The Doctrine of Repentance

By Thomas Watson, The Banner of Truth Trust, 1987 (first published 1668). 122 pages, PB. Link

The Doctrine of Repentance took me a little while to get through. The Puritans usually packed an awful lot of truth into very few pages. I find if I just read through it I learn very little, but if I read little by little I retain a lot more.

Watson really changed my idea of repentance. There is a whole lot more in the concept of repentance than just asking God for forgiveness.

He cautions the reader about "Counterfeit Repentance" Being sorry for your sin and being repentant are very different from each other. Judas was very sorry for his sin after he betrayed Jesus, but he was not repentant. A man may leave one sin and only replace it for another. Or perhaps give up a sin for ulterior motives, such as a man may stop stealing because he's afraid of going to prison. "True leaving of sin is when the acts of sin cease from the infusion of a principle of grace." (p. 17).

Watson wrote for about 30 pages on The Nature of True Repentance, which he says that repentance involves 6 things:

1. Sight of Sin - you must first be aware of their sin before they can repent of it.
2. Sorrow for Sin - you must feel sorrowful for the offense rather than the punishment of the offense.
   
3. Confession of Sin - your confession is not of sin in general, but you acknowledge specific sins by diligently inspecting your heart, and take whatever steps necessary to ensure you will not go back.
4. Shame for Sin - sin is vile and filthy, and that's what it makes us. An interesting point Watson makes is that our sins are worse than those of unbelievers because we sin against light.
   
5. Hatred of Sin - "Christ is never loved till sin be loathed." (p. 45).
   
6. Turning from Sin - you must truly forsake your sin and never return to it.

Watson goes on in the book to give numerous reasons to repent, and to repent speedily. To those who plan on repenting on their deathbed he makes some interesting points. Many times death comes quick and you wouldn't know when your end was coming. Many people also loose their minds on the deathbed, so who's to say you would be in a stable frame of mind? Furthermore, it seems that God usually punishes those who have neglected repentance all their lives with hardness of heart in the end.

I heartily recommend this book to every believer. There are many truths in this book to be learned and applied. As with all Puritan books, you just need to give it the time it deserves - a quick, cursory reading will profit little.

This is the first of what I hope to be many Puritan books I will review. If you are interested in purchasing books in this series, The Banner of Truth Trust has them for 25% off and free shipping on orders over $25.