Repentance

I would like try to give you an image of repentance by looking at two people who knew Jesus and openly sinned against him while he was physically alive; Peter and Judas. Growing up a Christian, I always had this image as Peter being the good guy, while Judas took the role as the bad guy. Truth is they were both sinners just like us. The open sin that they committed was right before Christ was crucified.

Peter, as predicted by Jesus, denied that he knew Christ three times before the rooster crowed. Judas, again predicted by Jesus and apart of God's plan of salvation, betrayed Jesus and gave him over to the chief priests to be killed.

Even though all sins are equally bad and will award us a one-way ticket to hell and the wrath of God, denying the Son of God and betraying him to be killed seem pretty bad. But look at both men's actions up to that point.

Judas premeditated the betrayal of Christ. Matthew 26:14-16 says,

"14 Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. 16 And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him."

He sought an opportunity to betray him. Judas was looking. He was trying to betray him, because money was more important.

Peter didn't dwell on betraying Jesus. He was in a place with people who were not followers of Jesus and he denied him because he was didn't want to get into trouble. Does this make Peter's sin better than Judas'? Of course not. But Peter had a life that was about serving Christ, not about looking to betray him.

The most important part of this story and the topic of this post comes in their response to their sin. Both felt guilt and wished they could take back what they had done.

It says that Judas tried to give back the money to the priests. He says, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." But if you look he never tries to undo what he did. Judas didn't think that he could be saved from the wrath of God for his sin. When you have this mindset, then you have no hope. If we cannot be saved from God's wrath, then life is pointless. Because of this, Judas committed suicide.

On the other hand, God illustrates true repentance through Peter, who after his denial went and "wept bitterly." This is the proper response to sin; true sorrow for what I have done. I should feel bad. I should mourn when I sin against the holy God of the universe who created me. But Peter doesn't die mourning. He uses his mistake to grow. The Holy Spirit works in our lives and uses even our sins to sanctify us.

Romans 8:28 - "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."

God can get glory even from our sin. When we sin, it promotes God mercy and grace, which gives God glory. I want to end this with some words from Matthew Henry about this passage and repentance.

"True repentance for any sin will be best evidenced by our abounding in the contrary grace and duty; that is a sign of our weeping, not only bitterly, but sincerely. Some of the ancients say, that as long as Peter lived, he never heard a cock crow but it set him a weeping. Those that have truly sorrowed for sin, will sorrow upon every remembrance of it; yet not so as to hinder, but rather to increase, their joy in God and in his mercy and grace."
-Matthew Henry

Comparing Peter's response to denying Christ to Judas' response to betraying Christ.