As we have observed previously, repentance is an intellectual enterprise–not the emotional godly sorrow that provokes it or the corrective actions that follow it. However, the nature of these required intellectual changes often elude us. Paul described this process in great detail, as we observed in the last issue. So, for further elaboration, we return to Paul’s description of repentance in the second Corinthian epistle. “For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, 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” (2 Cor. 7:11).
Repentance implies placing a priority on restoring your relationship with God. The word translated “vehement desire” is a compound word derived from the verb potheo and the preposition epi. Potheo means “to long for” something that is missing or to seek to fill whatever is lacking. The preposition epi used in composition places emphasis on the basis for or object of the longing. Since the context is repentance, “vehement desire” expresses the recognition that one lacks the proper relationship with God and the decision that restoring that relationship is the one thing that matters most. True repentance therefore does not put off making changes; true repentance longs to know more of God’s Word in order to know what to correct.
Repentance implies an internal passion for righteousness. The word “zeal” is a transliteration from the Greek zelos that refers to having a fire burning within. New Testament authors use it in both positive and negative applications, indicating that it is the object on which it is placed that determines righteousness. When used in a negative context, it is often translated “jealousy”, but translators had difficulty finding an English equivalent when used in the positive sense. You might think of it as “intense enthusiasm.” In sports, commentators refer to the athlete who “wants it more” or to the person who goes “all out.” This is a rough approximation of the internal passion expected of a person who truly repents because such zeal refuses to stop and refuses to give up until the goal is achieved. In this case, the goal is spiritual-the correction in one’s moral standing before God. Many people will “take a stab” at correcting their lives; the penitent person makes it his passion.
Repentance implies righting what is wrong. The specific instance under discussion in this passage is the Corinthians’ compliance with Paul’s call for them to exercise congregational discipline by withdrawing from the man who had taken his father’s wife (1 Cor. 5:1-7). The translation “revenge” might thus lead one to conclude that “punishment” is in mind. However, two matters deserve notice. First, the word ekdikesis refers to seeking justice, which does not necessarily imply punishment but possibly correction. Second, Paul directed his attention in this passage not to the action of the Corinthians but to the attitude which led to the proper action-obedience. In either case, the point remains that the Corinthians determined to make right what was previously wrong. Repentance does not turn a sinful situation into a righteous situation or a sinful action into a righteous action. Repentance produces a change in mindset that leads a person to do whatever is required to eliminate from his life anything sinful. Eliminating sinfulness may mean the restitution of ill-gotten gains (Lk. 19:8) or even the dissolution of an adulterous marriage (Mt. 19:9). Repentance means that the individual makes his life right where it was previously wrong; it does not mean that God will treat as right what He previously treated as wrong.
Repentance implies the goal of purity-not acceptability. Paul’s closing comment in this verse demonstrates the extent of conviction involved in repentance. The term “clear” implies the commitment to moral purity that must follow the innocence made possible by correction and God’s forgiveness. Once “cleared” by forgiveness of the guilt of sin, the new mindset commits not to allow such impurities to stain the soul again. This does not mean that the person will never stumble again-even in this particular sin-but that the complete elimination of that sin is a very real goal in that person’s life.
Repentance is the most significant change in thinking you will ever make in your life. It rejects all excuses and all former justifications for sin and instead accepts God’s view as stated in God’s will. It is sad that so many people spend their energies trying to change God’s mind about what is right and wrong instead of accepting God’s Word so that they can be right with Him instead of being in the wrong.
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