By Ayanda Makhubu
(Why do we return to our sins after repentance even with tears)
Repentance has got 6 ingredients
- -Sight for sin
- -Sorrow for sin
- -Confession of sin
- -Shame of sin
- -Hatred for sin
- -Turning from sin
If our repentance lack one of the 6 ingredients our repentance is fake or in vain
Now today we will only look at the the 2nd which is Sorrow for sin.
2Co 7:10_
For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
Do you see that we have two kinds of sorrow, one leading to life one to death Can I suggest that our repentance is often made up of the sorrow which leaded to death.
NOTE: It is the enemies master plan to keep the people in darkness and in penitence which is an un-repented state, untill the saviors mediation has ended and there is no longer a sacrifice for sin. This is the object that Satan seek to accomplish. His plan is to keep the world in an un-repented state and keep the church in fake or false repentance.
Now, how does sorrow for sin and pride connect?
To understand this we need atleast to define pride. Defining terms is very important.
What is pride?
The nature and depth of human pride are illuminated by compering boasting to self-pity. Both are manifestation of pride.
Boasting is the response of pride to success . Self-pity is the response of pride to suffering. Boasting says, “I deserve admiration because I have achieved so much.” I deserve admiration because I have sacrificed so much.” Boasting is the voice of pride in the heart of the strong. Self-pity is the voice of pride in the heart of the weak.
The reason why self-pity does not look like pride is that it appears to be needy. But the need arises from a wounded ego and the desire of the self-pitting is not really for others to see them as helpless, but heroes . The need self-pity feel does not come from a sense of unworthiness , but from a sense of unrecognized worthiness . It is the response of applauded pride.
Now here is the connection:
We have learnt that pride just like a coin has two side (boasting and self-pity). Now sorrow is one ingredient necessity for true repentance. And when we repentance we don’t boast but we sorrow. Earlier in 2Co 7:10 we learnt that the are two kinds of sorrow, one leading to true salvation (life) and the other to death. Now, Self-pity and the worldly sorrow that leaded to death is one and the same thing.
Notice that boasting is the pride that is easy to see while self-pity is pride hard to recognize because it appears needy and weak.
What is the difference between godly sorrow and worldly sorrow (self-pity)
Godly sorrow, sorrows for the sin iself. Godly sorrow springs from a consciousness and a sense of who God is and what God means to the believer.
Worldly sorrow, sorrows for the consequences. They are sorry, they got caught, but if they were released, they go back to do what they were doing, like a dog that returns back to his vomit. Let us understand that the foundation or the center of worldly sorrow is self.
The chief characteristics of worldly sorrow is that it is fundamentally self-centered . Worldly sorrow revolves around the pain sin causes to oneself rather than the offense and dishonor it is to God . It is not sorrow because the heinousness of the sin as rebellion against God, but unwelcome consequences of sin. SELF IS ITS CETRAL POINT, ( ME, MYSELF AND I). imagine accidentally killing a pedestrian with your are and the only thing you are more worried about is jail rather than the the act itself you have just do. Can I also suggest to you that repenting due to the fact that you are trying to run away from hell or because you want to go to heaven is also part of false repentance. You see that your motive are the results not that you hate your sins
SUMMARY
Let us put our thoughts and ponder on this:
You see, as far as you are concerned, you are sincerely repenting, you have cried to God listing all your sins with great tears. But if it were possible that you were put at the same place with all the same conditions involved as you did your previous sins, you will not hesitate but repeat the same sins again. Deep down you have not really come to an experience or condition were you hate the sin itself deep from the heart before we even consider the consequences brought by your sins. Your response to repentance springs from the results not the sin itself.
So we should not be surprised when we go back to our sins again, why? Simply because we were never saved even from our recent prayer of repentance. From there the cycle of repenting and sinning begins over and over because we are not dying to sin but we are trying to leave sin.
One man once said
“We have not yet learnt the first lesson of the alphabet of repentance.”
Amen God bless.
