In the sermon 'SLBC chap 15 para 3 Of Repentance' by Eric Bechler, the concept of saving repentance is explored as an evangelical grace, a divine gift of God rather than a human effort. The speaker contrasts saving repentance with non-saving repentance, using biblical examples like Judas Iscariot and Balaam to illustrate repentance lacking faith and the Holy Spirit. Saving repentance is characterized by five marks: awareness of sin's evils, godly sorrow, prayer for pardon, seeking strength through grace, and striving for holiness. The sermon emphasizes the importance of godly sorrow, detestation of sin, and self-abhorrence, urging believers to pray for spiritual insight to recognize sins they may be unaware of. The role of prayer, confession, and the Holy Spirit is highlighted in achieving and maintaining repentance, with references to biblical passages, including Psalm 51 and 1 John 1:9. The sermon concludes by encouraging self-reflection on one's response to sin and the visible fruits of repentance, assuring believers of salvation if they turn from sin and follow Christ.
This saving repentance is an evangelical grace whereby a person being by the Holy Spirit made sensible to the manifold evils of his sin, doth by faith in Christ humble himself for it with godly sorrow, dedestation of it, and self-abhorrence. Praying for pardon and strength of grace with a purpose and endeavor by supplies of the spirit to walk before God and to all while pleasing in all things. We continue today in our study of repentance unto life and salvation. Let's start with what's not repentance. Repentance that is not saving might look like repentance, but there is no faith.
There is no grace. There is no power of the Holy Spirit. There is no godly sorrow. There is no detestation of sin, no self-apporancy. However, there may be a humbling, there may even be remorse or grieving.
Let's take a look at a couple of examples. Let's look at Judas Iscariot in the Gospel of Matthew in chapter 27. When Judas, in verses 3 through 5, when Judas who had betrayed him saw that Jesus was condemned he was filled with remorse and returned the 30 pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders I have sinned by betraying innocent blood he said. And what is that to us? They replied.
You bear the responsibility. So Judas threw the silver into the temple and laughed. Then he went away and hanged himself. Judas was filled with remorse. This remorse is a deep painful feeling of guilt or self-reproach experience for a past wrongdoing or harm caused to others.
Some versions translate this as repented himself, changed his mind or regretted. He confessed his sin and he confessed Jesus' innocence, yet His was not a saving repentance. He had no faith or grace or indwelling of the Holy Spirit. In fact, we read in John 13, 27, that it was Satan who had entered into him, not the Holy Spirit. In the end, Judas' repentance led to his hanging himself.
Without faith, there is no repentance unto life and salvation. We see this also with Balaam in the story of the talking donkey who realized he barely escaped death at the hand of the angel of the Lord and confessed I've sinned for I did not know you stood in the way against me now therefore if it displeases you I will turn back in Numbers 22, 34. Was this saving repentance? I don't think so. Peter tells us that Balaam loved the wages of unrighteousness in 2 Peter 2, 14 through 16.
He did not love God. There are other examples, but let's now look at saving repentance. What is it? Our confession tells us what it is and gives us five marks of saving repentance. First of all, our confession states that it is an evangelical grace.
Okay, what what does that mean? An evangelical grace. It means that repentance is not a human work that earns salvation, but a gift, a divine gift of God and a fruit of the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. We don't earn it. We don't deserve it.
It's a free gift as we read in Ephesians 2, 8 through 9. Well, let's look now at these five marks that the confession connects to saving repentance. First, in saving repentance, we are made aware of the evils of our sin. Before we are saved, We have no awareness of our offense towards a holy God and what we say, what we think, what we do, how we live. We might even think we are doing pretty good, especially compared to some others.
Yet Isaiah tells us that we are all as an unclean thing. All our righteousness are as filthy rags. Isaiah 64 6. As unbelievers, we don't even realize this. Paul tells us that the natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him and cannot understand them because they are not spiritually discerned.
First Corinthians 2, 14. Why would we repent if we don't even know that we're doing something sinful? No one will ever see or become aware of every sin that they commit. But do you ever pray that God would open your eyes to see the sin in your life that you are blinded to right now? Pray that the Holy Spirit would show you your sin so that you could bring it to the foot of the cross, so that you could repent, and so that you could ask for forgiveness and turn away from it.
