Monday Read: True Versus False Repentance
David wrote Psalm 51 after Nathan confronted him about his adultery with Bathsheba and murder of Uriah. "I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight" (Psalm 51:3-4). This seems strange - didn't he sin against Bathsheba and Uriah? Against Uriah's family? Against the nation he was supposed to lead? But David understood that all sin is ultimately against God, whose law we break and whose character we offend.
Notice David didn't make excuses. He didn't blame circumstances, minimize his actions, or deflect responsibility. He acknowledged his sin fully: "I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me" (Psalm 51:5). This isn't excusing his sin by claiming he couldn't help it - it's acknowledging his sin nature went deeper than this specific failure. He wasn't just guilty of adultery and murder; he was fundamentally broken.
True repentance acknowledges sin without excuse, takes responsibility without deflection, and seeks transformation, not just forgiveness. False repentance says "I'm sorry you were hurt" - making the problem your hurt feelings, not my wrong action. True repentance says "I was wrong. I sinned. I take full responsibility." False repentance wants forgiveness without change. True repentance wants transformation even more than forgiveness.
David prayed: "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me" (Psalm 51:10). He recognized he couldn't clean his own heart or fix his own character. He needed God to create something new - not repair the old self but make something completely different. This is what the gospel offers: not behavior modification but new creation. Not trying harder but dying and rising as someone new.
The difference between true and false repentance becomes clear over time. False repentance is sorry about consequences, not sin. It apologizes for getting caught, not for doing wrong. It wants to avoid punishment but has no interest in transformation. It produces remorse without change, regret without repentance, apologies without amendment of life.
True repentance, by contrast, hates the sin more than the consequences. It grieves having offended God, not just having damaged reputation. It wants to be different, not just feel better. It produces concrete changes in behavior, not just emotional expressions of regret. "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death" (2 Corinthians 7:10).
As Ash Wednesday approaches and Lent begins, the church calls for repentance. But what kind? Will it be worldly sorrow that feels bad for a few days then moves on unchanged? Or godly sorrow that produces genuine transformation? Will it be cosmetic adjustments or fundamental change? Will it settle for forgiveness without seeking transformation, or will it pursue the new heart only God can create?
Examine your recent repentance. When you confessed sin, were you sorrier about consequences or about offending God? Did you make excuses or take full responsibility? Are you seeking forgiveness to feel better or transformation to be different? Are you trying to repair the old self or asking God to create something new? The difference between true and false repentance determines whether confession produces change or just temporary relief.
