Counterfeit Repentance

Watson begins at this point to direct his readers toward a definition of repentance, which he first defines in the negative.  Realizing this is no way to define something, I shall skip ahead to his positive thesis (which actually occurs in a subsequent chapter) and then circle back to deal with the material in Chapter Two.

“Repentance,” writes Watson, “is a grace of God’s Spirit whereby a sinner is inwardly humbled and visibly reformed.”  Seems an excellent definition.  This deals specifically with the inner presence of the Holy Spirit in a believer’s life as well as sanctification which is brought about by the inner machinations of the Third Person of the Trinity.

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Chapter 1: A Preliminary Discourse

Paul defends himself before King Agrippa in Acts 26, pointing out three things: the way his life was before his conversion, the way he was converted and the how he lived after his conversion.  Says Watson, “When Paul, this ‘vessel of election’, was savingly wrought upon, he laboured to do as much good as previously he had done hurt.  He had persecuted saints to death before, now he preached sinners to life.”

Watson speaks also of which comes first, the chicken or the egg repentance or faith.  “Doubtless repentance shows itself first in a Christian’s life.  Yet I am apt to think that the seeds of faith are first wrought in the heart.”  He then compares the light of a candle, when entering a room from a hallway…you see the light from the flame before the candle gets there, but the light emanates from the candle’s burning wick.

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