# The Southern Presbyterian Journal/Volume 13/Number 40/Repentance

For other articles in this series, see Articles on the Westminster Confession of Faith.
Articles on the Westminster Confession by Gordon H. Clark The Word of God (WCF 1) Creeds Knowledge and Ignorance The Trinity (WCF 2) A Hard Saying (WCF 3) Providence (WCF 5) Creation (WCF 4) Healthy, Sick, or Dead? (WCF 6) The Covenant (WCF 7) Christ the Mediator (WCF 8) Justification (WCF 11) Sanctification (WCF 13) Free Will (WCF 9) Effectual Calling (WCF 10) Adoption (WCF 12) The Law of God (WCF 19) Assurance (WCF 18) Saving Faith (WCF 14) Repentance (WCF 15) Good Works (WCF 16) Christian Liberty (WCF 20) Perseverance (WCF 17) Worship and Vows (WCF 21, 22) The Sacraments (WCF 27) Baptism (WCF 28) The Church (WCF 25) The Civil Magistrate (WCF 23) The Lord's Supper (WCF 29) Censures and Councils (WCF 30, 31) Resurrection and Judgment (WCF 32, 33)
​From Chapter XV of the Westminster confession, on Repentance, four points may be selected for brief mention.
The first point is to describe what repentance is. Such a description is necessary because irreligious people and people of non-Christian religions do not know the Christian meaning of the word. These people often think that repentance means being sorry for your sins. Now, it is true that repentance includes sorrow for sin, but it includes more. It is possible to be sorry for sin without repentance. A person may be sorry that he committed a crime because it got him into trouble. Such sorrow is not repentance. Repentance includes a godly sorrow for sin that recognizes sin for what it really is. And because the penitent recognizes sin for what it really is, namely, an offence against God, repentance also includes a turning to God. More specifically it includes a turning to God because of the apprehension of God's mercy in Jesus Christ. This turning is called conversion, so that conversion is a part of repentance. Then further, hatred of sin and turning to God carries with it a desire to obey God's commandments. These three aspects of repentance (sorrow, conversion, obedience) can be summed up in the etymological meaning of the word, which is, "a change of mind." Repentance therefore is a change of mind with respect to sin and God. From this description ​it will be seen that repentance is not an act that occurs just once or several times sporadically: it is a life long habit, a continuing state of mind, a fixed disposition or temperament.
Second, repentance, so understood, can only be an evangelical grace and a gift of God. Human nature as totally depraved cannot voluntarily develop a holy hatred for sin nor turn to God. "There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none that seeketh after God." Hence repentance, like faith, is a gift. This is taught in Zech. 12:10, and is explicitly stated in Acts 5:31, 11:18, and II Tim. 2:25. Since, as the Confession says, repentance is an evangelical grace, and this is clear from its description, it is given only to those who have been regenerated. The man who is dead in sin cannot have a changed mind; he cannot have a holy hatred of sin; he can only be at enmity with God. But regeneration initiates a new life, whose activities include repentance.
Now, third, the Scripture asserts definitely that repentance is necessary to salvation. Repentance is not necessary in order to be regenerated, as if regeneration were a reward for a prior repentance. It is the other way around, repentance is a necessary consequence of regeneration; it is a necessary part of the process of salvation. Justification, sanctification, and glorification are other parts. Now, justification includes pardon for sin, but God does not grant pardon unless a sinner repents.
Because of the necessary connection between repentance and pardon, the Unitarians, Modernists, and Liberals have fallen into an error somewhat similar to a Roman Catholic error. Both groups mistakenly hold that repentance constitutes a ground for pardon and a satisfaction for sin. The Liberals adopt a moral influence theory of the Atonement and teach that God accepts man on the ground of repentance, understanding repentance more as mere sorrow for sin without much apprehension of God's mercy in Christ. The Romanists take repentance to mean penance—a penalty prescribed by the priest, by which the sinner atones for his sin. This is an impertinent attempt to supplement the perfect satisfaction of Christ. Repentance, according to the Scriptures and our Confession, is not a satisfaction for sin; though there is no pardon without repentance.
Now, fourth and finally, a godly sorrow for sin leads to confession. We must confess our sins to God and beg pardon through Christ. Then too, when one of our sins particularly injures our neighbor, we are bound to confess that sin to him and seek his pardon. Or, if our sin is one that scandalizes the church, we should be willing to confess publicly. But the Scripture says nothing about confessing our sins to a priest. This is a non-Christian invention of Rome.