悔改是什麼樣子？WhatDoes Repentance Look Like?
詩篇五十一篇是七首懺悔詩中的第四首, 是大衛在與先知拿單對質後寫下的。拿單宣布，大衛在奪取娶拔示巴爲妻, 和謀殺其丈夫烏利亞的事件中, 犯下嚴重的罪, 得罪了上帝。
大衛表達極度的痛苦和深切的懊悔很重要，但我們也必須明白，內心的悔改是聖靈的工作。大衛能悔改，是因為聖靈在他身上施加影響。不僅如此，在他寫這個禱告時，他是在聖靈的默示下寫成的。在詩篇五十一篇，聖靈顯示祂如何在我們的心產生悔改。我們讀這首詩時, 要牢記這一點。
詩篇五十一篇開始：「神啊！求你按著你的慈愛恩待我，照著你豐盛的憐憫塗抹我的過犯」（1節）。 這裏我們看到悔改的基本元素。通常當一個人意識到自己的罪並從罪中回轉時，他將自己投進上帝的憐憫裏。真悔改的第一個果子是承認我們深切需要憐憫。大衛並沒有懇求上帝的公義。他知道如果上帝定要按公義處置他，他便立即銷毀。因此，大衛先開始懇求赦免，然後向上帝認罪。
當大衛懇求上帝塗抹他的過犯時，他請求上帝除去他靈魂的汙漬，遮蓋他的不義，洗淨他的罪，這罪是他生命中的永久性的部分。因此他說：「求你徹底洗淨我的罪孽，潔除我的罪」（2節）。
赦免和洗淨是兩個相關聯的概念，但卻不是同一件事。在新約，使徒約翰曾寫道，「我們若承認自己的罪，神是信實的、公義的，必定赦免我們的罪，潔淨我們脫離一切不義」（約壹一9）。本著悔改的精神，我們來到上帝面前，承認我們自己的罪，不單懇求赦免，更懇求加添力量，克制自己不再犯罪。就像大衛在這詩篇中所作的，我們請求消除我們的犯罪傾向。
大衛繼續說道，「因爲我知道我的過犯；我的罪常在我面前」（詩五一3）。這不是簡單的隨意認罪。大衛飽受內心折磨, 說：「我知道我的過犯」。 大衛既沒有試圖縮小和掩蓋自己的罪, 也有沒有試圖自我辯護。然而, 我們往往是理論解釋的高手, 能快速羅列出各種理由，爲我們的罪替自己申辯。但在這句經文中，大衛在聖靈大能的引領下，去到一個地步：在上帝面前誠實。他承認自己的罪，意識到自己的罪總是存在, 無法除去，這讓他飽受困擾, 不得安寧。
他聲淚俱下：「我得罪了你，唯獨得罪你；我行了你眼中看爲惡的事」（ 4a節）。從某種意義上說，大衛在這裡使用誇張修辭手法。大衛對烏利亞、烏利亞的家人和朋友、拔示巴，以及普天下的上帝百姓犯下可怕的罪行。但大衛明白, 罪最終會得罪上帝，因爲上帝是宇宙唯一的完美者。上帝同樣是天地萬物的審判者，所有罪都定義爲違犯上帝的律法，冒犯上帝的聖潔。大衛知道並承認這一點。他沒有縮小對人犯下罪行這事實，反而承認他的罪得罪上帝的終極後果。
他在第4節後半部分所作出的聲明往往被人忽略，這聲明是聖經中表達真悔改最有力的句子之一：「你宣判的時候，顯爲公義；你審判的時候，顯爲清正」（4b節）。大衛主要說的是：「上帝啊，祢有權審判我，很清楚，我只配受祢的審判和忿怒」。大衛承認上帝無可指責，有權審判他。沒有與上帝協商或談判的余地。
「看哪，我是在罪孽裏生的；我母親在罪中懷了我。看哪！你喜愛的是內心的誠實；在我內心的隱密處，你使我得智慧」（5–6節）。上帝不但希望從我們口中得知真相，更希望從我們內心的隱密處得知真相。大衛承認，他沒有遵行上帝的命令，他的順服通常只是外表儀式, 而非從心裏流露出來的行動。
大衛再次痛哭懇求得洗淨：「求你用牛膝草潔淨我，我就幹淨；求你洗淨我，我就比雪更白」（7節）。我們可以聽到大衛無助的泣聲。大衛不是說：「上帝，等一等。在我繼續這祈禱對話之前，我必須清洗我的手。我必須保持潔淨。」 大衛知道他無能力除去罪的汙穢。他無法彌補自己的過犯。因此我們務要加入大衛的行列, 承認我們無能力爲自己贖罪。
