Forgive me — because I have sinned

Judas Iscariot and King Saul recognized their sins, but did they really repent? ¿What is God looking for today in a repentant sinner? 

Perhaps you have realized that sin is breaking God's commandments (1 John 3: 4) and that you no longer want to live a life of disobedience to His laws. His desire is to completely surrender his will to the perfect will of God and change his ways of sin so that he can walk in harmony with his Creator.

In faith you are becoming Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, knowing that through your shed blood your guilty past can be forgiven. Sincerely, you understand that his transgressions were the reason that Christ was nailed to the cross and had to suffer a horrible death. The death penalty you incurred was paid in full by your Savior. 

Now, more than ever, you want to think as God thinks and have a personal and close relationship with Him.

The way to follow

¿And now that? What does the Bible say we must do to become true Christians? ¿What does the conversion process include?

To be accepted by God as true Christians, we need to have his Holy Spirit. The Word of God says that without the Holy Spirit we are not Christians: "and those who live according to the flesh cannot please God ... If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not theirs" (Romans 8: 8- 9, emphasis added). When a person has the Holy Spirit, he converts, belongs to Christ and is considered a true Christian.  

How do we receive the Holy Spirit? “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit ” (Acts 2:38). God promises that if we genuinely repent, he will grant us his Holy Spirit and we will be called "his chosen ones" (Luke 18: 7).  

We can only be baptized after repentance, baptism is an outward demonstration of our inner faith in Jesus Christ. Repentance is more than regretting past sins; It is a total change of mentality that is aimed at living a new way of life. It is turning away from caring only about oneself and turning towards obedience to God and caring about our fellow men (Matthew 22: 36-40).

The true repentance according to God is a key component in the conversion process. It is essential for our future growth and spiritual development.  

The missing dimension in repentance according to God

But the Bible tells us that there is a wrong way to repent: a charge of conscience according to the world.

The following three biblical examples provide us with insight into the vital dimension of genuine repentance. All of them sinned, but we must take into account what they did wrong in two of the examples, and what the other did well, in seeking repentance and forgiveness.

1. Saul, the first king of Israel

Saul is one of the most tragic figures in the Old Testament. He was appointed by God to be the first king of the nation of Israel.

Before a battle against the Philistines at Gilgal , the prophet Samuel gave Saul explicit instructions not to start the battle until he came to offer a sacrifice (1 Samuel 10: 8). Saul should also have known the strict requirement that only the Levites were to offer sacrifices. But instead, Saul, who was not a Levite, disobeyed and took on the task of offering the sacrifice. Samuel arrived as soon as Saul finished offering the burnt offering. Instead of expressing true repentance, Saul only made excuses for his actions (1 Samuel 13: 8-14).

This same pattern of disobedience continued to be a factor in Saul's reign, until God said to Samuel, "I am sorry that I have made Saul king, because he has turned after me, and has not kept my words." (1 Samuel 15:11).

On another occasion, Saul disobeyed God's instructions on how to act with the Amalekites, the Israelites' arch enemies, (1 Samuel 15: 1-4). Saul refused to carry out all the instructions that had been given him, and he forgave the Amalekite king and the best of animals (vv. 7-9).

When confronted by Samuel, Saul blamed the people for his misconduct; He did not see their rebellion and lack of obedience (vv. 20-21). Later Samuel spoke these distressing words: "Because you rejected the word of the Eternal, he has also rejected you so that you will not be king" (v. 23).

Now take a good look at Saul's reaction: “I have sinned; for I have broken the commandment of the Eternal and your words, because I feared the people and consented to their voice. Now forgive my sin ”(vv. 24-25).  

Saul asked Samuel to forgive him. However, God did not forgive him (v. 26). Something was very wrong with Saul's apparent attitude of repentance.

What was so wrong with Saul's seemingly sincere approach? Was your response purely intellectual and academic? What was missing?

Read on to find the answer.

2. Judas, disciple of Christ

Let's look at another tragic and very well-known personality in the Bible.

After his betrayal of Jesus, Judas realized the dire consequences of his actions. He brought the 30 pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders and with remorse threw the coins on the temple floor (Matthew 27: 3-5).

Again, take a good look at what he said: "I have sinned by delivering innocent blood" (v. 4).  

But then he left embarrassed and hanged himself. He recognized his sin and his guilt. However, his external recognition of evil did not lead him to the answer that God desired.

"I have sin". These are the same words that King Saul used! But, as in the case of Saul, Judas tragically did not make the changes that God asks us to make. 

¿Why?

Read on to discover the answer.

3. David, King of Israel

After God rejected Saul, Samuel told him: “The Eternal has sought a man after his heart, whom the Eternal has appointed to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Eternal has for you he commanded ”(1 Samuel 13:14). See also Acts 13:22.  

