Subject: Phony Repentance |
Bible Note: Our repentance must be authentic because phony confession will produce phony results. If you say that you repented before and God didn’t heal you, I would say that yours was a phony, external confession only. We find an example of a phony confession in Hosea 6:1-3, where God’s people say, "Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence. Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth." What do you notice about this confession? There is no mention of the sin these people had committed against God. They thought God’s grace is cheap and easy to obtain. But this is phony repentance, and it will not bring about true healing. Let me assure you, if you have not met with God and received your healing, you must conclude that your confession was phony and, therefore, there was no result. God refuses to heal, to change, and to transform us on the basis of externalism and superficiality. God himself says this in Hosea 6:4, "What can I do with you, Ephraim? What can I do with you, Judah? Your love is like the morning mist, like the early dew that disappears." In other words, theirs was not a heartfelt, enduring love for God. It was something they did in the morning but by noon it is gone. Thus, their repentance was fleeting and false, and such repentance will never bring true healing. We cannot fool God. --- P.G. Matthew |