True vs False Repentance

For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. ~ 2 Corinthians 7:10

"For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, but also what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved yourselves innocent in the matter." verse 11

These verses speaks of two kinds of sorrow for sin, one that works repentance unto SALVATION and LIFE, the other working DEATH. It is high time Christians were taught to discriminate much more than they do in regard to the nature and character of repentance. Were it so, the church would not be so overrun with false and unprofitable professors. That multitudes suppose themselves to be saved, who are not so, unless the Bible is false--is notorious.

Why is it that so many are deceived? Why do so many, who are yet impenitent
sinners, get the idea that they have repented? The cause is doubtless a lack of
discriminating instruction respecting the foundational bible doctrines, and especially a
lack of discrimination respecting true and false repentance.

TRUE AND FALSE REPENTANCE

True repentance is:

1. A change of opinion in regard to the nature of sin.
2. A change of opinion of the character of sin as respects its relation to God.
3. A change of opinion in regard to the tendencies of sin.
4. A change of opinion in regard to the desert of sin.
a. It implies a change in the state of the mind including all this.
b. In true repentance there must be a corresponding change of feeling.

The works or effects of genuine repentance:

1. If your repentance is genuine, there is A CONSCIOUS CHANGE in the mind of
VIEWS and FEELING (opinion) in regard to sin.
2. Where repentance is genuine, the disposition to REPEAT sin is gone.
3. Genuine repentance works a REFORMATION OF CONDUCT.
4. Repentance, when true and genuine, leads to CONFESSION and RESTITUTION.
5. True repentance is a PERMANENT CHANGE OD CHARACTER & CONDUCT.

False repentance:

1. It is not founded on the change of opinion that belong to
true repentance.
2. False repentance is founded in SELFISHNESS.

How false or spurious repentance may be known:

1. It leaves the feelings unchanged.
2. It works DEATH.
3. False repentance produces only a PARTIAL REFORMATION OF CONDUCT.
4. Ordinarily, the reformation produced by false sorrow is TEMPORARY.
5. It is a forced reformation.
6. This spurious repentance leads to SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS.
7. It leads to FALSE SECURITY.
8. It HARDENS THE HEART.
9. It SEARS THE CONSCIENCE.
10. It rejects Jesus Christ as the ground of hope.
11. It is TRANSCIENT AND TEMPORARY.

Based on Charles Wesley's writing on true & false conversion.