Repenting by Faith

Tonight I lost my temper on the phone with a lady in my doctor's office. They gave my pharmacy an incomplete prescription, and told me I would have to pay another copay to complete the prescription. I told them that they had "screwed up" and needed to "fix it." Things didn't go too well from there, but my son seemed impressed with way I raised my voice and got forceful. He retold the story to my wife with the emphases in all the right places and strode away like a hero.

I had to tell him that I didn't handle the situation properly. I would call back Monday and apologize. I will also respectfully ask them to take responsibility for their mistake, and work it out with our insurance company. He voiced his agreement with my new plan. Today is the fifteenth and Proverbs 15:1 reads: "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger."

Sin makes you feel rotten, but you can't live by feelings. We must live by faith, even when we don't feel forgiven. Sometimes we are tempted to work up a genuine repentance so we will feel forgiven. This is the antithesis of faith and makes the "feeling of repentance" and idol.