“Godly sorrow worketh repentance not to be repented of.”
-2 Corinthians 7:10

The first thought to be impressed upon our minds as we study this subject is that repentance is a primary Gospel requirement which none should lightly esteem. It was the opening message in the ministry of John the Baptist (Matthew 3:2), in the ministry of Christ (Matthew 4:17), in the ministry of the Spirit (Acts 2:38), and occupied a prominent place in the teaching of the disciples—all in harmony with this declaration in the ministry to the Gentiles: “God... now commandeth all men every where to repent” (Acts 17:30).

What Repentance Is

The essential elements of repentance may be stated in four words: Conviction, contrition, confession, restitution. In other words, it includes a consciousness of guilt, a godly sorrow for sin, a desire to forsake sin, a confession of sin, and a willingness to make restitution for sin. At this point it might be well to note that while the Bible speaks of God as repenting (Genesis 6:6; 1 Samuel 15:11), in none of these cases did He repent in the sense that man repents, for “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man that he should repent” (Numbers 23:19); and being perfect in every respect He is subject neither to error nor to sin. And while God at times represents Himself as man and speaks as man (as He did to Abraham—Genesis 22:12), and in this sense meets changed conditions in the semblance of repentance, yet we should not forget that with Him “is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James 1:17)...What takes place when one repents?

Conviction. This is the first step in repentance. Because of things seen and heard, the conviction grows upon us that we have done wrong—as was the case with the multitudes on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2), the jailer (Acts 16), and Paul after beholding the martyr Stephen (Acts 7:58; 9:5; 22:20). The two powerful factors in bringing about conviction are the Holy Spirit (John 16:8), and the conscience (Romans 2:15).

Godly Sorrow. Let us notice that not all sorrow can be classed as “godly sorrow.” People convicted of crime often weep and mourn as though their hearts would break; but it is grief over their dilemma, rather than penitence for sin. Judas Iscariot was sorrowful enough to go and hang himself, yet that did not move him to come back to Christ for restitution and for pardon. Paul in 2 Corinthians 7:10, speaks of a “godly sorrow” and a “sorrow of the world.” The first “worketh a repentance not to be repented of”; the second “worketh death.” No man has ever truly repented of any sin without a deep feeling of sorrow because of it. Penitence without sorrow is unheard of in the experience of any penitent sinner; but it is grief for having sinned against God or man, a smitten conscience and consequent contrition, and not grief over being found out.

Confession. A sense of shame and humiliation usually accompanies true penitence for sin, but this does not keep back the sinner from confessing his sins. On the other hand, true penitence invariably prompts confession of the things repented of. “Confess your faults one to another,” is not only a command, but it is also the rule among those who are truly enlightened and truly penitent. Other things being equal, the greater the reluctance in confessing, the less penitence there is in the heart because of sins committed. “With the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:10).

Forsaking Sin. Balaam, Saul, Achan, and others confessed, “I have sinned,” but they kept right on sinning as though they had never confessed. David, and the prodigal son, and others, also, made the same confession, but they forsook their sins and turned to ways of righteousness. The truly penitent not only confess their sins but they also forsake them. “How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein” (Romans 6:2)?

Restitution. Were you ever truly penitent for any sin you committed that you did not feel that you wanted to make it right? Restitution belongs to true penitence. This includes making wrongs right with both God and man. Zacchaeus had the right attitude when he said, “If I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold” (Luke 19:8). It was this attitude on his part that enabled Christ to say, “This day is salvation come to this house.”

A Change of Heart. A man may change his mind and quit his bad habits, but still be an unforgiven sinner. He may be very sorry for what he has done (because he is found out), “but the sorrow of the world worketh death.” He may, for policy’s sake, even make restitution and live the life of a respectable man, and still his righteousness be as “filthy rags.” While all the things so far named are essential elements of repentance, it takes a changed heart to complete the experience. In every case of true repentance there is a change of mind, a change of feelings, a change of attitude toward sin and righteousness, and a change of heart.

What Repentance Is Not

While all the above-named things are essentials, none of them alone (except the last, which includes all the rest) constitutes repentance. Therefore:

1. A mere change of mind is not repentance.
2. It is not merely being sorry because sins have been committed.
3. It is not joining some church.
4. It is not merely confessing sin.
5. It is not mere reformation.

What Brings Repentance

The goodness of God. In the first place, repentance itself is a gift from God—2 Timothy 2:25. While repentance is man’s part in God’s plan of salvation, no man can claim any credit for it, since it is the goodness of God that leads us to repentance—Romans 2:4. What was it but the goodness of God that brought Christ our Saviour within the reach of man? . . . That preserved our own lives until, by the grace of God, we became willing to give our hearts to Him? Yes, it is the GOODNESS OF GOD that leads us to repentance.

Hearing the truth. “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). How can a man believe himself a sinner without having a knowledge of that fact? The preaching of God’s Word in its fullness is a very necessary work in bringing sinners to repentance... It took the preaching of Jonah to bring the Ninevites to repentance. Because they heard, they repented. The three thousand Pentecostal converts were made such through the preaching of Peter and the other disciples.

Convicting power of the Spirit. To “reprove the world of sin” (John 16:8) is one of the principal missions of the Holy Spirit. What we call “conviction” on the part of the penitent sinner is but the result of the operation of the Spirit upon his heart and conscience.

A knowledge of sin. Until the sinner is conscious of his sinful condition there can be no repentance for sin. True, there may be a prodding on the part of the Spirit, so that there is a consciousness that something is wrong, as is the case of the troubled heathen longing after something; but he must first be shown wherein he is wrong before he can be led to repent of whatever wrong exists.

Abhorrence of sin. The sinner who feels himself “down and out” and like Job abhors himself and repents “in dust and ashes” (Job 42:6), is much more easily reached than is the sinner who is blinded to his condition through love of sin. It is when people “abhor that which is evil” that they are ready to “cleave to that which is good.”

Faith in God. You believe that God is your Friend, loving and true. He tells you of your awful condition and of sin’s awful results. Knowledge of sin deepens into conviction, and conviction into contrition; your heart is crushed and your soul cries out to God. This takes place only when people believe in God, for people are never moved by any warning which they believe to be untrue.

~Daniel Kauffman
excerpted from Doctrines of the Bible

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Daniel Kauffman

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Reaching Out

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