SORRY OR MORE?

Sometimes we who know the Bible fail to communicate as well as we should. Or, because we want to make things as easy as possible, we emphasize the positive that we fail to provide balanced biblical truth.

I was challenged about this when I read the temple dedication prayer of King Solomon in II Chronicles 6:14 - 42. He asks God to be ready to forgive when the people of Israel come to the temple and pray. His theology is solid. He does not simply ask God to forgive them when they say "I am sorry." Their must be more than this.
Too often I fear I and others have told people they must tell God that they are sorry for their sin. That is good but it is not enough. Many, in fact all people are sorry for some things. We can be sorry we have been caught, sorry that this is embarrassing, sorry that I have hurt you. But God expects more than just being sorry. And Solomon knew this 3,000 years ago.
Here are a sampling of his words in this prayer. "when they turn back and confess your name; when they pray toward this place and confess your name and turn from their sin; when they sin against you - for there is no one who does not sin --- if they have a change of heart --- and repent and plead with you --- and say "we have sinned, we have done wrong and acted wickedly, and if they turn back to you with all their heart and soul"
Please note that Solomon expects people who are sincerely sorry for their sin against God to change their behaviour and their loyalty. So he uses "turn back or turn from" and phrases that speak of serious commitment like "confess your name, change of heart, all their heart and soul."
God gives forgiveness freely now as He did back then - but only to those who are serious and sincere enough in their confession of "sorry" to turn from their sin and turn to God. Solomon understood. The "sorry" God wants from all of us comes from the heart and will, and is connected with change - of loyalty to God instead of myself; of rejecting sin and embracing obedience to God.
When I confess my sin, I must be also rejecting it rather than expecting to repeat it tomorrow. And then I need to ask for God's help tomorrow so I can I resist the temptation to repeat.
Saying "sorry" is just not enough. Of course this is also often true in human relationships as well. But that is another blog.