Imitation

2 Cor 7:10
"For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death."



Proverbs 21:27
"The sacrifice of an evil person is detestable,
    especially when it is offered with wrong motives."


We can Dear Reader fake it! To all outward markers, the world can assume that we are, repentant, contrite, and seeking forgiveness. Our actions can follow the acceptable methods of the day.

In Jewish traditions, this was to bring a sacrifice to the temple and walk through the public display of restitution. To show the watching world that we have "covered over" our sin!

In todays' society it may be that a celebrity has to drop from public sight for a prescribed amount of time. It may include a donation to charity, or a public statement asking for forgiveness. Yet how are we to know if this is sincere, or just another "Spin Doctor" manipulating the situation.

We are fooled. Yet God is not fooled.

God knows that outward show means nothing. Our false humility clothes us not at all before the sight of the creator. He sees us standing exposed, with our sin, and our pride of that sin before him.

Imitation of sorrow does not pass muster.

Worse, it digs the hole deeper. For methods of restitution are abused and eventually become useless. Mockery takes over and eventually hardening of hearts, such that the abuser never even seeks the truth any more.

This is the problem, imitation breaks down trust in the true article. False money devalues the real. False sorrow makes trust in re-establishing relationships harder.

How can we know what God knows?

One method is to watch not just what a person turns from, but what they turn to!

This is the test of repentance, I can stop the problem, but do I fill the vacuum with it's opposite. Those who have sorrow to their prior actions will do so, those who do not, will hide the issue , then carry on.

So God's challenge is, has your sorrow lead to true repentance?






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