Contrition and emotion
How do I know I have proper contrition? Sometimes, after I sin, I don't feel very remorseful. I am afraid that the lack of emotional guilt within me following sin means I am not contrite. What role does emotion play in contrition?
Through the law and gospel, the Holy Spirit can certainly bring about different emotions within us. There can be sorrow over sin (2 Corinthians 7:8-11) and joy in the good news of salvation (Psalm 51:12).
And yet, aren’t there times in our lives when we lack sorrow over our sins and joy in our salvation? Certainly. Unfortunately, we can grow complacent to sin; we can take the message of salvation for granted. For those attitudes, we ask for God’s forgiveness, and we know we have it through the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Where I am headed in my response to you is that we do not want to base our contrition and faith on our emotions—or the level of our emotions. The certainty of our salvation is based on what Jesus Christ did by living as our perfect substitute and dying as our innocent substitute.
You and I recognize that in this life our confessions—of sin and of faith—will always be imperfect. Because of our weaknesses, we are able to identify with King David and his struggle with confessing sin (Psalm 32). Because of our weaknesses, we are able to identify with the man who said to Jesus, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24) Our confessions might be weak, but the one to whom they are directed is strong and powerful. God’s message of forgiveness is consistent and reliable. I encourage you to focus on that rather than the emotional level of your contrition. God bless you.