Guy Duininck: Saying "I`m Sorry" to God
Saying "I'm Sorry" to God
— from "Must We Confess Our Sins?"
If you are the kind of son or daughter who can offend your heavenly Father without any sense of remorse or without any concern about your fellowship with Him, you are too cold hearted and are not living in rich and loving fellowship with Him. If you are a believer who can sin without caring that you have offended your Lord in heaven and never apologize to Him for any transgression of His will, you may be like the early gnostics who said they knew God, but, in fact, did not know Him, were not born of Him, were not righteous, and were not in the light. After all, what good son or good daughter refuses to apologize to their earthly father or mother if they have done them wrong?
How much more does your heavenly Father and your Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit deserve the courtesy of a sincere apology from you if you have offended them by sinning against them? Believers who can offend God with no sense of wrong doing, with no guilty feelings, and with no sorrow for their sins are not in good spiritual health. Believers who have no concern for what their heavenly Father, their Lord Jesus, or the Holy Spirit feel, and are so cold and callused that they have no regret, no shame, and no sorrow when they sin have either seared their conscience or are not actually true believers.
True believers who are living in healthy fellowship with God will have a sense of remorse and feelings of guilt if they have sinned. They will feel sad and have a sense of shame when they know they have displeased their Father. And true believers will express their sorrow to God with a sincere, “I am very sorry, Lord.” If you are a believer who is persisting in sin and feel nothing at all, there is definitely something wrong in your spiritual life.
