It is said that there are three parts to a proper apology: 1. What I did was wrong, 2. I feel badly that I hurt you, and 3. How can I make this better? In our last article, we were able to awe at the magnificent restoring power forgiveness contains. A difficult action that truly exhibits the magnanimity of a man who is able to wield it so effortlessly. However, it would be irresponsible not to explore the other party’s responsibility so that the reconciliation may be fully complete. Although it is true that an act of forgiveness can amend the sins of the past, it is equally true that the offender must be willing to do so. In the world there is a dangerous and deadly misinterpretation of the Master’s lesson of “turning the other cheek.” It is believed to mean that a follower of Christ must be willing to forgive and move forward, ignoring if the offender repented or not. Hence the necessity of seeking to appropriately comprehend how forgiveness is able to restore a torn relationship. It is true that our Lord Jesus (while being nailed to the cross) uttered His interceding words of mercy even though His enemies did not ask for them, yet. When Peter spoke to the assembled Jews at Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost, he explained to them that they had indeed killed the son of God (Acts 2:14-47). When the crowd heard that “God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ,” Luke (the author of Acts) describes their reaction as being “cut to the heart” (Acts 2:36-37). Observe how first the apostle Peter teaches them what wrong they had done. Second, Luke is able to perceive the guilt produced by their accusing conscience. The crowd did not argue nor defend themselves from this intrepid accusation made by the apostle. Instead, accepting that they had indeed killed their long awaited Messiah, they pose the following question: “Men and brethren, what shall we do” (Acts 2:37b)? In this question we are able to grasp the final part of what is believed to be “a proper apology.” We are also able to see the restoring power of forgiveness begin to manifest. Once they realized that they were guilty, they sought to repair the damage they had caused. Their approach toward the man accusing them illuminates the sincerity in their concern for amending the results of their actions. Instead of reacting in a violent, irrational way dismissing Peter’s claims toward them, they embrace him and the eleven by calling them “brethren.” With this recognition, the Master’s words manifest themselves as it is evident that the apostles “gained” their brothers. Their willingness to make right what they had wronged, is received by the following instructions: “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38). Certainly the apostle Peter was present when his Master taught His followers that they must be willing to “turn the other cheek.” Why then, would Peter speak of “repentance” and “remission of sins” if all that was necessary was to “forgive and forget” (as the world puts it)? The appropriate answer is that “godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death” (2nd Corinthians 7:10). In a true echo of Peter’s instructions to the assembly in Jerusalem, Paul speaks to the Corinthians about the effect his previous letter had upon them due to its admonishing tone. He speaks of how “the same epistle made you sorry” as they heard the apostle’s reprimands of their multiple sins (2nd Corinthians 7:8). However, as our previous text states, this guilt the church in Corinth felt produced a spirit of repentance, and not simply remorse. Paul distinguishes them from each other as “godly sorrow” and “earthly sorrow.” To further understand the apostle’s lesson we must first learn to recognize the difference between repentance and remorse. To repent signifies to feel contrition and make the necessary change to restore that which was destroyed; to have remorse is solely to have a feeling of guilt. Observe that the assembled Jews’ reaction is described as “cut to the heart” when they heard Peter’s words. They felt remorse for having murdered the Son of God, therefore they pose the question how do we amend this crime? If we recall, Peter began his instructions by saying, “Repent.” Paul illustrates this divine action in the Corinthians since “what diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter” (2nd Corinthians 7:11). What Paul describes is, as the word means, a complete transformation from the Corinthians. They, too, were cut to the heart by the apostle’s words and turned away from their impious actions. This transformation is what Paul describes as “godly sorrow.” The same is true for the crowd to whom Peter preached to. His instruction to them that they are to repent is followed by “and…be baptized.” It is indisputable that the purpose of baptism is to provide “the answer of a good conscience toward God” (1st Peter 3:21). Notice that in baptism, the person’s guilty conscience is renovated into a good conscience. This renovation is what Holy Scriptures defines as reconciliation. God has forgiven the world in His Son’s cross, but the world must be willing to accept His grace with a sincere heart of repentance. This becomes visible in the transformation of the person from a sinning nature to a holy one. The “worldly sorrow” that Paul points to is one that remains stagnate in remorse. Judas Iscariot serves as our model of this deadly form of sorrow. In Matthew’s account of the gospel, we see that Judas was “remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver” when he witnessed the Lord being sentenced to death by crucifixion (Matthew 27:3-10). Even though it is true that Judas realized the gravity of his sin, it is also true that he did not seek reconciling himself with Jesus. Instead, this tortured soul placed judgment upon himself and became his own executioner. Some may believe this tragic conclusion to be honorable, but the reality is that it was Judas’ pride that did not allow him to enjoy Christ’s available grace. His shameful remorse consumed him in too much sorrow and never allowed him to be led to salvation. Regrettably, this man was ignorant of Satan’s devices and was led to his destruction by the sorrow of the world. .