上帝稍後藉著先知以賽亞應許：「你們的罪雖象朱紅，必變成雪白；雖紅如丹顔，必白如羊毛」（賽一18）。當上帝發現我們的汙穢, 祂喜悅潔淨我們。
大衛繼續說道：「求你使我聽見歡喜和快樂的聲音」（詩五一8a）。悔改是痛苦的事。誰享受知罪，認罪的過程？罪疚是喜樂最強大的破壞者。雖然大衛此刻並不快樂，但他懇求上帝修複他的靈魂，使他再次感受到歡喜和快樂。他在第8節的說話「使你所壓傷的骨頭可以歡呼」證明了這一點。第8節的說話不是很有趣嗎？ 他說：「上帝啊，你壓碎我, 我的骨頭都斷了；但這不是被撒旦和拿單打斷的, 而是當祢判我有罪時, 祢壓傷了我的骨頭。所以，我作為一個破碎的人站在你面前，我能繼續前進的唯一途徑乃在于是否得到你醫治, 將歡喜和快樂歸還給我。」
他接著說：「求你掩面不看我的罪惡，求你塗抹我的一切罪孽。神啊！求你為我造一顆清潔的心，求你使我裡面重新有堅定的靈」（9–10節）。 擁有清潔的心的唯一途徑是憑借上帝再創造的工作來成全。我沒有能力自我創造。唯獨上帝才能造清潔的心，祂塗抹我們的罪, 在我們裡面創造清潔的心。
大衛泣不成聲：「不要把我從你面前丟棄，不要從我身上收回你的聖靈」（11節）。大衛意識到這是最糟糕的事，可能發生在任何罪人身上。事實上，他知道如果我們堅持不知悔改, 上帝會將我們從祂的面前驅逐出去。耶穌警告那些拒絕祂的人, 他們將永遠與上帝隔絕。但悔改的禱告是信徒的避難所。這是一個知道自己陷在罪中的人的敬虔回應。這種回應是所有那些歸正者的生命的記號。
大衛繼續說道：「求你使我重得你救恩的喜樂，重新有樂意的靈支持我。我就必把你的道指教有過犯的人，罪人必回轉歸向你」（12–13節） 我們常常聽到，人們不願意與基督徒在一起，因為基督徒流露出各種對人沾沾自喜、自以爲義、自命清高、假仁假義的態度。但事實不應如此。基督徒沒什麼可沾沾自喜；我們不是義人，試圖去糾正不義的人。如一位牧師曾說過, 「傳福音是一個乞丐告訴另一個乞丐, 在哪裏可找到面包。」 信徒與非信徒之間的主要差別是赦免。成為一個奉基督之名事奉的神職人員的唯一資格是, 他經歷了赦免，並想把這種經歷告訴別人。
「主啊！求你開我的嘴，使我的口宣揚讚美你的話。因為你不喜愛祭物；我就是獻上燔祭，你也不喜悅。神所要的祭，就是破碎的靈；神啊！破碎痛悔的心，你必不輕看」（15–17節）。這裏，我們發現先知悔改的心和靈魂，正如在上一節所看到的。在「破碎痛悔的心，你必不輕看」這句子裏找到敬虔悔改的真本質。大衛說，如果上帝能贖我的罪，祂會去贖；但現在，他唯一的希望是上帝會按祂的憐憫接納他。
聖經既明確地告訴我們，又含蓄地向我們展示,
上帝阻擋驕傲的人, 賜恩給謙卑的人。大衛知道這是真實的。破碎的他，了解上帝，知道上帝如何與悔改的人有關聯。他明白，上帝從不憎恨或輕視破碎痛悔的心。這正是上帝對我們的期望。這也是耶穌在八福中的心意，耶穌說：「哀慟的人有福了！因爲他們必得安慰」（太5:4）。這節經文告訴我們的，不僅是失去親人的哀痛，而且也是我們在被罪定罪時所經歷的悲痛。耶穌向我們確保，當我們爲我們的罪憂傷時，上帝將透過祂的聖靈安慰我們。
我建議所有基督徒都背誦詩篇五十一篇。這是一個敬虔悔改禱告的完美模式。 在我一生中曾多次來到上帝的面前說：「神啊！求你爲我造一顆清潔的心」, 又或者說：「求你塗抹我的一切罪孽,求你用牛膝草潔淨我，我就幹淨」。我曾多次禱告：「求你使我聽見歡喜和快樂的聲音」, 又曾多次淚流滿面「我得罪了你，唯獨得罪你」。 當我們感到被罪咎的現實淹沒時，我們試圖在上帝面前表達悔過, 但卻無語凝噎。遇到這些場合, 有聖經的話语在我們嘴邊確實是有福的。
本譯文的聖經經文皆引自《聖經新譯本》。
本文摘錄自史鮑爾 (R.C.
