WHATEVER HAPPENED TO REPENTANCE?

II CORINTHIANS 7:10-12: “For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death. For behold what earnestness this very thing, this godly sorrow, has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what punishment of wrong! In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter. So although I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of the offender nor for the sake of the one offended, but that your earnestness in our behalf might be made known to you in the sight of God.” NASB

OBSERVATION: Whatever happened to repentance? Whatever happened to godly sorrow? Whatever happened to conviction? Whatever happened to the altar in our local churches?

In the Epistle to the Romans, Paul writes the true condition of the hearts of mankind. It reads like a headline of today’s news in our present-day culture.

• “…There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one…There is no fear of God before their eyes.” ‘ Romans 3:10-12,18

Then Paul pivots and speaks to the place of God’s Law in our lives. It is not given as a means of attaining righteousness. The condition of man’s heart is proof that even with the perfect law of God man is hopelessly lost in his sin. Paul tells us the reason God gave us His law.

• “Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.” Romans 3:19-20

And, in Galatians Paul tells us the purpose the Law was given.

• “Therefore the Law has become our guardian to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.” Galatians 3:24

Without the law, there can be no understanding of sin. Without the law, there will be no conviction for sin. Without the law, no one will realize they are in need of a Savior. There will be no conviction, no repentance, and no conversion apart from the law!

• “What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? Far from it! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “You shall not covet …I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin came to life, and I died; and this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me; for sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me, and through it, killed me.” Romans 7:7,9-11

Let’s put this all together in the context of the verses in review from II Corinthians 7:10-12. Paul, after his first missionary journey, learned of the sin that was in the Corinthian church. A young man had begun having sexual relations with his father’s wife, his stepmother. The church simply turned its eye and continued with business as usual. Paul wrote to them with a stern rebuke and instructions to deal with the sin and the sinner. This was not to banish the sinner but to bring him to repentance.

In II Corinthians 7:10-12 Paul notes the benefit of understanding the law of God and dealing with sin. When we understand the law of God, God’s moral standards, and we look into the light of His holiness and righteousness, something wonderful and important happens in our life. We experience what Paul calls – “godly sorrow.”

Condemnation is much different than godly sorrow. Condemnation leaves one lost in shame and guilt. It produces an overwhelming sense of unworthiness and self-loathing. It cripples and hinders one from moving forward in life and becomes a heavy weight that no one is able to bear.

Godly sorrow on the other hand is a work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It is the work of conviction in our hearts when we realize the righteousness of God, the holiness of His law, and the great lack in our life. Godly sorrow leads us to the cross where we find the only provision of forgiveness and victory over guilt and shame.

This provision is Jesus Christ! He paid the penalty for our sins through His death on the cross. He defeated sin and death through His victorious resurrection from the dead. And, He offers victory over sin and death – eternal life to all who believe. The work of godly sorrow is to bring us to faith in Jesus Christ!

• “For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation…”

So what is the point of all this? If we only preach about the promises of God, the blessings of God, or self-help sermons about how to be successful in life – we will never experience godly sorrow. We must preach the whole counsel of God’s Word. This means we must preach the promises and the curses. We must preach the cross and the grave.

We must preach the Law and the Gospel.

Without both the Law and the Gospel we will find ourselves in two great errors. Without the Law, we will fail to reflect on God’s holiness and will lull people into a sense of complacency without true conviction and godly sorrow. Without the Gospel, we will lead people into condemnation and despair. The Law brings us to Christ. The Gospel works salvation, by grace through faith, in Jesus Christ!

We need to return to a balance of preaching the Law and the Gospel!

Lord, help me to be faithful in proclaiming the whole counsel of Your Word! Let me raise up the standard of Your Holy Law while at the same time, with love and compassion, pointing the way to the Cross of Jesus Christ. Begin with me! Bring me to the conviction of sin, godly sorrow, so that I may enter into the fullness of Your grace and mercy!

In Jesus’ Name!