In 2 Corinthians 7:10, the apostle writes: For godly sorrow produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world brings about death. Evaluating the veracity of repentance can be difficult, but most everyone would agree that a distinction must be made between the person who is truly repentant and the one who only regrets the consequences of their actions. Identifying the marks of true repentance is very practical in our lives and in our church. Is your friend, for example, truly sorry about how their words offended you, or do they just want to move on as if nothing happened? How can the church know whether a person under discipline has genuinely repented or is merely going through outward motions wrought by regret? How can a wife know whether her husband’s tears and sorrow after infidelity are the fruit of genuine repentance or of mere worldly sorrow? Even more important is the question of one’s repentance before the Lord. How can one be confident that they are not among the multitude of people who think they have repented but are self-deceived? After all, Jesus warned that there are many who call Him “Lord,” yet he will say to them, “depart from me I never knew you” (Mt 7:21-23). Scripture commands us to examine our own salvation (2 Cor13:5) to make it sure (2 Pet 1:10). False assurance is the price of not evaluating one’s repentance accurately; the cost of which will be eternal.
