We have all watched criminals act remorseful on the stand… Most of the time it’s pretty hard to believe their story, isn’t it? Especially since they acted remorseful the last time they were on trial, but then they went right out and racked up some more victims.
In 2005, four veterans of a large metropolitan police department were arrested and charged in a federal drug bust resulting from an investigation into the line-of-duty death of a fellow officer who responded to their radio request for assistance. The four officers were charged with using their official position to obtain and attempt to obtain money and/or illegal drugs from various drug dealers through robbery or extortion.
These officers, working in concert with each other, and others not identified, would conduct searches of suspected drug dealers, including their vehicles and houses, in an effort to recover illegal drugs, money and weapons for their own benefit, rather than for legitimate law enforcement purposes.
The US Attorney who prosecuted the case made the following statement:
“It’s a sad day when police officers are charged with dealing drugs and sadder still when they do so in an organized fashion, but every police officer who would dishonor his badge should know that there are others who will hold them accountable. This investigative effort has shown that the men and women of [law enforcement] will work tirelessly to weed out those in law enforcement who corruptly betray their badges.”
True repentance begins with a purposeful, willing change of mind to turn away from sin and towards God and His Truth. Genuine repentance will lead ultimately to a change of heart and attitude, which will ultimately produce “godly sorrow” that will result in being saved (2 Corinthians 7:10).
Be sure you understand that repentance is not about you making some kind of effort to reform yourself or make an outward change in behavior before you become saved. The change must first take place in your heart and it will totally transform your whole purpose and motivation for life! You become a new creature! (2 Corinthians 5:17; Hebrews 12:1-2)
True repentance is your voluntary and purposeful decision to change your mind and attitude about sin (Isaiah 59:2; Psalm 66:18) and to turn to God’s Word for the Truth (1 Thessalonians 1:9; 2 Corinthians 7:10-11). This often happens when a person is confronted with the reality of his own sin and its eternal consequence (Romans 6:23; ; Luke 13:3,5).
The Bible speaks of “worldly sorrow” and of “godly sorrow.” Both lead to something, but not to the same thing! One leads to repentance and salvation of the eternal soul, and the other leads to death and Hell.
“I [Jesus] came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” – Luke 5:32
The fact of the matter is that genuine repentance will produce observable changes in behavior because at the very core, the heart has been changed, and this change will lead to salvation.
What Does Godly Sorrow Look Like?:
“For godly sorrow worketh [produces] repentance to salvation not to be repented of [forsaken or turned away from]: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort [when you experienced godly sorrow], what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.” - II Corinthians 7:10-11
As the verse says, Godly sorrow begins with repentance and produces a change of heart through salvation which will be evident in everything about the person’s life: a carefulness to always do right; a zeal to purge yourself of sin and produce genuine personal innocence; a righteous indignation over sin; a fear of sinning against the Lord; and a vehement desire to be totally transparent and above-board in all you do!
What Does Worldly Sorrow Look Like?:
Worldly sorrow is typically what we see in “remorseful” criminals. They are just feeling bad that they did something because of the consequences they now face for it. It’s regretting the fact that they got caught.
Worldly sorrow keeps them in bondage to the sin and only makes them work all that much harder to find ways to do whatever they want to do with only a minimum of consequences. It makes for inventive sinners, hardened hearts, and lost souls bound to an eternal Hell because it does not motivate anyone to be changed from within.
That is why we see such deceit, manipulation, dishonesty, and outright treachery and cold heartedness in the lives of people who are bound and determined to continue in their sin and rebellion against a holy God. Such enslavement to sin causes people, even some officers, to do some very terrible things. [See "On Personal Integrity"]
How Far Will Unrepentant “Worldly Sorrow” Take Me?
Want to know how far unrepentant sin will control an officer?
The Greek word metanoia, translated as “repent“, means to change your mind about something on purpose. Jesus calls us to be persuaded in our hearts and minds about the truth of sin: It is Satan’s deception, designed to steal, kill, and destroy that which God loves: Us! As I have said before, our badges don’t clear us with God! Godly sorrow will convict our hearts of our sinfulness and hopelessness within our own selves. At the individual level, a full realization of that Truth will lead you to you place your full and complete trust in Jesus Christ and turn from your sin.
“And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.” – Acts 17:30-31
After 9-11 we saw billboards all over the place with words like, “God Bless America” and other “God-talk” slogans, but this was nothing more than a shallow sentimental feeling. In truth, America today is still working overtime to push God out of schools and all other public areas of life because people believe that if they can just forget about God, then they will somehow be free from consequences and guilt. It doesn’t work that way.
To most people, God is an obstacle to the sin they love to commit. But sincerely believing something other than what God has revealed to us in His Word won’t get us off the hook, no matter how sincere we are! Sincerity is not a substitute for Truth!
Where are you today in terms of righteousness?
Make no mistake; we have no righteousness in ourselves because Jesus said there are none who are righteous. It is only through a born-again relationship with Jesus Christ that a person can be counted as righteous before a holy God (See Are YOU Sure You Are Saved?
If you find yourself in need of His righteousness, please give me a call or send me an email. I would be honored to lead you to the Saviour Who can wash all your sin away and make you righteous through the shedding of His pure blood.
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Email: tsherman26@yahoo.com