Repentance depends on knowing what is sinful and what is not sinful. Ignorance or good intentions are not excuses (just ask Saul, 1 Sam. 15:22; or Uzzah, 2 Sam. 6:6-7). The first move toward repentance is to be able to say, "I know what God requires of me from His Word."
Confession of Sin
Once we know that we have transgressed God's holy will, we must confess our sin to Him. This is not the time to find a scapegoat or someone else to blame for what we have done. Adam and Eve tried that and failed. David says in Psalm 32:5, "I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord, and You forgave the iniquity of my sin." Again in Psalm 51:3-4, David says, "For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight-that You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge."
In Psalm 51:5, David confesses the true inborn nature of his sin-he was conceived and born in it. Yet, David does not use this as an excuse for what he has done. Rather, he is reminding us of the deep nature of sin that is inherent in all of us.
Confession requires us to take full responsibility for our actions, even if someone else has tempted us or egged us on (Ezek. 18:2-4; HC Q9). Confession must also be made for our failure to do the things which God requires of us (sins of omission). If we have sinned against another person, we will need to go to that person and confess what it is we have done that was sinful. The second step of repentance is to pray, "Lord, I confess that I have sinned against you and my neighbor."
Sorrow for Sin
It is one thing to confess a sin, but what makes it true repentance is the heartfelt sorrow that must accompany such a confession-a broken and a contrite heart. This is not a sorrow that our sin was exposed or that it has caused tragedy in our own lives. The sorrow must come because the holy God, whom we serve, is dishonored by our sinful actions.
God is going to squeeze His people to the point where they shed the tears of sorrow. Psalm 38:2-5 is a good example of this: "For Your arrows pierce me deeply, and Your hand presses me down. There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your anger, Nor is there any health in my bones because of my sin. For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me. My wounds are foul and festering because of my foolishness." In a similar way David says in Psalm 51:17, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart-these, O God, You will not despise."
Godly sorrow for sin produces a repentance which turns us from sin to righteousness. The world's sorrow may produce regret for a time, but that is not the same as bringing your sin before God (cf. 2 Cor. 7:9-11). Saul's sins against David often produced a confession of his terrible actions, but they never were coupled with the sorrow that either sought forgiveness or a cessation from his sin.
A repentant sinner will sorrowfully pray, "Lord I am truly sorry for my sin."
Ask God for Forgiveness
It is not our tears or our heavy hearts that will prompt God to forgive. Just saying we "are sorry" will not result in forgiveness. Repentance is not extending an apology to God. Repentance requires us to ask for (not demand) God's forgiveness ("forgive us our debts"). It is His merciful gift to forgive us. Notice how David places his petition to God in Psalm 51: "Have mercy upon me . . . blot out my transgressions . . .wash me thoroughly . . . cleanse me . . . purge me . . . hide your face from my sins . . . blot out all my iniquities."
This is a difficult thing to do-to ask God or to ask another person "Please forgive me." All of us, just like David, fight against coming to God and asking forgiveness until God's own hand sufficiently presses us down (Ps. 38:2). There is no relief for sin and guilt until we bring it to our heavenly Father.
I find the modern evangelical phraseology to be very disingenuous which says, "name it and claim it." That is, if God has said it, all we have to do is take it. In the matter of repentance, it fails to account for the broken and contrite heart that God must give. It assumes that the possession of God's blessings are ours for the taking. Remember that even the asking is a gift of God's grace.
All seeking of forgiveness must be joined with a genuine trust that Jesus has paid for our sins on the cross. We are not asking God to just sweep our sins under the rug. If we ask another person for forgiveness, this too is because we believe that sins against another are also atoned for by Jesus.
Repentance will cause us to humbly pray to God, ‘Father in heaven, for Jesus' sake, forgive my sin.'
God will Forgive
God has left us with a wonderful promise. It reads like this: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 Jn. 1:9). We cannot do less than God when someone asks for our forgiveness. If we have the joy of God's forgiveness, we cannot withhold forgiveness from another (cf. Mk. 11:25-26; Matt. 6:15; 18:23-35).
The essence of our faith is that the penalty for our sins has been borne by Christ. His sacrifice was sufficient to take away all our sin. God's justice has been satisfied (HC Q56). Therefore God is both "just" and the "justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus" (Rom. 3:26). God forgives all those who seek it through the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ. No other offering is possible or needed.
God forgives and remembers our sins no more. This means that He removes them as far as the east is from the west (Ps. 103:12) and will not impute them to us (Ps. 32:1-2). The essence of the covenant of grace is just this: "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them, then He adds, their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more" (Heb. 10:16-17).
Once we ask for God's forgiveness, we should also confess, ‘I believe that, for Jesus's sake, all my sins are forgiven.'
Receive Forgiveness Without Doubt
The assurance of God's forgiveness is the work of God's Holy Spirit in us. Paul says, "For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake" (1 Thess. 1:5). The Christian faith trusts that both our sin and the guilt for sin are removed.
What often plagues people is that although they have asked God to forgive them and know His promise, they still have a guilty conscience. This may be due to the fact that at times they fail to really forgive others who ask it. Anytime we bring up another's sin that we say we have forgiven, we err. God will never do that. Hebrews 9:14 tells us that our "conscience is purged from dead works." Hebrews 10:22 exhorts us to "draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water" (cf. 1 Pet. 3:15-16).
David says, "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." Again, "Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God" (Ps. 51:7, 14).
Having a clear conscience is to know that not only are all our sins removed-past, present, and future-but the guilt for sin is also removed by Christ. Not only do we believe in Christ, but we believe in the results of what Christ has done for us. The crimson red is turned to snow white in the sight of God. The robe given to the believer is the pure righteousness of Jesus Christ.
We express our assurance of God's grace to us when we pray, "Father, I believe that I am forgiven and am pure in your sight."
Ask for God's Help
Having been forgiven by God for our sin, we are also well aware of our weakness to fall into sin again-often the same sin. We cannot fight in this spiritual warfare with carnal weapons (2 Cor. 10:3-5). The Heidelberg Catechism teaches us to pray, "be pleased to preserve and strengthen us by thy Holy Spirit, that we may make firm stand against them and not be overcome in this spiritual warfare, until finally complete victory is ours." (HC Q127) We need the full armor of God if we are to stand against the onslaughts of the devil, the world, and our own flesh.
Once forgiven, our prayer should be, "O God, help me my your Word and Spirit to fight against sin, and when I sin again, give me the spirit of repentance."
God gives us no greater promise than the forgiveness of our sin and guilt by the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ. And the Christian has no greater joy than to be washed from his sin and clothed with the perfect righteousness of Christ. To forgive others is an expression of this blessing we have received from God.
This joy of forgiveness is expressed again by David, "Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous; and shout for joy, all you upright in heart" (Ps. 32:11).
