Nancy defines repentance as a change of mind that results in a change of behavior. I really like that definition! The Bible says that godly sorrow leads to repentance. It's not a sorrow that we got caught. It's not an embarrassing feeling that goes away and allows us to continue on in our usual manner. It's something that through God's help we can change. Embarrassment at getting caught is still based on our pride. Godly sorrow gets rid of the pride, and we see ourselves for who we really are.
I was reminded of two events in God's word that show the different responses we can have when we are confronted with our sin. When God sent men to be His spokespersons, both King David and King Uzziah were confronted with their sin and forced to make a choice. Each day when the Holy Spirit convicts our hearts of our sins, we have the same choice--to repent or not to repent.
We know of King David's sin with Bathsheba. There were many decision he made that led him down the slippery path which eventually led to adultery, murder, and deceit. Nathan, the prophet, was sent by God to confront David. Nathan told a story to David about a rich man who stole a lamb from a poor man in order to provide a meal for a wayfarer. David's indignation instantly sprang up, and anger burned inside of him at this injustice. 2 Samuel 12: 5-6 says, "Then David’s anger burned greatly against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, surely the man who has done this deserves to die. He must make restitution for the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing and had no compassion.” He quickly pronounced a judgment not knowing what was coming next. Nathan looked at David and said, "You are the man." He also went on to pronounce the judgment on David and his household. Ouch! Sometimes our indignation over someone else's sin blinds us, but God's Holy Spirit is there to speak the truth into our hearts.
At this point David has a choice in how to respond. How did David respond? Verse 13 records David's words:
Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”There is no long speech about how Bathsheba tempted him by bathing in the first place. There was no cry of foul for Nathan having the nerve to confront the king about something. There were no excuses just a simple admission of guilt.
I'm amazed also at the continued response to David. The godly sorrow led to repentance and a renewed close relationship with God. The child that Bathsheba was carrying was not allowed to live. He was very sickly, and David interceded for him. Yet the child still died, but after death something amazing (at least in my mind) happened. David got up, cleaned himself up, worshiped the Lord, and began to eat again. He accepted the Lord's discipline and remembered that God loved him. He did not wallow in some sort of guilt from which he could never recover.
The other example comes from 2 Chronicles 26:3-5 and 16-21. Basically King Uzziah was a good king for many years, but then he grew proud. He decided to enter the temple of the Lord to burn incense. Azariah and 80 other priests encouraged him to not do this wicked thing. He wasn't the one to burn incense. They wanted him to leave the sanctuary. But how did King Uzziah react? He burned with anger, but when he became angry his forehead broke out in leprosy. The priests rushed him out quickly, and King Uzziah remained a leper for the rest of his life.
How do you respond to conviction? How do you respond to God's word being spoken through man? Are you quick to say, "Yep, that's me. I'm the guilty one." Or do you try to point the blame at others? Or do you on your own try to do better next time?
Nancy says that a repenter has the following five characteristics:
- A repenter renews his mind with truth from Scripture consistently.
- A repenter responds to God immediately.
- A repenter obeys God completely.
- A repenter follows God personally.
- A repenter accepts God's discipline faithfully
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