Legal vs. Evangelical Repentance
In Chapter 15 of To the Judicious and Impartial Reader: Baptist Symbolics Volume 2, Renihan explains the crucial difference between two forms of repentance: legal and evangelical. Legal repentance is characterized by remorse and regret stemming from a troubled conscience. It is driven by the fear of consequences and judgment, with no appeal to God’s mercy or grace. There are many examples of this type of repentance in the Scriptures. For example, Cain, after killing his brother, is engulfed in self-pity and despair, crying out, “Am I my brother’s keeper?…My punishment is too great to bear!” (Genesis 4:9, 13). His anguish stems not from his sin, but from its consequences. Judas, in a similar vein, tries to remove his guilt for betraying Jesus by returning the thirty pieces of silver and confessing, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood” (Matthew 27:3-5). Desperately hoping to clear his conscience, Judas realizes that he cannot wipe the indelible marks of blood off of his hands and hangs himself. Pharaoh’s behavior during the plagues further illustrates legal repentance. His promises to let the Israelites go are born out of a desire to end his immediate suffering, not from a true change of heart. Once relief comes and the plagues are lifted, he hardens his heart and reneges on his promises. Or consider King Saul’s encounter with Samuel. After disobeying God’s command to annihilate the Amalekites, Saul’s initial denial turns into a superficial confession: “I have sinned; yet honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel” (1 Samuel 15:30). Evidently, his primary concern is not genuine repentance before God but the preservation of his own honor and status before the people.
Examine Your Repentance
These examples in Scripture challenge me to think critically about my own repentance. When I turn from my anxiety, pride, lust, greed, hate, bitterness, and envy, what is my primary motivation in doing so? Do I, like Cain, primarily fear the consequences of sin? Do I, like Judas, simply hate how guilty and uncomfortable sin makes me feel? Do I, like Pharaoh, experience a fleeting remorse just because the circumstances demand it? Do I, like Saul, repent for fear of losing honor and respect from others? Is my repentance ultimately self-serving and superficial? Do I have any regard for God and His glory in my repentance? These are important questions to consider as there are many unbelievers who excel at this type of legal repentance: saying sorry, admitting their mistakes, taking responsibility for the consequences of their actions, and resolving to change. What makes the Christian different?
As 2LCF 15.3 describes, the Christian’s repentance ought to be evangelical or gospel-centric. Evangelical repentance is a repentance that results from a change of heart and mind brought by the Holy Spirit by the power of the Word. This type of repentance deeply humbles the soul and brings about abhorrence of sin not so much because of what it does to me but what it does to God. An exemplary evangelical repentance can be found in the Psalms from King David after his sin with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah. In Psalm 51, David implores God for mercy, acknowledging his sin and pleading for a clean heart (Psalm 51:7, 10). His repentance is marked by deep sorrow and a longing for restoration with God (Psalm 51:11). David appeals to God’s mercy and loving-kindness, recognizing his inability to atone for his sin, and his focus is not on his own glory but on God’s (Psalm 51:1, 14-16). As Christians, our repentance can go even further than David’s, reflecting on Christ’s sacrifice for our sins. We know that our sin is why Christ came to die (John 3:16-17, 1 John 2:2, 2 Corinthians 5:15, 1 Timothy 2:5-6). Let us turn to Him in our repentance, grounding it all in the finished, redemptive work of the cross.
“For Every Look at Yourself, Take Ten Looks At Christ” - Robert Murray M’Cheyne
Works Cited
- Renihan, James. To the Judicious and Impartial Reader: Baptist Symbolics Volume 2. Founders Press, 2022. Print.