We learned yesterday that emotion should never be the basis for your spiritual decisions. We should only base them on the word of God that we know, not on how we feel. Another point about emotion is related to confessing our sins. First note this familiar verse:

1 John 1:9

9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

The Greek word for confess is HOMOLOGEO. It comes from a combination of Greek words, HOMO meaning same, and LOGO meaning word. It literally means to say the same thing as, or to agree. (It was also a legal term referring to citing a precedent.) The verse says that when we simply acknowledge our sins, God is faithful, with the result that He completely forgives us the sins we confess, and cleanses us from all unrighteousness, or sins we don’t know about! God never does not forgive a sin we name to Him, even if we have to name it a thousand times. Notice what is missing in this verse – how you feel about your sins! God doesn’t demand that you feel sorry or bad about the sins you commit, only that you agree that they are sins.

Many people think that “Godly sorrow” is necessary for forgiveness of sins, but they are adding an emotional requirement to a divine solution.

Look at this passage:

2 Corinthians 7:8-10

8 For though I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it -- for I see that that letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while --

9 I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us.

Paul had said some pretty harsh things that upset these believers. But he’s not sorry, because the distress he caused them led them to repentance. To really understand this passage, you have to know about that word repentance. It’s the Greek word METANOIA, and it means a change of thinking. We’ve added an emotional element to repentance, but that element is not present in this word! Godly sorrow (which He either allows or sends to us) is designed to get us to change our thinking. Sometimes He lets us suffer the consequences of our sins, so that our sorrow will lead to a change of thinking about that sin. But verse 10 explains that principle even better.

10 For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation (or really deliverance), but the sorrow of the world produces death.

Notice, the repentance here is WITHOUT REGRET! That means that there is no emotion required! Of course sometimes we will feel bad about our sins. We may see the consequences, or just regret having done them. But there are other times we will commit a sin, and thoroughly enjoy it! (Yes, you know you did!)

Thank God, how we feel about sins is not the issue with God. His promise to us is that when we simply name the sin to God without adding any emotion, He completely and permanently forgives us.

Psalms 103:12

12 As far as the east is from the west,

So far has He removed our transgressions from us.