Introduction
What’s the first word that comes to mind when you hear the word repent? Change? Forgiveness? Sin? How about defining the word—what does it mean?
I remember as a little boy being told that repentance is to turn 180 degrees around and go the other way. It’s not a bad start, but it is certainly lacking. What am I turning from? Why am I turning? Where am I turning? To whom am I turning?
Repentance is a change in mind which involves a turning with contrition from sin to God. It is a turning from sin, from self, from selfish ambitions, and from trying to earn your salvation. It is a turning from self-exaltation to God-exaltation.
In Thomas Watson’s book, The Doctrine of Repentance, he says:
“Repentance is a grace required under the gospel. Some think it legal; but the first sermon that Christ preached, indeed, the first word of his sermon, was ‘Repent’ (Matthew 4:17). And his farewell that he left when he was going to ascend was that ‘repentance should be preached in his name’ (Luke 24:47).”
Thomas Watson was a Puritan preacher and theologian from the 1600’s. He married, had at least seven children (four of whom died young), and was imprisoned in 1651 for his plot to restore the monarchy during the English Civil War. He was released a year later and continued preaching.
Charles Spurgeon said Watson was:
“...a faithful pastor with great diligence and assiduity. Happy were the citizens who regularly attended so instructive and spiritual a ministry. The church was constantly filled, for the fame and popularity of the preacher were deservedly great. Going in and out among his flock, fired with holy zeal for their eternal welfare, his years rolled on pleasantly enough amid the growing respect of all who knew him.”
A decade later, all of this would change. The Act of Uniformity was passed in 1662, which required all clergy to conform to the Anglican Prayer Book and liturgy. Watson refused to comply and was ejected from his pulpit. Despite this ejection, he continued to preach whenever he could—in barns, in homes, in the woods—it didn’t matter. A few years later, he got his license to preach again and worked until his health failed him. He died unexpectedly and suddenly in 1686 while engaged in private prayer.
In The Doctrine of Repentance, Watson says that repentance is a spiritual medicine made up of six ingredients: sight of sin, sorrow for sin, confession of sin, shame of sin, hatred of sin, and turning from sin.
I have yet to read a book on repentance that covers the depth of repentance as the one mentioned. After reading through it a handful of times, it seemed to me that the six ingredients of repentance pair together quite well. As such, I broke down the six sections into three.
Watson's 6 Ingredients of Repentance
Sight of Sin Leads to Sorrow for Sin
Luke 15:17 says:
“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger!’”
The prodigal saw himself as he really was: a sinner standing before a holy God. We must come to the end of ourselves as the prodigal did before we can come to God.
2 Corinthians 7:10 says:
“For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.”
Here, Paul shares with the church at Corinth that there are two types of sorrow—one leading to death and the other to salvation without regret.
Watson says that godly sorrow for sin is not superficial but is holy agony. It is a breaking of the heart.
Psalm 51:17 reads:
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”
An evil person might be troubled over scandalous sins, but a true convert laments over his heart sins. He goes to the root of the evil and weeps there.
Confession and Shame of Sin Go Hand in Hand
After the prodigal son comes to the end of himself, what is the very next thing he does? He confesses.
Luke 15:18:
“I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.’”
He was remorseful for his sin and he went to his father.
But just as there is a genuine and in-genuine sorrow for sin, so is the case for confession. Judas is the prime example of this. He felt remorse over betraying Jesus for thirty pieces of silver.
Matthew 27:3:
“Then Judas, his betrayer, seeing that Jesus had been condemned, was full of remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders.”
But that remorse ended in him taking his own life.
Of the eight qualifications Watson gives to a right and genuine confession, number three does a good job summing them up: Our confession must be sincere. He says:
“Our hearts must go along with our confessions. The hypocrite confesses sin but loves it, like a thief who confesses to stolen goods, yet loves stealing…. Augustine said before his conversion he confessed sin and begged power against it, but his heart whispered within him, ‘not yet, Lord’. He was afraid to leave his sin too soon.”
We live in an age where even in Christian circles, shame is seen as a thing to steer clear of.