Second, after we are made aware of the evils of all our sin, We must be humbled and have a godly sorrow for our sin, a detestation of it, even a self-apporance of it. Of course, it is normal and proper that when we recognize our sin, that we are humbled and should be sorry for our sin against a perfectly holy God. Paul describes two kinds of sorrow and what they lead to and in 1st Corinthians 710 he writes, Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation without regret, But worldly sorrow brings death. It is the Holy Spirit that opens our eyes and helps us to see our sin. Not only should our initial response be godly sorrow, but we should have an extreme hatred for that sin.
We cannot be indifferent regarding our sin. David, in Psalm 51, four, reminds us that when we sin, we are actually sinning against God. David writes, against thee, thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight. We sin against God, God who sent his son to die for us and to free us from our bondage to sin, to free us from our slavery to sin. This ought to cut us to the heart.
We ought to have a godly sorrow, an extreme hatred towards the sin that we've committed. Ezekiel speaks to the house of Israel about the self-apporance, self-loathing over our transgressions. He writes in Ezekiel 36, 31, then shall you remember your own evil ways and Your doings that were not good and shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations Have you been disappointed in yourself Have you loathed yourself for the sins against God that you've committed? Or are you indifferent? Are you too busy to express godly sorrow for your life or for your sins?
Are you taking time to actually confess and turn away from sin. Do you find yourself hating some of the sins you're committing, but rationalizing away others, disregarding them. Next, we should be praying for a pardon for our sin. An integral part of praying for the forgiveness of our sins is confession. John's first epistle states the importance of confession of sins.
In 1 John 1, 9, if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We read of David's prayer of forgiveness after Nathan the prophet confronts him about his sin with Bathsheba in Psalm 51. Once David was made aware of his sin, we see him immediately cry out to God for mercy. He humbles himself. He prays for the forgiveness of his sins.
Cleanse me from my sin. Psalm 51 is a wonderful picture of a prayer of repentance. But we should also be praying for strength of grace. Not only are we praying for the forgiveness of our sins, for the pardon of our sins, but we should also be praying that God would lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. We should be praying for strength.
Remember we have an intercessor, a high priest sitting at God's right hand. Hebrews 4, 15 through 16 tells us, for we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness, our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in the time of need. We must pray for His mercy and pray for His grace to help us in time of temptation or sin. We cannot be victorious over sin apart from God.
John Owen shares some encouraging thoughts. In truth, the Christian hope rests not ultimately upon our own diligence, but on God's faithfulness. It is God, not us, who will ultimately persevere. And that is why He is able to promise us eternal life. Where the promise is, there is all this assistance.
The faithfulness of the Father, the grace of the Son, and the power of the Holy Spirit, all are engaged in our preservation. And finally, we should be striving to walk in holiness before God. Peter quotes Leviticus 11, 44, just as he who called you holy, so be holy in all you do. For it is written, be holy because I am holy. First Peter 1, 15 and 16.
Although we are not able to walk in perfect holiness before God, we can strive. We can endeavor to walk in holiness before God. With the help of the Holy Spirit and the ongoing work of God's grace, we can put sin to death and conform more and more to the image of God, to the image of Christ, and more and more walk in His ways. Scripture describes this walk in a number of ways. In 1 John 1-7, walk in the light.
In Galatians 5-16, walk by the Spirit. In Ephesians 4-1, walk in a manner worthy of the calling. We'll close with some thoughts to consider from Ligonier Ministries. Let us all take time this day to consider how we respond whenever we are confronted with our sin. Are we quick to make excuses for our evil or to play down the gravity of our deeds?
Are we so proud that we will not admit to others that we have sinned when it is necessary for us to do so? May we abandon any pride that keeps us from admitting our guilt and may we show grace to those who repent of their sins in our presence. True repentance does not eliminate the struggle with sin and make us perfect immediately, but it does result in a marked change of thoughts, of words and deeds whereby we do not love our formal lusts as we once did. If we turn from sin we will seek to be Christ's disciples. Feel sorrow for sin and cease from lawlessness.
Ask yourself today whether you can see the fruit in your life, the fruit of repentance. If you can, be assured of your salvation. If not, turn from your sin today and turn this day to Christ. Amen. Thank you.