Last Word: Repentance

Where does the Christian hide when they are caught? Where do those ensnared by serious sin go?

The famous Psalm 51 reveals that true believers are to go to God in sorrowful repentance. Yet, in verse 13 of that renowned Psalm, King David tells us where the repentant go next:

Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.

This is striking. For up until this point, the only two characters on the Psalm 51 stage are David and God. In fact, when we picture the Psalm 51 play, we picture a cheap production set. We imagine David sobbing in his bedroom with the door closed.

And in a sense that is right. For the transgression belongs to David alone (verses 1-3). His wickedness has resulted from his sinful nature (verse 5), and the Holy God of the universe is the one most offended by it (verse 4). Furthermore, God is the only one who is able to restore (verse 6-12). Hence, in the drama that is Psalm 51 there is seemingly a cast of just two.

Going to others

Yet, in verse 13, others enter stage right. Others get involved. Or more to the point, David gets involved with others. For after looking within, and after looking up, David begins to look out.

This, I believe, is so often the place that many Christians don’t get to. We see sin, we confess sin, but we don’t use sin. What I mean by that is that we don’t often use our transgressions to help and teach other Christians about the nature of sin, repentance, and forgiveness. We joyously run to Christ, having agonised over our sin (which we now see as so dangerous), but we then stay quiet about our experiences.

We do this for a whole host of good reasons. We don’t want to give the impression that we no longer struggle with sin. We don’t want to come across as Pharisaic. We don’t want to be too introspective. Perhaps above all (as Brits) we don’t want to be too open with our lives. And certainly, there are times when sharing past iniquity would be totally inappropriate.

However, if we are honest, many of us would rather other Christians simply didn’t know about our past transgression. Accordingly, we never look for appropriate opportunities to teach transgressors God’s ways – urging people to repentance. We recognise sin, we look to Christ, but we don’t teach. Wonderfully, our sin is fully dealt with, but the beautiful scene of being ‘washed whiter than snow’ (verse 7) stays in our bedroom and an opportunity to help other Christians wrestling with guilt, sin, and shame is lost.

Going to worship

Yet, as one continues on in Psalm 51, one sees that there is a second place where repenting Christians go. For in the very next verse David cries:

Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.

Accordingly, after returning from the classroom to teach, David goes to the temple to sing. This (again) is entirely appropriate. For a true recognition of sin, which leads to repentance and then ‘whiter than snow’ renewal, should obviously lead to praise.

This progression is encapsulated in one of my favourite scenes in all literature when Christian loses his great burden of sin at the cross (in Pilgrim’s Progress).

The author, John Bunyan, writes: ‘As Christian came up to the cross, his burden loosed from off his shoulders, and fell from off his back, and began to tumble; and so continued to do till it came to the mouth of the sepulchre, where it fell in, and he saw it no more … Then he stood still awhile to look and wonder; for it was very surprising to him, that the sight of the cross should thus ease him of his burden. He looked therefore, and looked again, even till the springs that were in his head sent the waters down his cheeks.’

And what does Christian do next? The story continues…

‘Then Christian gave three leaps for joy, and went on singing:

Thus far did I come laden with my sin,

Nor could aught ease the grief that I was in, Till I came hither. What a place is this! Must here be the beginning of my bliss!

Must here the burden fall from off my back! Must here the strings that bound it to me crack! Blest cross! blest sepulchre! blest rather be The Man that there was put to shame for me!

Many of us (like me) are not that musical. We could not have thought up a little tune as Christian did. Indeed, we cannot even sing in tune. Accordingly, we are rarely found with the church band.

Yet if we are the truly repentant, those who have found true forgiveness (like David and Christian) then – whether we are musical or not – we will see how fitting it is to go to God in praise. Repentance leads to worship, and so again we move towards God’s people. We are to gather on Sunday mornings with God’s people to praise Him in song for our salvation.

If you find that hard – or have become hardened to the mercy you have received – perhaps the very next verse of Psalm 51 is a prayer that you can begin with today?

O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.