Do you ever question the legitimacy of another person’s repentance? Sometimes it just does not seem like the person is genuinely sorry for what they have done, but rather, it appears they are only sorry they got caught.
In recent years we have seen disgusting displays of insincere apologies from athletes who were caught cheating and politicians who were caught lying. Why do I say that their apologies were disgusting and insincere? It is because, along with the apologies, there was no accompanying, “fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matthew 3:8, New American Standard Bible).
The Bible teaches that when a person is truly sorrowful, truly repentant, that fruit is produced by that repentance. I think that is one of the easier theological concepts for me to grasp because I have been evaluating whether or not a person is truly sorry ever since I was a small child. For example, I get punched by a fellow student and that student is made to apologize. Is the other student sorry? Sometimes yes, but sometimes no. How do I tell the difference? I wait to see what happens next.
If I say I am sorry but nothing about my life changes and there is no evidence of “fruit” of repentance, my words are meaningless. True repentance always produces positive change. In this week’s lesson, John the Baptist is going to call the Pharisees and Sadducees on the carpet and demand to see evidence of their sincerity. As John preaches to the religious leaders of his day, I pray that our hearts will be moved to a deeper sincerity and more fruitful personal repentance. God bless you all!
Wes LeFlore – (918) 607-8489 or huskerwes1@gmail.com
