IT IS HER FAULT

                                  

I thought you believe it is wrong to beat your wife. 

“I do, but I just needed to let her realize I am in charge. I am sorry that I beat her, but that woman shows me no respect.” 

So you have not repented of it. 

“No I have. I feel very bad about it, but she pushed me.”

Feeling bad about it does not necessarily mean repentance. 2Cor 7:9-10  Now I rejoice, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led to repentance; for you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, without regret; but worldly sorrow produces death.

Judas felt sorry for what he did. Instead of turning to God he committed suicide, but when David was sorry for his sin with Bathsheba he turned to God (Ps51).

“That woman’s tongue needs to be cut! When she speaks, you just get provoked.”

For as long as you blame another person for your sin; as long as you believe you were justified to any degree in what you did you have not repented. When someone repents he sees the deed as being only evil, as wickedness. Gen 6:5-6 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD repented that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. See your deeds as only evil and you will then change.

“Does God repent?”

Not in that sense you think, He has no sin.

 “Please talk to her o!” 

Friend, repent like the prodigal son. 

“How?”

Lk 15:17-19  And when he came to himself, he said, I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, Father, I have sinned against Heaven and before you and am no more worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants. He saw his sin as something bringing him to death. He did not blame his employer for his calamity.  He was unworthy of his position as a son in his eyes. If you do not see your lack of self control as the root of this sin and blame your wife’s tongue, beware: you will beat her again.

“What of my dignity? I’m a man and the head of this house.” 

Why don’t we leave God to reveal that to her as you show her love? Sin can never bring any good, but repentance shall. 

Appeared in the church bulletin on WEEK 14, 2009