even know what repentance is according to the Bible! Consequentially, you will not find them praying to God that He would “give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth” (2 Tim. 2:24-26). Perhaps not even one man in the whole Church is praying for repentance.
The statistics are probably worse than the Ten Lepers of Luke 17:11-19. Literally, nine out of ten people are praying for mercy only because of something earthly, physical, and worldly that they want from God! Naturally, sinners want earthly gifts more than the Giver (Ps. 10:3). The Ten Lepers cried out to Jesus, saying, “Master, have mercy on us.” (Lk. 17:13), because they wanted physical healing from Jesus, but only one of them repented and came to a place of subjection to Jesus Christ as the Lord (Lk. 17:11-19; Jn. 9:38).
Accordingly, the goats flock to the Churches these days because they desire health and happiness rather than holiness. The people covet earthly riches rather than righteousness. They seek earthly success rather than salvation. Nevertheless, Church-ianity is not the same thing as biblical Christianity! Sadly, the rich man who was rejected by Jesus would feel very comfortable in these modern Churches (Mk. 10:17-27; Lk. 8:14).
Reading the Bible is Not the Same Thing as Repentance
These same people begin to religiously read the Bible, and in doing so they come to believe that they are authentically Christian simply because they read the Bible. Nevertheless, Jeremiah and Jesus had some harsh words for such people (Jer. 8:8-11, Jn. 5:39-40)! Why? Real contact with the Living God through reading the Bible produces repentance.
“How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us? Lo, certainly in vain made he it; the pen of the scribes is in vain. The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the word of the LORD; and what wisdom is in them?” – Jer. 8:8-9
“Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me. And ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life.” – Jn. 5:39-40
Most people are sorry for their sins in their own way. They are sorry that they are wrong, or they are sorry that they got caught, and they mourn about whatever punishment must be borne as a consequence for their sins. This is no different than the sorrow of Cain, who lamented to the LORD, “My punishment greater than I can bear.” (Gen. 4:13; 1 Jn. 3:12, Jude 1:11), but the only difference is that these people are welcomed into modern Churches as soundly saved Christians who have resorted there for refuge.
Fear, Observation, & Gladness to Hear Preaching isn’t the Same Thing as Repentance
The deception is strong in adulterous generations. Multitudes attend Church every Sunday to hear preaching with a remarkable degree of fear with regards to the Scripture in their own way ("…their fear toward Me is taught by the precept of men” – Isa. 29:13). The situation is eerily similar to the superstition of Israel when “they feared the LORD, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations…” (2 Kings. 17:33, 41). Marvelously, the same could be said about a very notorious ruler in the New Testament, King Herod, who reigned in the days of John the Baptist. Sadly, in every case, this “fear” for Scripture and gladness to listen to sermons doesn’t produce repentance.
“For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.” - Mark 6:20
Herod’s gladness was mixed with exceedingly great sorrow as he habitually felt obligated to commit wickedness in the sight of God - the same which eventually brought about the martyrdom of John the Baptist (Mk. 6:26; 1 Jn. 3:7-10). A scorpion in the sheepfold shouldn’t be mistaken for a sheep. Thus and thus was the spiritual identity of the Jews who were taken captive to Babylon because they too stubbornly refused to repent (Ezek. 2:6). However, you couldn’t tell by looking at them! Even they somehow took pleasure in the fiery preaching of Ezekiel. Church attendance to them was like going to hear a very lovely song played by skillful musicians.
“And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not. And when this cometh to pass, (lo, it will come,) then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them.” – Ezek. 33:31-33
The dispersed Jews of Babylon were motivated to attend Church to hear from Ezekiel because of the sorrow they felt in being sorely punished by God in the captivity. The people in hell are sorrowful too for the exact same reasons, and neither are they repenting of their sins. The Rich Man of Luke 16:19-31 was sorry that he was being punished for his sins, but he wasn’t sorrowful that he had sinned for a personal hatred of wickedness, and he wasn’t joyful in righteousness for a personal delight in obedience to God.
Regret is not the same thing as repentance. The Rich Man regretted the life that he lived! Nevertheless, his focus was intensely selfish as he burned in hellfire. He wished that his punishment would be diminished, even slightly, and he lamented at the thought of his other family members coming to this place of torment. As a matter of fact, millions of people come to Church every Sunday with the same wishful thinking in their own earthly circumstances. Our doctrine on repentance is bad if the sorrow that we experience is no better than those who are in hell.
Godly Sorrow Works Repentance to Salvation
“For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.” – 2 Cor. 7:10
Categorically, there are two different kinds of sorrow: godly sorrow & worldly sorrow. One enables repentance while the other prevents it. One leads to life while the other leads to death (Acts 11:18).
