Something I’ve come across more than twice over the years, is a person who has lived for years in sin, and then later, when confronted with a better way, will, on the one hand, admit they were in the wrong and need to be better. What’s the problem? It’s what comes next… or, in this case, doesn’t come next: They don’t ever actually repent. Instead, they stew in their guilt and self-loathing. When visited and encouraged to be faithful once more, they shake their head, and express their unworthiness to serve the Lord.
It is false humility. It might come from a soft—even broken—heart, but it is a heart that being manipulated by the Devil, nonetheless.
As our beloved Ted Knight is fond of saying: Lean in and listen… If you have sinned, you need to repent. Just acknowledging the fact of that isn’t enough. You must actually do it! Feeling bad over your past mistakes is only half the equation. Changing to a life of doing good is the goal. Being right with God is the goal.
A sinner who feels bad that he’s a sinner is still a sinner.
Repent and turn (Acts 3:19)!
~Matthew