The lines between godly sorrow for sin, and human sorrow for results have become increasingly blurred in our day, to the point where it is pretty difficult to tell the difference, especially since a popular brand of pseudo repentance has been creeping upon us, through the dissemination of false teachings on this point. As a general rule of thumb, any sorrow for sin which does not lead us to repentance, including a radical, permanent change of lifestyle and habits, is false, and is neither endorsed nor recognized in the scriptures. Godly sorrow can be likened unto an individual making a complete U-turn on the road of life, by which the former sinful habits, and practices are given up, in favor of Christ-like characteristics, virtues, and values, which are rightly described in the Bible, as being commensurate with a person’s claim to be a Christian. Let’s read:
Galatians 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance”…
24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Human sorrow on the other hand, focuses squarely on the tragic results of sin in its different forms, and is often emotionally charged, but does not address the root cause, nor does it come up with permanent solutions. And in the context of sin and its results, it is often found to be blaming circumstances, others, or society, for a wrong course of action, and always seeks to vindicate itself, never accepting any of the responsibility for the end results. And what is even more disturbing about it, as it occurs in our day, is that it is often the catalyst for a multitude of good deeds, which in many instances, are meant to offset the wrongs that are cherished and indulged. Hence the reason why the Bible stipulates for us what true sorrow for sin consists of, and therefore it is of the utmost importance that we be able to know the differences between the two.
Whenever Christ takes possession of an individual’s heart, there must always to be observed, a forward momentum in constant growth and development of the character, for God’s true people are a people on the move, and therefore, when the history of their lives are traced from point A to point B, after they have received the Holy Spirit, there is always to be seen a general upward trajectory. This is not to say that there will not be any low points in our lives or in our experiences, for everyone falls short of God’s glory from time to time, yet the general tendency in those who have truly given their lives to God will be upward, and not retrogressive. This solemn Biblical truth about godly sorrow for sin, and the confession and repentance which attends it, is encapsulated in several passages of scripture, so that we may not be deceived nor swayed by the many counterfeit forms of repentance that have now become the order of the day. Let’s read:
2nd Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
2nd Peter 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do
these things, ye shall never fall:
11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
The history of Esau’s life presents an interesting case study on the issue of pseudo repentance, and the book of Hebrews cautions us all, not to follow in his footsteps, for although he seemed to be a very emotional person, he never came to the point of total surrender to the requirements of God, and for this reason he is described as being “Profane” in the Bible. Some have erroneously concluded that since he was a hunter, and took pleasure in the chase and the capture of wild beasts, that he was hard and unfeeling in all his ways. But the Bible shows us that this was definitely not the case, because on several different occasions, he was moved to emotionalism and tears, when his heart was obviously touched.
Case in point was when he had decided to avenge himself on Jacob for the birthright that he sold, and which was taken away from him by the cunning of Jacob. As he approached his brother with his family members, wives and little children all in a row, he was moved with human compassion, and instantly forgot about his murderous plots. And as he came even closer, he could not contain himself anymore, but was rather overcome by his emotions, and ran towards his younger brother, who was now in limp mode, and fell on his neck and wept profusely. Thus it is obvious that Esau was not devoid of all human sympathy, but could be touched with human feeling just like anyone else. In addition to these evidences of human pity, Esau never afterward renewed his animosity and hatred towards Jacob, for when it was time to bury their father Isaac, both of them showed up, standing shoulder to shoulder, grieving the loss of their father. Let’s read:
Genesis 33:1 And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids.
2 And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and
Rachel and Joseph hindermost.
3 And he passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.
4 And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept.
Genesis 35:27 And Jacob came unto Isaac his father unto Mamre, unto the city of Arbah, which is Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac sojourned.
28 And the days of Isaac were an hundred and fourscore years.
29 And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was gathered unto his people, being old and full of days: and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
Again, when Esau learned of the deception which was practiced upon Isaac by his brother Jacob, he broke down in tears, and pleaded with his dad for a blessing. Here again he is manifesting that human sorrow for bad results, but not godly sorrow for sin, and although he lifted up his voice and wept with an exceedingly bitter cry, yet those outbursts of human emotion were not sufficient to secure him pardon and forgiveness, for at the end of the day, he sorrowed for temporal loss, not for wounding and despising the God who desired to save him. Q: Did he do some good charitable deeds in his life? Absolutely! And was his heart touched by human suffering, and feelings of pity? Certainly! But that was not what God was looking for, because sorrow for sin, which would result in a permanent change of course and action, was conspicuously absent. Let’s read:
Genesis 27:34 And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding
bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father.
35 And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty, and hath taken away thy blessing.
36 And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?
37 And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son?
38 And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept.
Hebrews 12: 15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God”….
16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
17 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.
The current leader of the Vatican has introduced one of the most dangerous forms of repentance ever dispensed to mortals, for it bears a semblance of holiness and piety, which, if not understood for what it really is, can be innocently swallowed like a cold draft of spiritual cool-aid, which when imbibed, will induce a slow, and imperceptible slumber, from which those who are thus deceived, may never ever awaken, except it be by the most vigorous, urgent intervention of The Holy Ghost. This pseudo form of repentance, make allowance for good deeds, and charitable acts of mercy, to atone for wrongs that are never ever given up or repented of, and which does not call for a radical change in previous evil practices and habits. What it also does is to allow us to retain our defects of character and cherished sins with the vain hope that God will somehow lower His standard of righteousness to save us in our sins, and since He is a God of love, will not follow through on His judgments which are to be meted out to those who deliberately continue in sin.
[BBC news, Europe: 29 July 2013.]
