Of Repentance unto Life, XV:6

As every man is bound to make private confession of his sins to God, praying for the pardon thereof; upon which, and the forsaking of them, he shall find mercy; so, he that scandalizes his brother, or the Church of Christ, ought to be willing, by a private or public confession, and sorrow for his sin, to declare his repentance to those that are offended, who are thereupon to be reconciled to him, and in love to receive him.

Private confession to God is a Christian duty (1 John 1:8-10). Sins committed against another person or that become a cause of public scandal should be appropriately confessed to the offended person and/or to the church as a whole. We are typically as Protestants not comfortable with the idea of public confession, yet there is much good that may result from humble obedience in this regard (James 5:16). An act of this sort permits reconciliation and restoration and maintains the purity of the church.

Note the emphasis here on reconciliation and restoration. The purpose of church discipline in general, and confession of sin as considered here specifically, is not punitive. The goal is healing. When a sinning Christian in obedience repents and confesses in a godly manner, the church is bound to receive this person back into full fellowship and exercise the grace of God toward him.

Tomorrow: Some thoughts on errors relating to repentance.

Of Repentance unto Life, XV:5

Men ought not to content themselves with a general repentance, but it is every man's duty to endeavour to repent of his particular sins, particularly.

It is in wrestling with specific sins that we, in Christ, gain victory over them. We must go to our Father and acknowledge the particular ways in which we have offended him; this gains us better appreciation for the variety of our offenses, the comprehensiveness of God's holiness, and the exacting standard of personal righteousness that we can never in ourselves fulfill. This drives us back on Christ, helping us to rely on him totally for our standing before God.

In large part this is why the mature saint is much more cognizant of his sin and can say along with Paul that he is the chief of sinners, and mean it.

Tomorrow: The place of confession.

Of Repentance unto Life, XV:4

As there is no sin so small, but it deserves damnation; so there is no sin so great, that it can bring damnation upon those who truly repent.

All sin is heinous before the eyes of God and is rightly condemned. God's standard is perfect righteousness; anything short of that mark brings his wrath and judgment. We need no quarrel over the sizes of sins, because we have all sinned so many times as to make such fine-pointing moot. But thanks be to God that in Christ Jesus there is no sin that can overcome his redeeming love. Only the person who goes down to the grave in willful unrepentance is condemned--no Christian has ever (or will ever) commit the unpardonable sin.

Tomorrow: The importance of specific repentance.

Of Repentance unto Life, XV:3

Although repentance be not to be rested in, as any satisfaction for sin, or any cause of the pardon thereof, which is the act of God's free grace in Christ; yet it is of such necessity to all sinners, that none may expect pardon without it.

Repentance is not meritorious, but it is necessary. It is an act of God's free grace, but the sinner's repentance is not a basis for satisfaction or pardon. Only Christ can save; our repentance is not of itself sufficient to garner reward from God. Nevertheless, it is still required of all sinners and none may expect pardon without it, because it is part of conversion and an outworking of the new nature in Christ.

Tomorrow: No sin too great to prevent salvation.

Of Repentance unto Life, XV:2

By it, a sinner, out of the sight and sense not only of the danger, but also of the filthiness and odiousness of his sins, as contrary to the holy nature, and righteous law of God; and upon the apprehension of His mercy in Christ to such as are penitent, so grieves for, and hates his sins, as to turn from them all unto God, purposing and endeavouring to walk with Him in all the ways of His commandments.

What ought to motivate a sinner to repent? The Confession here enumerates several reasons.

1. There is a "sight and sense" of the danger of eternal punishment. It has fallen out of fashion to confront unbelievers with their peril of judgment and eternal damnation. Sensitive modern evangelicals are no longer comfortable with this type of message, thinking it underscores negative stereotypes (and besides, some evangelicals have abandoned the idea in favor of annihilationism or some sort of universalism). But it is still legitimate to be afraid of eternal punishment. In and of itself, however, this fear of retribution is not a godly form of repentance, for its emphasis is on avoiding just deserts and personal pain.

2. There is realization of the true nature of sin, producing grief over and hatred of sin. Until we come to regard sin in the same way as God regards sin we do not truly appreciate its heinousness. What is frequently our attitude toward our own sin? Do we not try to explain away, rationalize, and make excuses for ourselves? Do we not often try to shift the blame? Do we not appeal to the universal imperfectness of mankind? Godly repentance owns up to sin and regards it as hateful.

3. The repentant sinner sees the contrast between his sin and the holy nature of God and his laws. He realizes how great is the gulf fixed between the righteousness of God and his own character. He despairs of ever being able to make amends on his own.

4. There is appreciation of God's mercy in Christ. The repentant sinner realizes his abject state of helplessness and his need for a savior.

The final result of all this is a true metanoia--the Greek word typically translated as "repentance," connoting a real change, a real turning-around in one's life--that finds the once-rebellious sinner seeking to walk with God rather than from God or against God and submitting to him in obedience.

Tomorrow: The necessity but insufficiency of repentance.

Of Repentance unto Life, XV:1

Repentance unto life is an evangelical grace, the doctrine whereof is to be preached by every minister of the Gospel, as well as that of faith in Christ.

Faith is a gift of grace (Ephesians 2:8); so is repentance (Acts 11:18, Zechariah 12:10). Both are preceded in the spiritual life of the nascent believer by regeneration, as was demonstrated in our discussion of chapter X. The natural man cannot of his own power or initiative repent or believe (Romans 8:5-8, 1 Corinthians 2:14). Instead, they are gifts given by God. But we must be clear that God does not repent and believe for us. Repentance and faith are assertions of the new nature in Christ, man's response to God's work within him. These cannot be separated. They are also continuous features of the Christian life.

The Confession terms repentance an "evangelical grace" because it has to do with the evangel, or gospel of salvation. This repentance is to be preached by every minister along with faith (Mark 1:14-15).

Some may object that we have argued the natural man cannot obey God's command to repent and believe so he is relieved of the responsibility so to do; one cannot be held accountable for that which it is impossible for one to do, or so goes the reasoning. Yet this is simply not the case. Recall how we demonstrated that the fault for the natural man's inability to obey God's righteous commands lies with himself. His inability to obey caused by his own disobedience does not obviate his responsibility to obey.

Tomorrow: Repentance characterized.

Of Saving Faith, XIV:3

This faith is different in degrees, weak or strong; may be often and many ways assailed, and weakened, but gets the victory: growing up in many to the attainment of a full assurance, through Christ, who is both the author and finisher of our faith.

The Westminster divines had a very realistic (which is to say, biblical) view of the Christian life. They knew that Christian experience is typified by highs and lows. Anyone who tries to tell you, "Accept Jesus, and all your problems will disappear," is selling you a wagonload. The Bible is replete with examples of believers who faced many difficulties in their lives.

But that's not where we place our emphasis. Instead, we look to Christ himself, "the author and finisher of our faith." Our lives may be shaky, but he is ever firm and steady. What he has started he most assuredly will bring to completion.

Assurance is the subject of chapter XVIII; we'll explore the topic in greater detail there.

Tomorrow: Repentance.