Unrepentant Repentance
1 Samuel 15:24
"And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice."
Saul was commanded by God to completely destroy the Amalekites. You would think this command would not be that hard to follow. Saul was told that he was God's tool to repay the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when coming out of Egypt. This command was not just a command to have a sentence fulfilled, but it was also a test to see if Saul would completely obey God.
When reading the story, you learn that Saul did not obey God. He and the people saved the best of the sheep, oxen and spoils. Saul saved King Agag as a trophy to show his strength. No matter how they justified their actions they were wrong because they didn't obey all of God's commandments. Samuel approached Saul about his disobedience, and his response to his sin showed his unrepentant heart. Though Saul said, "I have sinned:...," his actions showed that he was not truly repentant for what he did.
Your response to your sin shows whether you are truly repentant for what you did. There are many people who audibly say they are sorry, but their actions show the opposite. I like to say that they have unrepentant repentance. Their repentance is simply a show of words, and God is not interested in a show of words. He is interested in them getting things right with Him. Obedience is more important to God than anything else. Saul's response to his sin shows some very clear signs of an unrepentant heart.
The first sign of an unrepentant heart is that you try to cover your sin. In verse 13, Saul's first action was to cover up what he did. An unrepentant person will always see if they can get away with their sin. They will try to go on as if nothing happened, but something did happen. The core attribute of a lack of repentance is to get away with your sin at any cost.
The second sign of an unrepentant heart is to blame your sin on others. Verse 21 shows Saul blaming his sin on the people. When covering sin doesn't work, an unrepentant person will blame their sin on others. Your sin is not someone else's fault; it is your fault. Saul was blaming the people when he should have been looking at his own actions. An unrepentant heart will always try to deflect attention away from its own sinful actions.
The third sign of an unrepentant heart is to give excuses for your sin. In the verse above, Saul blamed his sin on a fear of the people. It really doesn't matter why you sinned, it is the fact that you have sinned and you know it. You can give any excuse as to why you sinned, but it all comes down to the fact that you sinned. Unrepentant people do not want to face their sin, so they will justify it anyway that they can.
The fourth sign of an unrepentant heart is that you are worried about people's perception of you. Saul asked Samuel to bless him for the people's sake. Saul never got it; the problem was his sin. An unrepentant heart will always try to salvage their reputation instead of dealing with their sin. They are more concerned with what people think about them than what God thinks about them.
Christian, whenever you sin admit it. The only person you hurt by not truly repenting is yourself. You can put on a show of repentance, but a truly repentant heart will eventually be seen. Do you have something you've done of which you've not repented? Always remember that repentance shows the attitude of your heart. A hard heart will not repent, but a contrite and soft heart will.