The Increasing Sweetness of Repentance
Timothy Keller in his article “All of Life is Repentance” lays out the difference between religious and gospel-motivated repentance:
Religious Repentance
Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!
ー Psalm 139:23–24
self-centred ー we care about the consequences (punishment) of sin and not what sin does to God.
self-righteous ー we believe we can do something (act penitent, self-condemn) to make up for our sin.
bitter ー each sin is evidnece we are not living a good enough life. It shatters our security in our own moral goodness.
Gospel Repentance
God-centred ー we realise our sin dishonours God and are sorry for that.
humble acceptance ー we accept that Christ died for sin; instead of trying to earn forgiveness we repent, and are confident God has forgiven us.
increasing sweetness ー we hope in Jesus’ righteousness not our own. The more we see our flaws, the more gratitude we feel towards God’s grace.
If you are struggling to experience increasing sweetness and gratitude in your walk with Jesus, then take time to meditate on the following areas:
Humility verses Pride
It was Saint Augustine who said, “If humility does not precede and accompany and follow every good work we do, and if it is not set before us to look upon, and beside us to lean upon, and behind us to fence us in, pride will wrestle from our hand any good deed we do while we are in the very act of taking pleasure in it.” One of the ways to cultivate humility is by asking questions. None of us see things perfectly, and therefore we should always be seeking to better understand where we might have blind spots.
Ask yourself these questions:
Have I looked down on anyone?
Have I been overly stung by criticism?
Have I felt snubbed or ignored?
Now consider the free grace of Jesus until there is:
decreased disdain (you are also a sinner).
decreased pain over criticism (God’s love is more valuable than human approval).
no need to keep up a good image
grateful and restful joy.
Love verses Indifference
It was Peter Kreeft who said, “Indifference is more truly the opposite of love than hate is, for we can both love and hate the same person at the same time, but we cannot both love and be indifferent to the same person at the same time.” The bible commands us to hate sin (Romans 12:9) and love our enemies (Matthew 5:44), but not to act with indifference (Revelation 3:15-16). Indifference is a lack of interest, concern, or sympathy. It is this issue of unimportance which can cause even the most important relationships to suffer or become stale. All relationships take work; an investment of time and energy. It is this investment which confirms our love for others.
Ask yourself these questions:
Have I spoken or thought unkindly of anyone?
Am I justifying myself by ridiculing (in my mind) someone else?
Have I been impatient and irritable?
Have I been self-absorbed, indifferent or inattentive to people?
Now consider the free grace of Jesus until there is:
no coldness or unkindness (think of Jesus’ sacrificial love for you).
no impatience (think of Jesus’ patience and steadfastness towards you).
no indifference.
warmth and affection.
Courage verses Anxiety
Avoidance is a common behaviour when anxiety strikes and learning how to respond with courage rather than avoidance is an important tool. Although when we first avoid something we will likely feel less anxious, after a while the things we are avoiding become harder to approach. It is all to easy to lose the sweetness in our walk with Jesus by succumbing to anxious thinking and self-indulgent fretting, and not walking with God through the situations in life that make us afraid.
Ask yourself these questions:
Have I avoided people or tasks that I know I should face?
Have I been anxious or worried?
Have I failed to be circumspect?
Have I been rash or impulsive?
Now consider the free grace of Jesus until there is:
no cowardly avoidance of hard things (since Jesus faced evil for you).
no anxious or rash behaviour (since Jesus’ death proves God cares and will watch over you).
calm thoughtfulness and God-trusting boldness
*Augustine, "Letter 118, Augustine to Dioscorus," trans. Wilfred Parsons, in The Father of the Church, vol 18 New York: The Fathers of the Church, 1953, 282.
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