This is the single most important part of the sorrow that works repentance to salvation: GOD. Literally, if God is in the sorrow, then it is godly sorrow. If God isn’t in the sorrow, then it is an ungodly sorrow that is of the world. The sorrow must be of God, as something directly empowered by God, through the very presence of God, without which it is impossible to repent (Zech. 12:10).
“For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.” – Rom. 8:5-8
Repentance is a miraculous change of heart and mind! It is nearly impossible to overstate the radical nature of this change (2 Cor. 5:17). It is comparable to a spiritual heart transplant by the surgical hands of the Great Physician (Ezek. 11:19-20, 36:26-27, Jer. 31:33, 32:38-40). No one can just decide to repent in the flesh. Christianity is more than mere decisionism. Christ must come and take up residence in the human soul so that the body itself becomes the Temple of God (Jn. 14:23, Gal. 2:20).
“But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” – Rom. 8:9
“What? know ye not that your body is the Temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.” – 1 Cor. 6:19-20
The single most important ingredient to Christianity is Christ. Without Christ personally being present in real time, sinners cannot do anything at all (Jn. 15:4)! Salvation is of the LORD. Sinners can neither seek God, nor find Him, unless the LORD draws them to Himself (Rom. 3:10-12; Jn. 6:44; Jer. 29:13; Isa. 45:15). The sincere conviction of sin and the godly sorrow that is needed to repent comes directly from being brought into the presence of God (Jn. 16:8). Even just one glimpse of the Living God would break the hardest of hearts in the vilest sinners! At once, it would prostrate them in godly sorrow before the Throne of God in Heaven! This is Isaiah’s personal testimony.
“In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a Throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the Temple…Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.” – Isa. 6:1-5
Godly sorrow speaks thus because the punishment for our sin is less important than the Person against whom we have sinned. This kind of repentance – a biblical repentance – is one that is inspired by faith in God. By faith the thoughts, emotions, and desires of the heart are supernaturally fixated on God. This is why David said to God, “Against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Thy sight...” (Psalm 51:4), even though he had committed great sins against men on this occasion. David’s mind and heart were painfully aware of how these sins were chiefly against God! This is a “repentance toward God” (Acts 20:21).
“Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.” – Jer. 23:23-24
God is the one and only being in the universe who is supremely offended with sin. It angers the holy heart of God! Therefore, sinners are in desperate need of peace with God. To repent one must turn to God, and in turning to God, you are made to care more about what the LORD is thinking and feeling than your own thoughts and feelings in the flesh. Without turning to God, it is literally impossible to turn away from sin (Ezek. 18:23, 27-28, 30, 32; Prov. 16:6).
Some people try and fail to repent of their sins only because they aren’t repenting toward God. This is the problem. Judas Iscariot perfectly exemplifies the misery of it. In worldly sorrow Judas “repented” and even made a public confession of sin, saying, “I have sinned…” (Matt. 27:3, 4). He even tried to make restitution for his sin by casting the blood money into the courts of the Temple (Matt. 27:5)! Nevertheless, Judas’ repentance turned out to be one of worldly sorrow instead of godly sorrow. You can call this a faithless repentance towards man instead of a faith-filled repentance towards God. Therefore, instead of this sorrow producing a genuine repentance in Judas, it compelled him to commit suicide (Matt. 27:5). “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.” (2 Cor. 7:10). Even so, Judas’ faulty repentance is perfectly contrasted by Peter’s biblical repentance.
“And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.” - Lk. 22:61-62
J-U-S-T O-N-E L-O-O-K. The infinite power of God suddenly struck Peter’s heart with a shattering sense of conviction when Jesus looked upon him. Divine providence arranged this moment to illustrate the most vital part of true repentance. The dark souls of sinners must be engaged by the shining Face of the Living God! Otherwise, there is no hope. This is the clear teaching of Holy Scripture, even in the New Testament (2 Cor. 3:17-18, 4:4-6).
“Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is My Throne, and the earth is My footstool: where is the house that ye build unto Me? and where is the place of My rest? For all those things hath Mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at My word.” - Isa. 66:1-2
This too is an illustration of biblical repentance. When godly sorrow is at work in the human heart, the soul is made aware of God in a staggering experience of spiritual illumination: consequentially, those who are rich in spirit become poor and needy (Matt. 5:3), and those who are hard-hearted become broken and contrite in spirit (Isa. 66:2), while at the same time those who are proud and defiant are stricken with a sense of trembling before the Word of God (Prov. 14:16, 16:6; Heb. 12:28-29). If you have personally experienced it, then you know what I am talking about (Heb. 6:4-5). Even so, if sinners desire salvation, then let them seek a living encounter with the Savior.
