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Driscoll: 11 Things Repentance Is Not

Mark Driscoll deals with eleven often held misconceptions about repentance.

Practical Idea: Share this video with your class or small group to create a discussion about what authentic repentance really looks like.

And so Jesus words here are very important when the Holy Spirit convicts
us of sin we need to repent. Now let me say what repentance is not because I
believe it can be one of these words that are often used but rarely
understood.

Grace and I just finished up recently a book on marriage and we got a
whole chapter in there on fighting. Right? Any good book on marriage has to deal
with conflict resolution and sin repentance and forgiveness. It just has
to, it just has to. If you’re married for more than 17 minutes you know that
you’re married to someone who’s sinful and they know they’re married to someone
who sinful. And again you need respect rules and a referee to get you towards
some sort of resolution. So here’s what we put in the book, my sweet wife,
repentance is not getting caught but coming clean. What do you need to tell
them that you’ve not told them got very serious all of a sudden didn’t it?

Number two, repentance is not denying our sin. I didn’t do it. I don’t know what you’re
talking about. I’m innocent! It’s not denying it.

Number three,  repentance is not diminishing our sin by downplaying or partially confessing it well it’s not a big deal or you know I did my best or hey nobody’s perfect or it could have
gone worse or I’ll tell you a part of what I did but not the whole of what I did that’s not repentance repentance is not managing our sin trying to keep it under control yeah I have this addiction compulsion problem proclivity but it’s okay I’m not doing it all the time just some of the time I think I’ve got it managed no because Jesus died for sin we don’t manage it we put it to death we kill it because he died for it and he died for it so that we could kill it additionally repentance is not blame shifting our sin passing the responsibility to someone else yeah I did it but you made me I did it but it’s because you neglected me I got angry but you made me angry I strayed but it’s because you weren’t meeting my needs
it’s not blaming someone even the devil for your sin it’s owning it.

Repentance is not excusing our sin.

  • There were circumstances
  • I was tired
  • My dad never hugged me
  • You know, I’ve got a reason that in my mind makes good sense

Repentance is not about someone else’s sins. About my sin religious people are
always aware of your sin not their sin Jesus is here talking about being aware of our sins that’s exactly what he says he says to keep an eye on yourself pay attention to yourselves sometimes we’re so aware of all that they do that’s so bad and we overlook all of our own guilt and hypocrisy additionally repentance is not about manipulating God and or people
for blessing well if I tell God I’m sorry he must bless me right I know I shouldn’t be dating this person but if I confess it to Jesus he’ll save them and make it all better right I know I
shouldn’t do this but maybe if I say I’m sorry then that person will forgive me maybe I’ll get my job back or my spouse back or my friend back or my dignity back it’s not doing something so that you can get something it’s just doing something because it’s right
additionally repentance is not worldly sorrow something Paul speaks up to the Corinthians because worldly sorrow is just feeling bad but not changing some of you feel bad but you don’t change that’s worldly sorrow not true repentance repentance is not merely grieving the consequences of your sin but hating the evil of the sin itself yes this hurt people yes this had implications yes this caused complications and I grieve all of that but i grieve the sin the most not just the consequences of the sin the sin itself and friends sin again it’s
commission and omission it’s doing the wrong thing it’s not doing the right thing and it’s grieving all of that and lastly repent is not merely confessing your sin and not just grieving your sin but as I said killing your sin right the Bible says over and over and over these words Christ died for our sins that’s the gospel that’s the centerpiece of the gospel that’s the Bible that’s the centerpiece of the Bible Christ died for our sins our God became our substitute He died for our sin our sin is put to death in Christ so we can put our sin to
death because of Christ Jesus rose from death sent the Holy Spirit so that we can live a new life and repentance is all of that come clean kill the sin because of Jesus by the Holy Spirit’s power a new life patterned after Jesus who himself was tempted but never sinned right that’s it okay for us when we sit not if when we sit not that we should sin but that on this side of eternity we will this is what we do those of us who are guilty of sin when we are guilty of sin we repent.