Sproul)所著的小冊子《What Is Repentance?》。
What
Does Repentance Look Like?
FROM
R.C. Sproul
One
of the penitential psalms, Psalm 51 was written by David after he was
confronted by the prophet Nathan. Nathan declared that David had grievously
sinned against God in the taking of Bathsheba to be his wife and in the murder
of her husband, Uriah.
It’s
important to see the anguish and heartfelt remorse expressed by David, but we
must also understand that repentance of the heart is the work of God the Holy
Spirit. David is repentant because of the influence of the Holy Spirit upon
him. Not only that, but as he writes this prayer, he is writing it under the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit demonstrates in Psalm 51 how He
produces repentance in our hearts. Keep this in mind as we look at the psalm.
Psalm
51 begins, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions” (v. 1). Here we
see an element that is fundamental to repentance. Usually, when a person
becomes aware of his sin and turns from it, he casts himself on the mercy of
God. The first fruit of authentic repentance is the recognition of our profound
need for mercy. David does not ask God for justice. He knows that if God were
to deal with him according to justice, he would be immediately destroyed. As a
result, David begins his confession with a plea for mercy.
When
David pleads with God to blot out his transgressions, he’s asking God to remove
the stain from his soul, to cover his unrighteousness, and to cleanse him from
the sin that is now a permanent part of his life. So he says, “Wash me
thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!” (v. 2).
The
ideas of forgiveness and cleansing are related, but they are not the same
thing. In the New Testament, the Apostle John writes, “If we confess our sins,
he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). In a spirit of repentance, we go before God and
confess our sins, asking not only for the pardon, but also for the strength to
refrain from doing that sin anymore. As David does in this psalm, we ask that
our inclination to wickedness be eliminated.
David
continues, “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me” (Ps.
51:3). This isn’t simply a casual acknowledgement of guilt. He is a haunted
man; he says, “I know I am guilty.” There’s no attempt to minimize his guilt.
There’s no attempt at self-justification. We, however, are often masters of
rationalization and are quick to excuse ourselves by giving all kinds of reasons
for our sinful behavior. But in this text, by the power of the Holy Spirit,
David is brought to the point where he is honest before God. He admits his
guilt, realizing that his sin is ever present. He can’t get rid of it, and this
haunts him.
Then he
cries out, “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your
sight” (v. 4a). In one sense, David is using hyperbole here. He has sinned
horribly against Uriah, Uriah’s family and friends, Bathsheba, and the whole
nation of God’s people. But David understands that sin ultimately is an offense
against God, because God is the only perfect being in the universe. As God is
the judge of heaven and earth, all sin is defined in terms of the transgression
of God’s law and is an offense against His holiness. David knows this and
acknowledges it. He’s not minimizing the reality of his sin against human
beings, but he recognizes the ultimacy of his sin against God.
He
then makes a statement that is often overlooked. It’s found in the second part
of verse 4 and is one of the most powerful expressions of true repentance that
we find in the Scriptures: “so that you may be justified in your words and
blameless in your judgment” (v. 4b). David is essentially saying, “O God, You
have every right to judge me, and it is clear that I deserve nothing more than
Your judgment and Your wrath.” David acknowledges that God is blameless and has
every right to judge him. There is no bargaining or negotiating with God.
“Behold,
I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold,
you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret
heart” (vv. 5–6). Not only does God want the truth from us, He wants it from
deep within us. David acknowledges that he has failed to do what God has
commanded, “and that his obedience is often mere external ceremony rather than
acts that flow out of the center of his being.
