Remorse is a profound feeling of regret or guilt for a wrong committed. In the Bible, remorse is often depicted as a crucial step in the process of repentance and reconciliation with God. The scriptures provide numerous examples and teachings on the nature and significance of remorse in the life of a believer.

Old Testament Examples:

1. David's Remorse: King David's remorse is vividly illustrated in the aftermath of his sin with Bathsheba. In Psalm 51, David expresses deep contrition and pleads for God's mercy: "Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your loving devotion; according to Your great compassion, blot out my transgressions" (Psalm 51:1). This psalm is a powerful testament to the role of remorse in seeking forgiveness.

2. Joseph's Brothers: The account of Joseph's brothers in Genesis reveals their remorse for selling Joseph into slavery. When they face adversity in Egypt, they acknowledge their guilt: "Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that is why this distress has come upon us" (Genesis 42:21).

New Testament Teachings:

1. Peter's Denial: The apostle Peter's denial of Jesus is followed by deep remorse. After realizing his betrayal, Peter "went outside and wept bitterly" (Matthew 26:75). This moment of remorse is pivotal in Peter's restoration and future leadership in the early church.

2. Judas Iscariot: Judas Iscariot's remorse after betraying Jesus is a tragic example. In Matthew 27:3-4, Judas is described as feeling remorse and returning the thirty pieces of silver, saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." However, his remorse did not lead to repentance and reconciliation.

Teachings on Remorse and Repentance:

1. Godly Sorrow: The Apostle Paul distinguishes between worldly sorrow and godly sorrow in 2 Corinthians 7:10: "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation without regret, but worldly sorrow brings death" . This highlights the transformative power of true remorse that leads to repentance.

2. Call to Repentance: Throughout the New Testament, the call to repentance is central to the message of the Gospel. John the Baptist and Jesus both began their ministries with a call to repentance (Matthew 3:2, 4:17). Remorse is an integral part of this call, as it involves recognizing one's sin and turning back to God.

Parables and Illustrations:

1. The Prodigal Son: In the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32), the younger son experiences remorse after squandering his inheritance. His realization of wrongdoing and decision to return to his father exemplifies the journey from remorse to repentance and restoration.

2. The Tax Collector: Jesus' parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18:9-14) illustrates the humility and remorse of the tax collector, who prays, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner" (Luke 18:13). His genuine remorse is contrasted with the self-righteousness of the Pharisee.

Conclusion:

The Bible presents remorse as a vital component of spiritual growth and reconciliation with God. Through the examples of biblical figures and the teachings of Jesus and the apostles, believers are encouraged to embrace remorse as a step toward genuine repentance and a restored relationship with God.Psalm 31:10
For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones are consumed.
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Psalm 38:2-6
For your arrows stick fast in me, and your hand presses me sore.
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Psalm 51:1-4,7-17
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your loving kindness: according to the multitude of your tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
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Proverbs 1:25-27
But you have set at nothing all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:
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Proverbs 5:7-13
Hear me now therefore, O you children, and depart not from the words of my mouth.
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Proverbs 28:1
The wicked flee when no man pursues: but the righteous are bold as a lion.
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Isaiah 2:19,21
And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he rises to shake terribly the earth.
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Isaiah 6:5
Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the middle of a people of unclean lips: for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
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Isaiah 48:22
There is no peace, said the LORD, to the wicked.
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Isaiah 57:20,21
But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.
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Lamentations 1:20
Behold, O LORD; for I am in distress: my bowels are troubled; my heart is turned within me; for I have grievously rebelled: abroad the sword bereaves, at home there is as death.
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Ezekiel 7:16-18,25,26
But they that escape of them shall escape, and shall be on the mountains like doves of the valleys, all of them mourning, every one for his iniquity.
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Ezekiel 33:10
Therefore, O you son of man, speak to the house of Israel; Thus you speak, saying, If our transgressions and our sins be on us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live?
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Luke 13:28
There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.
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Acts 2:37
Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said to Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brothers, what shall we do?
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Acts 9:6
And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what will you have me to do? And the Lord said to him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told you what you must do.
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1 John 3:20
For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.
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And Judas Iscariot
... comes his dreadful end, the account of his remorse in Matthew ... There are many such
warnings in the Scriptures. ... one side of it in a niche is General Schuyler, and ...
//christianbookshelf.org/chapman/and judas iscariot/and judas iscariot.htm

Eusebius: Constantine. General Index.
... 3354]444; sword, [3355]445; remorse of, [3356 ... son, husband, father, friend, as general,
legislator, statesman ... and concerning copies of the Scriptures, [3533]548 ...
/.../pamphilius/the life of constantine/eusebius constantine general index.htm

General Index.
... general proclamation of, 355-374. result of receiving, 379. ... see also Bible;
Scriptures. ... terror and remorse of, at second advent, 37, 635, 644. ...
/.../white/the great controversy between christ and satan /general index.htm

Concerning the Lord's Supper
... I know that neither he, nor even a general council, has ... We read in the Scriptures
of many such signs of the ... near to it who is harassed either by remorse for sin ...
/.../luther/first principles of the reformation/concerning the lords supper.htm

Messiah's Easy Yoke
... The general name of Christians, which was first ... commentary on what the Scriptures
teach, concerning ... the distractions and miseries, the remorse and forebodings ...
//christianbookshelf.org/newton/messiah vol 1/sermon xv messiahs easy yoke.htm

Various Objections in Favour of the Common Interpretation Answered
... any distinction or contraction of the general saying to ... is agreeable to the rest
of the Scriptures and to ... some resistance of the will and remorse of conscience ...
/.../arminius/the works of james arminius vol 2/various objections in favour of.htm

The Life of the Honourable Archibald Campbel Marquis of Argyle.
... himself to the study of the holy scriptures, became well ... of England, under the command
of general Leslie, this ... he discovered a great deal of remorse for what ...
/.../howie/biographia scoticana scots worthies/the life of the honourable.htm

The Means of Grace
... it may be, more and more of remorse, and fear ... and was only confirmed by reading the
Scriptures: But it was observed above, that under the general term of ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 16 the means of.htm

The Final Controversies in Jerusalem
... business of these scribes was the study of the scriptures. ... him at least some profit
in the general wreck of ... His remorse after he saw in its bald hideousness ...
/.../rhees/the life of jesus of nazareth/vi the final controversies in.htm

On Reconciling Religious Dissensions among Christians
... but that also which in a general sense contains a desire to commit sin without any
remorse of conscience ... advice, not to explain the sacred Scriptures, but only ...
/.../the works of james arminius vol 1/oration v on reconciling religious.htm

Who was Judah in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

What is unrepentance? What does it mean to be unrepentant? | GotQuestions.org

How did Judas die? | GotQuestions.org

Remorse: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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