Ezekiel 43:10 says:
“As for you, son of man, describe to the house of Israel the temple, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and they shall measure the plan.”
Here, God instructs Ezekiel to reveal the temple’s design to the Israelites to evoke shame and ultimately lead them to repentance. Shame in this context is godly and leads to holiness.
In every sin there is much unthankfulness, which is a matter of shame. We have sinned against God when he has given us no cause. In what way has God wearied our hearts? What wrong has he done to us?
Watson says:
“We have had the finest of the wheat; we have been fed with angels’ food. The golden oil of divine blessing has run down on us from the head of our heavenly Aaron. And to abuse the kindness of so good a God, how may this make us ashamed!”
Zephaniah 3:5 says, “The unjust know no shame.”
It is a great shame not to be ashamed.
Hatred of Sin Results in a Turning from Sin
Ezekiel 36:31:
“Then you will remember your evil ways, and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves for your iniquities and your abominations.”
Until we cherish Christ more than the sin we pursue, we love the latter more than the former. True hatred and loathing of sin will undoubtedly lead to war against it. The penitent child will desire more power against sin and to be released from it. Revenge will be sought against it.
Watson says:
“A true penitent pursues his sins with a holy malice. He seeks the death of them as Samson was avenged on the Philistines for his two eyes. He uses his sins as the Jews used Christ.”
The true penitent uses his sins as the Jews used Christ. A shocking statement. But how true.
“Christ is never loved till sin be loathed.”
Final Thoughts
Repentance is no light subject, but I pray you see the beauty it beholds.
Where do you go from here? What do you do with these ingredients now that you’ve seen them?
True Repentance Is Not an Easy Thing to Do
There are some who believe it is—but saying a few prayers or letting out a sigh and saying, “Lord, you are a compassionate God and I am but a sinner. Have mercy on me,” is not enough.
Watson adds:
“The conceit of the easiness of repentance is a great hindrance to it. That which makes a person bold and adventurous in sin must need obstruct repentance… If all the power in a sinner be employed against repentance, then repentance is not easy.”
The one thing I’d note on Watson’s idea here is that there are times when we don’t have the words to pray. And a heavy sigh, a broken prayer, and a contrite heart are all we have to offer. The Lord knows a broken heart when he sees one, and if this is all you can muster up, then muster it up!
However, since repentance is an ongoing grace in our walk with the Lord, let us not believe that it only consists of these prayers.
Do Not Delay
"Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion." Hebrews 3:15
Our great enemy, Satan, has built his throne upon sin. It lives in his camp and he has the power to use it. It is dangerous to stay long in the enemy’s quarters. Delay in repenting strengthens sin, hardens the heart, and gives the devil fuller possession.
Mora trahit periculum — “procrastination brings dangers.”
Our flesh makes it easy to procrastinate and put off repentance. We echo Haggai’s words and say:
“The time has not yet come” (Haggai 1:2)
Let us remember that Satan does whatever he can to keep us from repentance, and because of this, many are now in hell who purposed to repent.
Comfort for Repenting Sinners
Watson shares three things for our everlasting comfort:
1. Your sins are pardoned
When the prodigal returned, what did the father do? He ran to him, embraced him, clothed him with his best robe, put a ring on his finger, and prepared a feast for him.
In the same way, God pardons whom he crowns:
“Who forgives all your iniquities... who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy.” (Psalm 103:3–4)
2. God will not remember your sins
God looks upon you as if you had not offended.
Isaiah 43:25:
“I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.”
When God pardons, he blots the debt out of his book and will
“Remember your sins no more.” (Jeremiah 31:34)
3. Peace to your conscience
Watson says:
“O the music of conscience! Conscience is turned into a paradise, and there a Christian sweetly solaces himself and plucks the flowers of joy.” (2 Corinthians 1:12)
Could there be a sweeter place to sing from than that of a clean conscience? Can you name something better than going to God not as a judge but as a father?
“The true penitent may look on death with comfort. His life has been a life of tears, and now at death all tears shall be wiped away.” - Thomas Waston