Samuel was then sent to anoint David so that he would eventually become king over Israel (1 Samuel 16: 1-13), and God told Samuel what he was looking for in the next king: “Because man looks at appearance outward, but the Eternal looks at the heart ”(v. 7). It is from the heart and mind that one repents and in all sincerity turns and goes in the opposite direction.

Although David had certain weaknesses and committed serious and regrettable sins, he had a different point of view than Saul and Judas. One episode that virtually all Bible readers know about is her adultery with Bathsheba and how she perversely planned the murder of her husband Urias.

These were terrible sins; and from a human perspective, they seem even worse than Saul's sins. But there was an important difference in the way men responded to their sins.

When confronted by the prophet Nathan, who was sent by God, David's response is very instructive and it is vitally important that we understand it. Nathan presented a compelling story that led David to recognize his guilt, iniquity, and sin.

"Then David said to Nathan," I have sinned against the Eternal "(2 Samuel 12:13).

It is the same phrase used by Saul and Judas! But let's see how God responded to David: “The Eternal has also remitted your sin; you will not die ”. 

Why were David's serious sins "taken away" and forgiven, but not Saul's or Judas's, even though they seemed to express a similar penalty?

There is more to verse 13 that was not quoted above. Let's see: "I have sinned against the Lord." 

¿Why is it so important to understand this expression "against the Lord"?

All sins are against God

Repentance and the process of conversion involve a complete change of mind and direction in our lives. Once we truly repent, our actions will reflect a deep-seated, God-centered desire to please our Father in the way we live, along with an inner concern and love for other human beings . David acknowledged that by sinning he had broken the eternal and just law of its Creator and had displeased God. In a heartfelt supplication he cried out to God and asked for forgiveness: “Because I recognize my rebellions, And my sin is always before me. Against you, against you I have only sinned, And I have done evil before your eyes; That you may be recognized just in your word, and considered pure in your judgment ”(Psalm 51: 3-4).  

David was terribly upset because he had disappointed God and let him down!

King David had faults, but he repented of them according to God, showing true fear and deep respect for God. He also determined that in the future he would live as God desired. This state of mind and commitment to live according to God's instructions pleased God, who for the abundance of his mercy forgave David.

It is also possible that David realized that his sins, along with the sins of all humanity, would be the reason for the future death of the Messiah, our Savior Jesus Christ. David was the author of Psalm 22, which makes a graphic account of the horrible suffering and death that Christ would experience.

Sadness according to God or according to the world — which one?

The biblical teaching on the subject of repentance is that the pain, grief, and remorse that we show when we repent must be directed to God. We must recognize that when we sin, we offend God and break his holy, just, and good law (Romans 7:12). The apostle Paul declared that we need "repentance toward God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 20:21). After we have a repentant heart, our faith will be demonstrated in the way we live (James 2:20).  

Unfortunately, well-meaning people can experience a deceitful and false affliction — a false conversion — that the Bible calls "the sadness of the world" that "produces death" (2 Corinthians 7:10). On the other hand, there is a perspective of true repentance, described by Paul as a "sorrow that is according to God" that "produces repentance for salvation, that one must not repent" (v. 10, first part). Paul was pleased that the members of the Church in Corinth were "grieved according to God" (v. 11), motivated to live a new way of life that "must never be repented of." Verses 11 and 12 describe the attributes produced by true repentance according to God, directed to God.  

David, a man according to the heart of God, had this sadness according to God and showed it by his subsequent actions. And so God "took away" his sins — forgave him.

Do we understand the essential and fundamental difference between sadness according to God and sadness according to the world? One can lead to eternal death; the other, to eternal life.

One of the motivations for repenting of our sins and changing our way of living is to understand that when we sin, we offend God, so after repentance we try to do everything we can to avoid offending Him any more. Furthermore, we come to understand that our sins caused the death of our Savior, Jesus Christ. These are the reasons why we are daily "fighting against sin" (Hebrews 12: 4).

Repentance according to God — a new way of life

Repentance and the process of conversion involve a complete change of mind and direction in our lives. Once we truly repent, our actions will reflect a deep-seated, God-centered desire to please our Father in the way we live, along with an inner concern and love for other human beings.

Real repentance includes acknowledging our sins and then living according to God's commandments. Saul and Judas acknowledged their sin, but did not follow through on their purpose to live differently. God did not want Judas to commit suicide. He wanted Judas to repent of his sin and then demonstrate his repentance by living in a different way.

God looks at the thoughts and intentions of our hearts. When we repent of our sins, let our thoughts echo King David's attitude: "Against you, against you I have only sinned, and I have done this evil before your eyes." 

May God help us to experience this change of heart and to live according to this true repentance and according to God! It is the path that leads to life — for all eternity.