Then
David cries out again for cleansing: “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be
clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow” (v. 7). We can hear the utter
helplessness in David’s voice. David doesn’t say, “God, wait a minute. Before I
continue this dialogue in prayer, I have to clean my hands. I have to get
washed.” David knows that he’s incapable of removing the stain of his guilt
from himself. He cannot make up for it. We must join David in acknowledging
that we cannot atone for our own sins.
Through
the prophet Isaiah, God later gave this promise, “Come now, let us reason
together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as
white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool”
(Isa. 1:18). God is pleased to clean us up when He finds us in the dirt.
David
then says, “Let me hear joy and gladness” (Ps. 51:8a). Repentance is a painful
thing. Who enjoys going through the confession of sin and the acknowledgement
of guilt? Guilt is the most powerful destroyer of joy there is. While David is
not very happy at this moment, he asks God to restore his soul and make him feel
joy and gladness again. He makes this point when he says, “Let the bones that
you have broken rejoice” (v. 8b). Isn’t that an interesting phrase? He says,
“God, You’ve crushed me. My bones are broken; it wasn’t Satan or Nathan that
broke my bones, but you broke my bones when you convicted me of my guilt. So, I
stand before you as a broken man, and the only way I can go on is if You heal
me and return joy and gladness to me.”
Next
he says, “Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create
in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (v. 9–10). The
only way to have a clean heart is by a work of divine re-creation. I am
incapable of creating that in myself. Only God can create a clean heart, and He
does create clean hearts by blotting out our sin.
“David
then cries, “Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit
from me” (v. 11). David realizes that this is the worst thing that could happen
to any sinner. He knows that God will, in fact, cast us out of His presence if
we persist in impenitence. Jesus warns that those who reject Him will be cut
off from God forever. But the prayer of repentance is a refuge for the
believer. It is the godly response of one who knows that he is in sin. This
type of response should mark the lives of all those who are converted.
David
continues, “Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a
willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will
return to you” (vv. 12–13). We often hear that people don’t like to be in the
presence of Christians because Christians manifest a smug, self-righteous
attitude or a goody-two-shoes, holier-than-thou attitude. But this should not
be the case. Christians have nothing to be smug about; we are not righteous
people trying to correct the unrighteous. As one preacher said, “Evangelism is
just one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread.” The chief
difference between the believer and the unbeliever is forgiveness. The only
thing that qualifies a person to be a minister in the name of Christ is that
that person has experienced forgiveness and wants to tell of it to others.
“O
Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. For you will not
delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt
offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite
heart, O God, you will not despise” (vv. 15–17). Here’s where we find the heart
and soul of prophetic repentance as seen in the last chapter. The true nature
of godly repentance is found in the phrase “a broken and contrite heart, O God,
you will not despise.” David is saying that if he could atone for his own sins,
he would; but as it is, his only hope is that God would accept him according to
His mercy.
The
Bible tells us explicitly and shows us implicitly that God resists the proud
and gives grace to the humble. David knows this to be true. As broken as he is,
he knows God and how God relates to penitent people. He understands that God
never hates or despises a broken and contrite heart. This is what God desires
from us. This is what Jesus had in mind in the Beatitudes when He said,
“Blessed are those who mourn, for “they shall be comforted” (Matt. 5:4). This
text is not simply about grieving the loss of a loved one, but also the grief
that we experience when convicted by our sin. Jesus assures us that when we
grieve over our sin, God by His Holy Spirit will comfort us.
I
would recommend that all Christians memorize Psalm 51. It is a perfect model of
godly repentance. Many times in my life, I have come to the Lord and said,
“Create in me a clean heart, O God,” or, “Blot out my transgressions. Purge me
with hyssop. Wash me and make me clean.” Many times I’ve prayed, “O Lord,
restore to me the joy of your salvation,” and cried out, “Against you, you only
have I sinned.” When we feel overwhelmed by the reality of our guilt, words
fail us as we seek to express ourselves in penitence before God. It truly is a
blessing to have the words of Scripture themselves upon our lips on those
occasions.
This
excerpt is from R.C. Sproul’s Crucial Questions booklet What Is Repentance?
Download this ebook and the rest of the series for free here.
