Breaking God’s Heart
"Product fruit in keeping with repentance." Luke 3:8 (NIV)
This semester I'm teaching a young mom's Bible study on Thursday mornings. We're working our way through the Gospel of Luke and this week's lesson on repentance was especially poignant in light of the events surrounding the sexual abuse cases against Dr. Larry Nassar. In her victim statement to the court, Rachel Denhollander, the first Nassar victim to file a criminal complaint against him and the last victim to speak to the court, stated that Nassar had never repented for his actions, even though he pleaded guilty to seven counts of sexual abuse. Denhollander's call for justice for the victims as well as her humility and strength in extending the Gospel of grace and forgiveness of sin was truly remarkable.
Our Moms' discussion led us to note the differences between repentance and remorse. With true repentance:
God is the reference point
I look upward
I hate my sin
I run toward God
Repentance leads to life
I have lots of sorrow and regrets with God as the answer
I turn from my sin and turn toward God
Repentance leads to life and restoration
Two of the best models for true biblical repentance are found in King David and the Apostle Peter. Both men failed miserably, but ultimately repented of their sin and were restored to both God and lives of service. The goal of repentance is always restoration; vertically to God and horizontally to man.
On the other hand, remorse is very different. With remorse:
I am the reference point
I look at the mess and then look more deeply inward
I have lots of regret
I hate myself
I run from God
Remorse leads to separation, isolation, and ultimately death
Our two best biblical models of remorse are King Saul and Judas, the apostle who betrayed Christ. Both men chose themselves and their lives ended in death and destruction.
Author Tim Keller summarizes the primary difference between remorse and repentance with this quote: "Legalistic remorse says I broke God's rules. Real repentance says I broke God's heart."
John the Baptist began his public ministry by challenging people to "produce fruit in keeping with repentance." (Luke 3:8) But what should the fruit of repentance look like in our lives? Author Terry Johnson recommends asking ourselves the following questions:
Have I turned from the pursuit of sin?
Am I cultivating a hatred of evil and a hunger for righteousness?
Do I have a love for the Word of God, the people of God, and the worship of God?
Am I pursuing holiness?
Do I have a zeal for good works?
Do I love my neighbor? my enemy?
Those are difficult questions to ask and even harder ones to live. The truth is that repentance is hard work. It's also heart work. The question each of us must answer is this: How do I know that I've truly repented from _________? And the answer is: we change! Wherever we are today, God calls us to repentance, not just once, but as an ongoing way of life.
"Real repentance says I broke God's heart." (Keller) Breaking God’s heart should be a catalyst that leads to a change, not just in my behavior, but also in my heart. Breaking God’s heart should break mine.
Produce fruit in keeping with repentance! (Luke 3:8)