“For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” - Isa. 57:15
“The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” - Ps. 34:18
David repeatedly spoke of his relationship with God with the very same language. Therefore, when he was in sin, he refrained himself from making any animal sacrifices in the courts of the Tabernacle (in a seemingly pious display of repentance when God wasn’t in it!), knowing that God would only be pleased with such things if he had a sincere heart of repentance before the LORD (Ps. 51:16). Emphasizing this, David said, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” (Ps. 51:17). Even so it is with us in the New Testament.
In repenting true believers are seeking for mercy from God, and in seeking mercy, they desire an atonement, and in having faith in the atonement they are seeking reconciliation with God. God Himself is the goal. Literally, the atonement exists to accomplish this reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18-21). Clearly, David understood this simple truth. David knew that only GOD could move him with godly sorrow in the cultivation of a broken & contrite heart over his sins.
“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Thy presence; and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation; and uphold me with Thy free Spirit.” - Ps. 51:10-12
David could have gone directly to the Priesthood of the Tabernacle, and they would have given him the washing, cleansing, and purging that was necessary according to the laws of animal sacrifice in the Old Testament. However, instead, David was asking God to supernaturally do the washing, cleansing, and purging that was needed (Ps. 51:2, 7). Salvation is of the LORD! David was preoccupied with desperation for the Living God, that the LORD would continue the work of the Holy Spirit in his heart and hereby grant him repentance unto salvation! Otherwise, if the Holy Spirit were to be taken away from him, it would make it impossible for him to repent (Heb. 12:16-17). Literally, David watched this happen to his predecessor, King Saul (1 Sam. 16:13-15; Ps. 119:8, 120).
Now the tale of these two men is a lesson to us all. Therefore, let us compare the faulty repentance of Saul to the genuine biblical repentance of David. Marvelously, as an impenitent sinner, Saul still appeared very spiritual to those around him (Jn. 7:24). He even “prophesied” by the power of an evil spirit (1 Sam. 18:10-12)! Obviously, Saul was ready to speak with all boldness and authority on his own behalf in self-defense, but David was humbly and quietly longing to hear from God without making any excuses for his sin (Ps. 51:6, 8).
Saul still uttered gracious and faith-filled words of encouragement, like when he said to David, “only be thou valiant for me, and fight the LORD’s battles” (1 Sam. 18:17), but in speaking thus he had “seven abominations in his heart” (Prov. 26:24-25). However, the multitudes who followed Saul didn’t want to believe that things were that bad. Nevertheless, what was wrong with Saul was glaringly obvious to true believers. True faith aligns a man to the purposes of God with a whole-hearted dependency upon God, with an unwillingness to do anything without the direct leadership of God. Even so, while Saul was busy plotting, David was constantly praying (Ps. 51:3-6).
Saul’s definition of sincerity and honesty was twisted with self-interest. Saul loved himself – and he believed that God did too! – and therefore he accused everyone else of being insincere and dishonest if they ever crossed him (1 Sam. 19:17). Or, if circumstances appeared to be in his favor, he would take the name of the LORD in vain by commending himself to God (1 Sam. 23:7). Also, if others helped him, Saul would take the name of the LORD in vain by commending these people for their blessedness, despite the fact that they were committing great wickedness in the sight of God (1 Sam. 23:21).
Saul made himself out to be a victim by soliciting the compassion of others, while accusing David of being treacherous. Very boldly, Saul said to his servants, “there is none of you that is sorry for me” (1 Sam. 22:8)! Whatever episodes of repentance that Saul ever seemed to experience (“And Saul lifted up his voice, and wept.” – 1 Sam. 24:16), they all proved to be faulty because they were temporary and man-centered. Saul broke the vows of obedience that he uttered and continued to presumptuously walk contrary to the Word of God (Faulty Repentance #1: 1 Sam. 24:16-22; Faulty Repentance #2: 1 Sam. 26:17-25).
Contrastingly, David was only interested in getting compassion from God, and he was gracious and forgiving to those who sought to kill him. David humbly acknowledged his sins with an intense awareness of the sinful nature that he inherited through the fall of Adam (Ps. 51:5, Jer. 17:9), and therefore he prayed that God would put the “truth” into his “inward parts” by the Holy Spirit (Ps. 51:6). Only then would David be freed from the deceit of his own depraved human heart (Jer. 17:9)! Thus would David be empowered to deal sincerely and honestly with the affairs of the Kingdom of God, the same which he described in this vow: “Then will I teach transgressors Thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto Thee.” (Ps. 51:13). Still today David is teaching. Even so, let Psalm 51 be your guide to a biblical repentance.
