“Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will” (2 Timothy 2:24-25 NIV).
For some, the word “repent” is associated with the idea of a wild-eyed individual who runs about making frantic proclamations concerning the end of the world. However, repentance is no joke, and that caricature is far different from the reality behind this important concept.
You see, the idea of repentance as it appears in the passage quoted above, refers to a change of mind that leads to a change in behavior. This involves more than just a feeling of remorse, sorrow, or regret (although it may incorporate those responses). Genuine repentance involves a decision to prayerful refrain from inappropriate behaviors and make appropriate choices that are good and acceptable before God.
We can illustrate this idea using the familiar imagery of an automobile driver who has made a wrong turn on the way to an unfamiliar destination. Once the driver realizes that he or she is headed in the wrong direction, the proper response is to stop, turn around, and get back on the right road. In a similar manner, genuine repentance involves action, much like a motor vehicle driver might stop from going the wrong way by making a U-turn.
The Biblical book of 2 Corinthians offers some further insight into this concept of repentance as an action…
“…godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death” (2 Corinthians 7:10).
This reference to “godly sorrow” also represents an important distinction. For instance, a person may not feel sorrowful over the fact that he or she did something wrong. Instead, that person’s sorrow might arise from the fact that he or she was caught doing something wrong. In that instance, he or she is likely to feel sorry about the negative consequences associated with the act of doing something inappropriate.
This is neither godly sorrow nor is it true repentance, for such an attitude is primarily concerned with avoiding the undesired effect of an inappropriate behavior and not with the behavior itself. Instead the godly sorrow identified in 2 Corinthians 7:10 should lead us to “turn around” and head towards genuine repentance. As we’re told in the Old Testament book of Proverbs…
“Whoever hides their sins will not be successful, but whoever confesses their sins and stops doing wrong will receive mercy” (Proverbs 28:13 ERV).
Image Credit: “The End is Near” by jwelcher is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0