“Speaking to reporters on a flight back from Brazil, he reaffirmed the Roman Catholic Church's position that homosexual acts were sinful, but homosexual orientation was not”….
The meaning of the word “Orientation” in context, as is given in the dictionary means:
a : a usually general or lasting direction of thought, inclination, or interest.
b : a person's self-identification as heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual.
"If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to
judge?"… His remarks on gay people are being seen as much less judgmental than his predecessor's position on the issue. But Pope Francis said “gay clergymen should be forgiven and their sins forgotten”.
A vital ingredient of godly sorrow for sin is strangely absent from these sentences, for the word change is nowhere to be found, as is clearly required in the scriptures. For us to eliminate the word change from the concept of sorrow for sin, is to undermine and make of none effect, the very essence of the gospel, for the Bible specifically states that faithful war must be waged against cultivated or inherited tendencies to evil, if we are to facilitate the inner working of The Holy Spirit in our hearts. Therefore, if we have tendencies to drink alcohol, or do drugs, or if we have the tendency to overeat, or if our one weakness is a desire for those of the same sex, then as Christians, we obviously cannot be satisfied with the status quo, for the Bible teaches us that those inclinations, those tendencies, and propensities are indeed sinful, and therefore cannot be deliberately practiced or indulged whilst one is claiming to be a Christian. Let’s read:
2nd Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Galatians 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
Romans 8:12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Furthermore, the charge of being judgmental, when ever the Bible points out sin, is nothing new, for there is nothing new under the sun. When Christ commanded us not to “Judge”, it means not to proscribe any person, excommunicating them from the merits of His grace. But never does it carry the connotation, that the preaching of unadulterated truth from God’s word is to be avoided, because of any political correctness, or because of the popular majority opinion to the contrary. Instead, a solemn and sacred duty devolves upon the shoulders of every true Christian to give the trumpet a “Certain sound”, whether the people will hear, or whether they will forbear, for to do anything less than what is thus commanded in the Bible, will represent a betrayal of sacred trusts, and will cause those who are thus guilty, to pay dearly for the lives of those who might have otherwise been warned, and saved. Let’s read:
Ezekiel 2:1 And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee.
2 And the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me.
3 And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee”… “to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: they”… “have transgressed against me, even unto this very day.
4 For they are impudent children and stiffhearted. I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God.
5 And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them.
6 And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.
7 And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear”….
If the passages of scripture pertaining to what we are now witnessing, and studying had ended here, there would not have been any cause for alarm, for we might have concluded that the job description given was only riddled with hurdles that are difficult to surmount, and thus, in the worst case scenario, we could expect stiff opposition from the sin-loving
multitudes. But the passages do not stop here, but rather continue on with dire repercussions for the ones who are found unfaithful to their charge, by either watering down the truth to suit itching ears, or by otherwise withholding those truths that are not palatable or popular, for the sake of avoiding imminent conflict with the powers of darkness, or because of self-preservation reasons. Let’s read:
Ezekiel 3:17 Son of man, I have made thee a watchman”….. “therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.
18 When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
19 Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
20 Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling-block before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
21 Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.
Whenever the servants of God are sent to rebuke sin in the world or in the church, it is quite common for them to be viewed as being judgmental, for the human heart does not naturally take kindly to any reproof, but often sets up an affront to resist the working of The Holy Ghost. For instance, when Lot dared to call sin by its right name, when addressing his fellow-citizens on the topic of gay marriage, the very same charge was brought against him, and were it not for the direct interposition of God, he would have been torn in pieces by those who had their consciences thus disturbed. Let’s read:
Genesis 19:1 And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground.
4 But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter:
5 And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.
6 And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him,
7 And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.
9 And they said, Stand back. And they said again,
This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door.
10 But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door.
11 And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door.
Now it is important for us to declare by the sole authority of the scriptures, that God is not the enemy of man, for He sent His Son Jesus into the world, not to condemn, but rather to save. And in harmony with His mission to do so, repentance after the godly sort must of necessity form an integral part of the whole salvation process, if we are ever to be saved in His kingdom. The steps in being reconciled to God are clearly outlined in the Bible, so that no one needs to err, as concerning what is involved. Whatever sinful propensities or evil desires we suffer with must be identified, using God’s great standard of righteousness, and we must confess wherever we have fallen into sin. If this is done with a desire to be reconciled to God on His terms, then He will respond by doing what we cannot do for ourselves, by sending us His Holy Spirit who will implant new desires in our hearts, and will give us His enabling, supernatural power, so that the old habits with which we were shackled, can be permanently uprooted. Anything short of this is the equivalent of cheap grace, and will set up those who fall for it, for very bitter disappointment, when the numbers are finally tallied. Let’s read:
Jeremiah 3:12 Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding”….. “saith the Lord; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the Lord, and I will not keep anger for ever.
13 Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God, and hast
scattered thy ways to the strangers “.. “and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the Lord.
14 Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion.
1st John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
In closing, The Lord makes a final appeal to earth’s inhabitants for us to presently avail ourselves of His gracious overtures to save us, by accepting His gift of repentance through Christ, as the only means by which change for the better can be materialized in our lives. Good works are good in their legitimate sphere, but cannot save us, if while claiming to be Christ’s, we continue to cling to sin. Thus it is with words of solemn pathos, in loving entreaties that fail of human comprehension, that the last chapter in the last book of the Bible, tells us of God’s love to save the human family, and it’s His will that we now respond in the affirmative, before our probation, as a nation and as individuals, is forever closed. Let’s read:
Revelation 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word.
God bless!