Sorrow without repentance

Sorrow without repentance is the kind that results in death (2 Corinthians 7:10, NLT).

Dear friends:

During one of my messages to a group of laymen, I emphasized, "We cannot get right with God until we confess our sins to Him and to others against whom we have sinned."

At the close of the sermon, a troubled young man ran up to me. "My employer is an unbeliever," he exclaimed. "I have talked to him many times about his need of Christ, but he scoffs and ridicules me. Now I realize why. I have been stealing materials from the plant where I work and what I have done is making me feel guilty and miserable. I know that I cannot have peace with God until I confess my theft of those materials and make restitution."

"That's right," I agreed. "We need to be sure that there is no unconfessed sin in our lives if we are to be effective in our Christian lives and witness."

A couple of days later, the young man joyfully approached me and announced, "I confessed my sin to God and to my employer, and when I admitted I took the materials and offered to pay for all that I had stolen, he was very moved and said, 'If Christianity makes a dishonest workman confess that he has been stealing, it's worth having!'"

That young man confessed his sin with the right motivation. It is not godly confession when celebrities write a book and describe all the steamy (and sinful) activities in their lives. They are interested in profits, not forgiveness. It is not godly confession when people describe to a psychiatrist their immoral lifestyle. They only want to feel good.

Godly repentance comes from a true sorrow about a wrong action. The Bible says, "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret" (2 Corinthians 7:10, NIV).

In Hebrews chapter 12, verses 1 and 2, we are admonished to "let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith" (KJV).

Keeping short accounts with God by confessing our sins to Him, with a sincere heart, the moment the Holy Spirit reveals them to us, is vital to living a victorious, joyful and fruitful life for our Lord.