Joel 2:12-17
January 27, 2008
Pastor Carey W. Olson
In preparation for preaching from Joel 2 on the day of our Solemn Assembly, I found this beautiful quote from Jonathan Edwards on the nature of sorrow that leads to true repentance. It is prefaced and followed by a quote from John Piper.
“In order to bring people to the sorrow of repentance, you must first bring them to see God as their delight. Here it is in the words of Edwards.” (Piper)
“Though [repentance] be a deep sorrow for sin that God requires as necessary to salvation, yet the very nature of it necessarily implies delight. Repentance of sin is a sorrow arising from the sight of God’s excellency and mercy, but the apprehension of excellency or mercy must necessarily and unavoidably beget pleasure in the mind of the beholder. ‘Tis impossible that anyone should see anything that appears to him excellent and not behold it with pleasure, and it’s impossible to be affected with the mercy and love of God, and his willingness to be merciful to us and love us, and not be affected with pleasure at the thoughts of [it]; but this is the very affection that begets true repentance. How much soever of a paradox it may seem, it is true that repentance is a sweet sorrow (emphasis mine), so that the more of this sorrow, the more pleasure.” (Edwards)
“This is astonishing and true. And if you have lived long with Christ and are aware of your indwelling sin, you will have found it to be so. Yes, there is repentance. Yes, there are tears of remorse and brokenheartedness. But they flow from a new taste of the soul for the pleasures at God’s right hand that up till now have been scorned.” (Piper)
For a biblical example of how delight in God and godly sorrow leading to repentance work together, see Isaiah 6. Isaiah was overwhelmed with the majesty of God and was broken before Him, unto true repentance.
My personal delight in fully experiencing the cleansing power of repentance and acceptance of mercy and grace instead of bondage to sin and death is true fellowship with my heavenly Father . Delighting in sorrowful remorse over sin is the truth beeing applied like medicine to a wound and the forgiveness experienced by believing God for His mercy. God renewing my heart and mind and soul through a real cleansing is total reliance on repentance being accepted by Him . God beeing my delight more so then desire to be forgiven . God HIMSELF being my reason for repentance being passionate about His presence and His will and His ways more than anything even the promise of forgiveness ......digging deeper in pursuit of knowing CHRIST and loving Him more and more
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