REPENTANCE-INSUFFICIENT
What are the
Substitutes for true Repentance?
1.
You
may reform in the actions without repenting in the heart (Ps. 51:16-17; Joel
2:13).
2.
You
may experience the emotion of repentance without the effect of it.
3.
You
may confess the words of a true repenter and never
repent (Mt. 21:28-32; 1 Jn. 2:4, 4:20).
4.
You
may repent for the fear of reprisal alone and not for the hatred of sin.
5.
You
may talk against sin in public like a true repenter
but never repent in private (Mt. 23:1-3).
6.
You
may repent primarily for temporal gains rather than the glory of God.
7.
You
may repent of lesser sins for the purpose of avoiding the greater sins (Lk.
11:42).
8.
You
may repent so generally that you never repent of any specific sin at all.
9.
You
may repent for the love of friends and religious leaders and not repent for the
love of God (Isa. 1: 10-17).
10. You may confess the finished action of
sin and not repent from the continuing habit of sin.
11. You may attempt repentance of your sin
while consciously leaving open the door of its opportunity.
12. You may make an effort to repent of
some sins without repenting of all the sin you know.
Jim Elliff
The Unrepenting Repenter, Christian Communicators Worldwide, www.CCWtoday.org. Used by Permission.
Confession
by itself is not repentance. Confession moves the lips; repentance moves the
heart. Naming an act as evil before God is not the same as leaving it. Though
your confession may be honest and emotional, it is not enough unless it
expresses a true change of heart.
Jim Elliff
The Unrepenting Repenter, Christian Communicators Worldwide, www.CCWtoday.org. Used by Permission.
It is true, repentance includes sincere emotion, an affection for
God and a disaffection for sin. Torrents of sorrow may flood the repenter's heart, and properly so (Jas. 4:8-10). But there
is such a thing as a temporary emotion in the mere semblance of repentance;
this emotion has very weak legs and cannot carry the behavior in the long walk
of obedience. Your sorrow may even be prolonged. Yet if it does not arrive at
repentance, it is of the world and is a living death – and maybe more (2 Cor.
7: 10). It is an old deceiver. Judas had such remorse but “went and hanged
himself.” (Mt. 27:3-5)
Jim Elliff
The Unrepenting Repenter, Christian Communicators Worldwide, www.CCWtoday.org. Used by Permission.
Sometimes we
are inclined to think that a very great portion of modern revivalism has been
more a curse than a blessing, because it has led thousands to a kind of peace
before they have know their misery; restoring the prodigal to the Father’s
house, and never making him say, “Father, I have sinned”
C.H.
Spurgeon