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QuestionDo you experience true remorse for your own wrong-doing?

“I do not feel remorse. Everybody makes mistakes in war”. Abu Abbas

“Remorse for what? You people have done everything in the world to me. Doesn't that give me equal right”? Charles Manson

“Remorse is the pain of sin”. Theodore Parker, theologian

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Question “Sharp and fell remorse, the offspring of my sin! Why do you, O God, lacerate my heart so late? Why, O boding cries, that scream so close to me,--why do I listen to you now, and never heard you before”? (Metastasio, Italian Poet 1650) 

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This WeekI. Recap our discussion of

conscience to date.II. Examine the work of “remorse”

as it relates to the conscience.III. Examine the ingredients of true

remorse and their results.IV. Explore Biblical remorse and its

happy effect.V. Examine ourselves for evidence

of true remorse for sin/s.

LessonPlan

The Conscience at Work

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I. Introductiona. Thus far we have seen that God’s design

purpose for the conscience is to provide man with a way of knowing right from wrong. Without a conscience in man, no society would be possible.

b. We’ve seen that when a person intends to violate the boundaries of normal society the conscience kicks in and convicts the transgressor of wrongdoing, he experiences guilt.

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I. Introductionc. While the conscience serves a purpose in

notifying the person that they have sinned against God, something is required to motivate the guilty person to change his ways. Otherwise the conscience would merely be a thorn in the flesh from which there would be no escape.

d. Shame is the motivating force that works in the conscience to bring the guilty party to a point where he or she would be willing to do something with their guilt, i.e. repent.

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I. Introduction

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II. The Work of Remorsea. The word remorse comes from a late 14th

century old French term and from the Latin word remorsum. The word literally means to vex, disturb, to bite back.

b. It might be said that the biting back experience of remorse is where man, realizing his wrongdoing, is finally motivated to do whatever is necessary to clean up the mess he has made by his sin.

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II. The Work of Remorsec. When we examine the condition

encountered by Lot we see that he, being bombarded by the sinful conduct of the people of Sodom, was also tempted and yet and yet filled with remorse and therefore, repentant. 2 Peter 2:7-9

And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, KJV

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II. The Work of Remorsed. Remorse is an emotional expression of

personal regret felt by a person after he or she has committed an act which they deem to be shameful, hurtful, or violent, etc.

e. Remorse is closely tied to guilt and is a form of self-directed resentment. When a person regrets an earlier action or failure to act, it may be because of remorse or in response to various other consequences, including being punished for the act or omission.

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II. The Work of Remorsef. In a legal context, the perceived remorse of

an offender is assessed by Western justice systems during trials, sentencing, parole hearings, and weighs heavily in determining the readiness of the offender to be restored to society.

g. A person who is incapable of feeling remorse is often labeled as an antisocial personality disorder. In general, a person who is unable to feel fear, or dread the result of his failure, who does not experience remorse, may develop pathological patterns of behavior.

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III. The Result of Remorsea. While many people provide an apology for

their wrong behavior, an apology is often times a word that is used to escape the unpleasant consequences of one's behavior without actually having to repent from it. Merely saying I am sorry is not the same as true remorse.

b. There is however, a genuine apology that rises to the level of true remorse. Studies indicate that effective apologies that express remorse typically include a detailed account of the offense and acknowledge the hurt or damage done.

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III. The Result of Remorsec. Genuine remorse also includes the

acceptance of personal responsibility for, and ownership of, the act or omission; and an explanation that recognizes one's role, without trying to minimize one’s role or implicate someone else for one’s behavior.

d. True remorseful apologies usually include a statement or expression of regret, humility; a request for forgiveness; and an expression of a credible commitment to change or a promise that it will not happen again.

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III. The Result of Remorsee. Where restitution applies or a penalty is

prescribed, genuine remorse requires the offender to pay the price, whatever it may be. Should the offender balk at taking his “punishment” it is a strong indication that he does not genuinely feel remorse. Gen 4:10-13

And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth. And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear. KJV

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III. The Result of Remorsef. Psycho-social research shows that if someone

perceives that they have been wronged and the offending party does not apologize quickly, the delayed apology often creates a perception of the offense that compounds over time. Matt 5:23-25

Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. KJV

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IV. Biblical Remorsea. In a classic passage which deals with godly remorse

in a detailed fashion the Apostle Paul instructs us on both the ingredients of and the subsequent conduct of a truly remorseful offender. 2 Cor 7:9-11

Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. 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. KJV

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IV. Biblical Remorseb. Before true repentance can occur godly

sorrow must arise within the conscience of the repentant offender. This is sorrow that is initiated by the Holy Spirit and this generates repentance.

c. This prompting of the Spirit is not repentance itself, but it is the necessary prerequisite to repentance. In some sense, the Holy Spirit’s prompting is the cause that produces repentance.

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IV. Biblical Remorsed. Thus the offender has great sorrow; he

experiences an overwhelming feeling that he must do whatever is necessary to make things right before God. This is the sorrow that is after a godly manner. Ps 30:5

For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. KJV

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IV. Biblical Remorsee. Such remorse is according to the will of

God, it goes to the glory of God because it is a work of the Spirit of God. It is referred to as godly sorrow because a sorrow for sin as an offence against God is ingratitude, and grieves Him. Eph 4:30

And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. KJV

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IV. Biblical Remorsef. There is a great difference between the

sorrow of a godly sort and the sorrow of this world. Godly sorrow produces repentance and reformation, a changed heart, and a resolve to cease that behavior.

g. Worldly sorrow on the other hand, works death; it affects one psychologically but not spiritually. People can be sorry that they got caught, sorry that they are discredited in the eyes of others, or sorry that they have to be sorry.

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IV. Biblical Remorseh. True repentance accompanies salvation

and furthers sanctification. A truly penitent person will never repent that they have repented, nor will they regret anything that brought them to that point. It will be viewed as a cleansing experience. Heb 12:7

If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? KJV

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V. The Happy Outcomea. Where the heart is changed, the life and

actions will be changed too. In the case of the Corinthians, their repentance worked into them great carefulness, a serious in-depth desire to avoid sin and to please God.

b. Their remorse worked a clearing of themselves, not by insisting upon their own justification before God, nor denial, but by their endeavors to put away the sin, and so to free themselves from the guilt and shame of their transgression.

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V. The Happy Outcomec. They experienced an indignation at sin, at

themselves and at the devil. This produced fear: a reverent fear of God, a fear in the sense of watchfulness, and a fear that produced distrust of themselves; a cautious fear of sin that such could happen to them again.

d. It produced a vehement desire for a thorough change of themselves, and for reconciliation with God whom they had offended. It produced a zeal, a mixture of love and anger, which enabled and empowered their change.

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V. The Happy Outcomee. Lastly, they achieved a revenge against

sin and their own folly, through their efforts to make all due satisfaction for injuries that might have been done. And thus, in all things had they approved themselves to be clear in that matter.

f. They were not innocent, but that they were penitent and therefore their sin was under the blood of Christ and judicially they were clear of guilt before God.

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V. The Happy Outcomeg. That was the happy outcome because

they were cleared by God who would pardon and not punish them; and they ought no longer to be reproved, much less to be reproached, by men, for what they had truly repented of. Ps 32:2

Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. KJV

a. One’s own reaction to personal sin occurs on a graduated scale:

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VI. Application

b. Do you experientially know true remorse for your sin/s?

c. Is there someone that you have offended to whom you need to be reconciled?

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VI. Application

d. Jesus said: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light”. KJV Matt 11:28-30

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VI. Application