Renewing Your Mind – "Confession"

Date: November 15, 2025
Host: Ligonier Ministries
Speaker: Dr. R.C. Sproul
Focus: Understanding true repentance and confession through the lens of Psalm 51

Episode Overview

This episode of Renewing Your Mind centers on the nature of Christian confession in prayer, using Psalm 51 as a model. Dr. R.C. Sproul unpacks the difference between authentic contrition and mere attrition, emphasizing that true confession flows from a deep awareness of both God’s holiness and our own sinfulness. Listeners are invited to examine their posture toward repentance, learning from King David's example after his sin with Bathsheba.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Heart of True Repentance

• Contrition vs. Attrition

  • Dr. Sproul explains two theological types of repentance (03:20):
    • Contrition: True godly sorrow for offending God, leading to genuine transformation.
    • Attrition: Self-interested regret, born from fear of punishment or desire to escape consequences.
  • Illustrates attrition with the analogy of a child caught in wrongdoing, repenting only to avoid “the spanking” (05:04).

• Memorable Quote:

  "As long as you think you deserve forgiveness or you deserve mercy, you haven't really repented. A truly penitent person says, 'God, I understand I have no claim at this point. I forfeited all of my rights. You have every right to destroy me... I plead with you that you won't. But I acknowledge that if you do it, I have no grounds to complain against you.'"
  — R.C. Sproul (00:00, repeated at 23:28)

2. Psalm 51: The Model of Confession

• Background of Psalm 51 (10:24)

  • Written by David after his adultery with Bathsheba and his orchestrated murder of Uriah.
  • Nathan’s confrontation brings David to recognize the gravity of his sin.

• David's Approach to God:

  • No excuses or appeals to mitigating circumstances; he "throws himself on the mercy of the court" (13:10).
  • Emphasis on God's lovingkindness (“chesed”) as the only hope.

• Memorable Quote:

  "There's none of that appeal to mitigating circumstances that would excuse his sin. David knows that he's guilty. David makes no attempt to justify what he does. Instead, he just cries out to God for God's mercy."
  — R.C. Sproul (13:13)

3. The Depth of Our Sinfulness

• Recognition of Universal Guilt (18:30)

  • David’s unique statement: "Against you, and you only, have I sinned"—highlighting that all sin is, at its core, against God.
  • Sin is a violation first and foremost of God's law, even when it affects others.

• Original Sin and Sinful Nature (21:17)

  • David's confession acknowledges corrupt human nature: "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity and in sin my mother conceived me."
  • Dr. Sproul clarifies: Not shifting blame, but recognizing how our sinful nature requires confession—not just of individual acts, but of character itself.

• Memorable Quote:

  "Forgive me for what I am, for who I am, for the sinful disposition of my heart that since my birth has been producing this kind of behavior."
  — R.C. Sproul (22:15)

4. God’s Response to Confession

• God’s Cleansing and Forgiveness:
  • Psalm 51’s imagery: "Blot out my transgressions... wash me thoroughly from my iniquity" (16:22).
  • References to biblical metaphors: “As far as the east is from the west… your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow” (17:20).
  • God’s promise: Once forgiven, God holds sins against us no more.
  • Application to human relationships: “If you really forgave them the first time… that’s one, not two” (18:48).

5. The Marks of Acceptable Repentance

• A Broken and Contrite Heart (23:37)

  • Not external offerings or ritual sacrifice, but the inner disposition.
  • Quoting David: "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart—these, O God, you will not despise."

• David’s Acceptance of Consequences (24:10)

  • After the loss of his child as punishment, David grieves, then accepts God’s judgment and worships God.
  • True growth: Worship and continued trust in God even under discipline.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Dr. Sproul on Earnest Repentance:

  "Until you come to the place where you really believe that God would be perfectly just to exact full punishment… you haven't really repented."
  (23:00)

• Metaphor on Forgiveness:

  "God has the ability, the power and the spirit to change that bloody stain on our hands and make it absolutely white."
  (17:28, referencing Lady Macbeth illustration)

• Application to Daily Prayer:

  "Every time we pray... as soon as we adore the wonders of God, we need to contrast the beauty of his holiness with a fresh confession of our transgressions before him in a spirit of contrition."
  (24:00)

Key Timestamps

• 00:00 — What true contrition sounds like; forfeiting claim to mercy.
• 03:20 — Contrition vs. attrition in repentance.
• 10:24 — Background on Psalm 51 and King David’s sin.
• 13:10 — The proper spirit of confession: No excuses, only appeal to mercy.
• 16:22 — "Blot out my transgressions": The imagery of washing away guilt.
• 18:30 — The ultimate object of sin is God Himself.
• 21:17 — Confessing not just actions, but sinful nature.
• 23:00 — Only true repentance if we see God’s justice as justified.
• 23:37 — God desires a broken and contrite heart.
• 24:10 — David’s acceptance of God's punishment and lesson for worship.

Conclusion: Practical Takeaways

• True confession requires humble self-awareness and a recognition that we cannot justify or excuse our sins before God.
• God forgives not just actions, but also sinful natures, when approached with genuine contrition.
• The model of David in Psalm 51 sets the gold standard for Christian repentance—a deep admission of both guilt and trust in God’s mercy.
• Our response to forgiveness, both vertically (toward God) and horizontally (toward others), should mirror God’s complete blotting out of the offense.

For further study: Dr. Sproul recommends returning to these biblical principles often, making confession a regular and thoughtful part of one’s prayer life.