The Path to Repentance
Four Steps to Help Us Experience the Joy of Reconciliation
Repentance is presented in two ways in the Scripture. The first is the initial turning from sin to Christ when you become a Christian. The other way repentance is presented is as a necessary part of living as a disciple of Jesus. We have been freed from the dominating power of sin, but we have not been freed from its ongoing influence. This side of heaven, we will all struggle with sin and therefore we all will need to learn to practice repentance. In Martin Luther’s famous 95 Theses, which were the spark of Reformation in Europe, the very first thesis says, “When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, ‘Repent’ (Matt. 4:17), he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.”
Conviction
The first step in repentance is conviction. When Jesus promises to give the Holy Spirit to the disciples, he describes the work of the Holy Spirit. In John 16:8 Jesus says that when the Holy Spirit comes “He will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.” (John 16:8, ESV).
To come under conviction of sin is therefore a work of the Holy Spirit. It is when we become aware of some specific sin. We become acutely aware that we are guilty and have disobeyed God.
Sinclair Ferguson says, “Conviction of sin is the process by which we gain a proper perspective on our lives in the sight of God so that we may cast ourselves upon his grace and mercy in the cross.” (Ferguson, Sinclair, The Christian Life, Banner of Truth, Edinburgh, 2023, 41)
Contrition
The second step in repentance is contrition. This is the sense of shame and sorrow for sin. Contrition can only come once we stop making excuses, rationalizing, or minimizing our sin. Thomas Watson, writing in the 17th century said, “This sorrow for sin is not superficial: it is a holy agony.” (Watson, Thomas, The Doctrine of Repentance, Banner of Truth, Edinburgh, 1668 (2020), 17).
My fear is that, for many of us, our hearts have become callused to our sin. I’ve played guitar for years. As a result, I have calluses on my fingertips —tough bits of skin that don’t have much feeling in them. They are pretty helpful when pushing on the strings of the guitar. However, when we sin repeatedly, ignoring the conviction of the Holy Spirit and neglect the call to contrition, our hearts can become calloused. Our ability to feel our sin, our guilt, and our shame becomes dulled.
We need the Holy Spirit to soften our hearts and minds, to remove the calluses. Not just so we will feel bad about sinning, but so we can more fully know the joy of new life, of forgiveness, of redemption. So that we can more fully know the love of God for sinners like us.
Confession
Thirdly, once we are under conviction and are contrite, we are ready to confess our sin. Our guilt and sorrow for sin have a remedy. We do not have to live under the weight of these things. So we confess. But how are we to confess? Well, Confession is God-directed. Psalm 32:5 says, “I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.” (Psalm 32:5, ESV). In our Anglican liturgy we say, “Let us humbly confess our sins to almighty God.” (2019 Book of Common Prayer, 112).
When we confess, we must be specific. We must look our specific sins squarely in the eye and name them before God. We must avoid half-way confessing, or avoiding confessing the specific sins of which we are most guilty. Proverbs 28:13 says, “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.” (Proverbs 28:13, ESV)
Sin is not just a general condition; sin is composed of specific acts that need to be taken to God in confession. The reason we leave silence in the liturgy after the call to confession is to give a few moments for us to think about specific things we need to name before God. If you pray the daily office, you go through a confession at least twice a day. Don’t wait until Sunday. Confess regularly before God.
Correction
Finally, we come to correction. This is what most people refer to when they say “repentance.” But there cannot be repentance unless there is first Conviction, Contrition, and Confession. Repentance literally means to “go in a different direction.” It’s a fundamental course correction.
Repentance is turning away from the trouble spots, and getting on the right road, the path of faithfulness in your life. All of us who are Christians have an initial time of repentance at our conversion, but we soon learn, like Luther, that our entire life is a life of repentance. Repentance is nothing more and nothing less that walking away from our sin. We need genuine repentance, a genuine change in direction and a genuine dependence on God’s grace to help us move forward in faith. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9, ESV)
What many people do not realize is the joy that come from repentance. Kevin DeYoung notes, “Repentance entails sorrow for sin and the forsaking of sin, but it is not groveling before a stingy God, or a meritorious work that convinces God to forgive us. Repentance unto life is a saving grace whereby a sinner not only has a sense of his sin, but he also has a sense of the mercy of God in Christ.”(DeYoung, Kevin, Daily Doctrine, Crossway, Wheaton, 2024, 248) Do you want a real sense of the love of God, repent! Do you want to have a real sense of freedom in Christ, repent! Would you like to have greater assurance of salvation, be in the business of repentance!
Conclusion
I pray you and I will dare to look inwardly and consider what sins we need to lay down in repentance. Are there sins which the Holy Spirit has brought to your mind that He might be convicting you about? If so, then let that conviction lead to contrition, then to confession, and to the genuine correction of repentance. Start there, with one specific sin. Receive the forgiveness and reconciling love of God that he promises in Christ. Then move to the next one the Holy Spirit reveals.
I really like the encouragement John Calvin gives in his work, On the Christian Life. He says, “Let each of us move forward according to the measure of our meager ability and continue the journey we have begun. No one advances so hopelessly as not to make at least a bit of progress daily on the way.” (Calvin, John On the Christian Life: A New Translation, Crossway, Wheaton, 2024, 10-11)
So stick with it my friends. Let each day be a day to take a few steps closer to Christ, a few more steps of greater faithfulness, and a few more sins confessed. Know that your repentance causes heaven itself to sing. Jesus told his in Luke 15:5, “There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”