Lutheran Church Missouri Synod

Repentance Must Be Genuine, but Not More Than Genuine

By Dr. Richard P. Bucher

All but the vacationing or the disinterested know that beginning with his televised confession of guilt in August, President Clinton has publicly repented several times before various groups on various occasions -- and people are talking about it. The public discourse about his repentance seems to be split between those who consider it true and those who consider it feigned. The purpose of this little meditation is to make sure that we are clear on the Biblical definition of repentance. To put it simply, repentance, if it really is repentance, must be genuine, but not more than genuine. There are opposite errors to avoid here.

Repentance Must Be Genuine

Repentance must be genuine. It must come from the heart and be sincere. It must not be presented merely to boost popularity or to save one's reputation or career. It is never posturing or pretending. John the Baptist rightly refused to baptize (and forgive) the Pharisees and Sadducees, for he saw that they they were not sincere. Their "repentance" was done for the sake of appearance, so as not to appear impious by the multitudes who were flocking to John. The truth was that they did not believe John was a prophet of God (Matthew 21:23-27) nor did they have any intention to change their ways. (Matthew 3:7-10).

Genuine repentance is, as the Augsburg Confession beautifully puts it,

nothing else than to have contrition and sorrow, or terror, on account of sin, and yet at the same time to believe the Gospel and absolution (namely, that sin has been forgiven and grace has been obtained through Christ), and this faith will comfort the heart and again set it at rest. Amendment of life and the forsaking of sin should then follow, for these must be the fruits of repentance, as John says, "Bear fruit that befits repentance" (Matthew 3:8).

Notice that genuine repentance has two parts to it and one result. The first part is to confess and admit the sin in question and have sorrow because of it. The repentant person is done with cover ups and excuses. He sees himself as the guilty one not the victim. All this fills him with sorrow and disgust and fear of God's punishment. The second part, which is by far the most important, is to believe that because of the atonement of Jesus Christ on the cross, the sin has been forgiven. Unfortunately, many seem to think that what brings us forgiveness or atonement is our confessing the sin. This is utterly false for it turns our confession into a good work by which we seek to make atonement for our own sin. Forgiveness comes only when we believe the Gospel, that our sin is forgiven not because of our confession or sorrow, but because of the atonement of Jesus at the cross. If repentance is genuine it always brings an important result: the sinful behavior is stopped, the proper behavior is begun. These are the fruits that are spoken of in Matthew 3:8 above.

We Should Not Insist on Repentance that is More Than Genuine

Repentance should be genuine, but it is wrong to insist on repentance that is more than genuine. We dare not require more than God requires. But unfortunately there has always been a harmful tendency in the Christian Church to do this. How many a poor soul has truly repented as described above, but then torments himself with questions about whether his repentance has been enough: "Have I felt enough sorrow over my sin? Have I repented long enough, anguished and prayed long enough? Am I really sincere? If I have then why do I still feel guilty?" Such questions rob him of the comfort of forgiveness. Far worse than this is when various churches and theologies have taught and encouraged this kind of thinking. How dreadful to say to a repentant sinner, "I can see that you are sorry on some level, but you must be placed on probation awhile until we can tell whether you are truly repentant. If, after a designated time, we are convinced that you are sorrowful enough, sincere enough, and really changed, then we will able to say that your repentance is genuine and that you are forgiven."

Isn't it telling that never do we find such an approach in the Scriptures. When the Pentecost crowd was convicted of their sin by Peter's sermon, he didn't question the sincerity of their repentance, put them on probation, and withhold forgiveness. He immediately preached the Gospel to them, which they gladly received and were baptized (Acts 2:36ff.). When the jailer at Philippi was overcome with dread over his sinfulness, and asked Paul and Silas, "Brethren, what shall I do to be saved?" what did they do? They immediately held out the promise of the Gospel to him, "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved" (Acts 16:30-33). He believed it and was baptized, rejoicing in his forgiveness.

None of us can look into another's heart and judge their sincerity. We can judge only on the basis of externals. But if after careful inquiry the person is sorry for their sin, wants to be forgiven, and truly intends to change his ways, the Gospel must be applied to that person -- without delay. And most importantly, God forgives such a person, completely and fully and immediately!

February 1999