I’m sorry. We say it a lot and we hear it a lot. If you accidentally bump into someone while you are walking or if you step on someone’s foot, most of us will say “I’m sorry.” In fact, the smaller the infraction, the easier it is to say that you are sorry. But what about when we really hurt someone? How easy is to say it and mean it when you are caught telling lies about someone or when you betray a friend? Or what if you cheat on your spouse? What if you accidentally kill someone in a car accident? Would it be easy to say sorry then? Your attorney would tell you not to say that you are sorry because then you would be admitting guilt.
Too often we say “I’m sorry” off the cuff. We put no thought in it. It’s almost like an automatic response. I’m sorry. It rolls off the tongue easily and again, with a minor offense, you may not even really mean it. You just say it because it is expected. It’s the polite thing to do. You can say it many times because it doesn’t really mean that much to you.
The Bible tells us that we are to have repentance toward God and faith toward Jesus Christ our Lord (Acts 20:21). So is repentance the same thing as being sorry? Can you just tell God “I’m sorry” for your sins, then He’ll forgive you and you go on with your life like normal? Is it really that easy?
I see televangelist on TV say “repeat this prayer” and they say the sinner’s prayer. Then they usually say something like “if you’ve just said that prayer, then you’ve been born again.” Is being born again really just as simple as repeating a prayer? Then can you just go back to your normal life? Shouldn’t there be more to being sorry than just saying the words and shouldn’t salvation be more than just repeating a prayer after someone?
Let’s look at the example of adultery. If I cheated on my wife and she caught me and I said I’m sorry, is that all there would be to it? What if I said I’m sorry, maybe even tried to do nice things for her for a week or two and then went out and committed adultery again? In this example, I’ve been caught cheating twice, so I say I’m sorry once more. Would she believe me? Obviously not! She shouldn’t believe me. I said that I was sorry the first time and then did the same thing again. How could I really be sorry? Saying those words obviously meant nothing to me (in this example).
Folks, a lot of people do the same type thing to God (I know I did for 33 years as a false convert). Some people have been told to repeat a prayer, wrongly thinking that they have their “get out of Hell free card” and can continue with their life of sin. That is not biblical salvation. It would be just like telling God that you are sorry and then continuing living your life of sin like you did before you said a prayer. It would be meaningless to God, just like it would be meaningless if I told my wife I was sorry for cheating on her, but continued having an affair.
Genuine repentance is more than just saying you are sorry. It is a change of mind. It is a change of direction. Before God saved me, I ran head first into my sins. I loved them. The Bible says that sin is pleasurable for a time (Hebrews 11:25). But when God convicts you of your sins and He gives you a measure of faith in Jesus, then you turn away from your sins. You turn your back on your sins and run head first to God. Genuine repentance isn’t just honoring God with your lips, it is honoring God with your heart. Which you can now do after you have genuinely repented because God has taken away your heart of stone and given you a heart of flesh.
If you are counting on a prayer that you said as child to save you and there has been no change in your life after you professed Christ, then you have to question whether or not you are really saved. The apostle Paul said that we are to examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5). Jesus said that we will know His disciples by their fruit (works). Your works don’t save you, but you have works after God saves you. We have works out of our love for Him.
If you have never truly been saved, then please cry out to God to save you. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10:13). Yes, ask God to forgive you for your sins, but then turn away from your sins and put your trust in Jesus. Surrender your life fully to Him. Ask Jesus to lead your life from this day forward. Oh, please don’t put this off. There’s nothing more important in this life than your eternal salvation. Repent and believe the Gospel.