A frequent theme in our counseling and shepherding is repentance. Many of us were taught that you needed to repent and believe once to receive your ticket to heaven. Others understand a part of repentance but do not actively, fully repent on a regular basis or remember the last time they repented.
I would like to share six stages of repentance from Mike Wilkerson's book Redemption in hope that we would be a people marked by repentance and belief. As Martin Luther famously said, "All of life is repentance."
STAGE ONE: CONVICTION
Often we skip this or move to confession too quickly because of pressure from our community or the desire to promptly fix our situation. This leads us to a cycle of deception and despair because we are "repenting" of something we are not fully convinced is sin.
"You have to be convinced by the Holy Spirit working through God's Word that you are guilty of sin." (Mike Wilkerson, Redemption).
Biblical Examples Of Conviction
Isaiah
As Isaiah saw the Lord and beheld his glory and holiness, he was convicted of his sin crying out, "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!" (Isaiah 6:5).
Notice what prompted Isaiah's conviction: a vision of God's holiness. When we see God as He truly is—infinitely holy, pure, and glorious—we see ourselves as we truly are: sinful, unclean, lost.
The Tax Collector
The tax collector in Luke 18 does not lift his eyes to heaven and beats his chest saying, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner!" (Luke 18:13).
Unlike the Pharisee who compared himself to others and felt righteous, the tax collector compared himself to God's standard and was devastated. He didn't minimize or excuse. He pleaded for mercy.
Seeing Sin Before God's Face
We must see our sin before the face of God and agree with what he calls it. Many of us minimize our sin or justify it in comparison to others and thereby cheapen Christ's work on the cross.
We prefer to look remorseful and repentant to others rather than being broken by our false worship and glory-thieving against God.
David understood this in Psalm 51:4 when he prayed, "Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight." Though David had sinned against Bathsheba and Uriah, he recognized that ultimately all sin is against God.
We must see our sin before the face of God and agree with what he calls it.
Godly Sorrow vs. Worldly Sorrow
In light of God's holiness and law we see how foolish and destructive our rebellion is. If your life is marked by worldly sorrow instead of godly grief, I encourage you to behold who God is and what he has done, namely, the atoning work of Jesus (see 2 Corinthians 7:8-10).
- Sorrow for getting caught
- Sorrow for consequences
- Sorrow for damaged reputation
- Sorrow driven by shame before people
- Sorrow for offending God
- Sorrow for grieving the Holy Spirit
- Sorrow that leads to change
- Sorrow driven by love for God
Feel the weight of beholding the glory of God and choosing to turn your back on it. Being grieved by the sinfulness of our sin propels us to turn from our idolatry and worship Jesus.
Moving Forward
The next stage is to confess your sins specifically to God and others. But don't rush past conviction. Let the Spirit do His work. Let Him show you not just what you did, but why you did it. Let Him expose the idols of your heart, the false gods you've been serving.
Only then will your confession be real, and only then will your repentance be lasting.
