Peter Wept, Judas Died: The Difference Between Repentance and Regret (2 Corinthians 7:10 and Matthew 27:1-5)

Peter wept, Judas died—but what made the difference between repentance and regret? Explore the powerful contrast between Peter and Judas, understanding how godly grief leads to repentance and salvation, while worldly grief leads to death. When Peter wept bitterly, his sorrow led him back to Christ, but when Judas experienced regret, his grief without repentance ultimately led him to destruction. Understanding the difference between repentance and regret is essential for every believer. https://youtu.be/GhpkEye1qS0 Table of contentsAn X-Ray Machine for the Heart Would Be Needed for Peter and JudasTwo Kinds of Faith and GriefPeter’s Godly Grief Produced RepentanceWorldly Grief (Unrepentance) Can Produce Multiple DeathsJudas’s Worldly Grief Produced His DeathWe Underestimate the Consequences of SinWhen Peter Pleased the LordExperiencing Regret Isn’t RepentanceWhat Made Peter Repentant But Judas Unrepentant? Earlier this year, Charis was playing in her very first and last softball game. She was running around the bases, and when she slid into home, the catcher fell on the lower half of her leg. She screamed, “I broke my leg.” Turns out she was right. One of the most common conflicts in our marriage concerns how hurt our children truly are. Katie says I always say two words: “They’re fine.” I feel like she always thinks they’re about to die. Maybe other marriages experience the same. The X-ray machine was invented on November 8, 1895. Thank God Katie and I were not married before that, because I can only imagine the arguments we would have about whether our children’s bones were broken or not. Before the advent of the X-ray machine, doctors had to rely on observation, palpation, and patient symptoms to diagnose broken bones. Can you imagine having a broken bone and the doctor wants to diagnose it by pushing on the area to see if he can find the break? An X-Ray Machine for the Heart Would Be Needed for Peter and Judas Imagine there was an X-ray machine that allowed us to look into people, not to see their bones, but to see their hearts, and in particular, whether they are repentant: Psalm 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. If I can push this analogy a little further, imagine that instead of seeing whether people had broken bones, we could see whether they had broken hearts. Without this, we are like doctors before the X-ray machine: we are forced to guess. The difficulty is that people may appear outwardly repentant without being truly repentant inwardly. Let me illustrate this by asking who I’m describing below: A well-known man received one of the most unique opportunities in all of history when Jesus asked him to become one of the twelve disciples. In accepting the invitation, he was able to be with the Son of God day and night. He became a student of the world’s greatest Teacher. When Jesus’ enemies tried to trap Him with penetrating questions, he heard Jesus’ profound theological answers. He saw miracles that showed Jesus’s authority over death, nature, demons, and disease. Jesus gave him some of the same divine power to cast out demons and perform miracles that Jesus Himself used. This man witnessed Jesus’ love, grace, and mercy firsthand. But after experiencing all this, only hours before Jesus’s crucifixion, he betrayed Jesus in a strong, convincing way. Then he felt great sorrow. If you say Judas, you are right. If you say Peter, you are right. Judas betrayed Jesus to the religious leaders for money. Peter denied knowing Jesus to save himself. Is there much difference between betraying Jesus and denying Him? Not really! And they were both really grieved about it later. In fact, I would argue that Judas looked even more grieved than Peter. So here’s the critical question: how could a man be as grieved as Judas, yet remain unrepentant? The answer is in 2 Corinthians 7:8-10: 2 Corinthians 7:8 For even if I made you grieve with my letter (referring to Paul’s previous letter that we know as 1 Corinthians), I do not regret itthough I did regret it, for I see that that letter grieved you, though only for a while. First Corinthians is essentially a corrective letter, which is why it would grieve them. Paul’s words seem contradictory: he says he does not regret his letter, even though he did regret his letter. If you’re a parent, you understand this. We love our children, so when we correct them, we regret it because it’s unpleasant or even painful for us. Think of the classic line: “This hurts me more than it hurts you.” But we don’t regret it because we know it’s best for them and will help them grow. 2 Corinthians 7:9 As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. Paul is rejoicing, not because he grieved them, but because that grief produced repentance. Two Kinds of Faith and Grief Understanding God’s word often involves seeing things differently than the world sees them. For example, James 2:14-26 discusses two kinds of faith. Without this passage, I’d probably think there’s only one kind of faith: you either believe or you don’t. But this passage teaches there is living faith and dead faith, and there are examples for each: Abraham and Rahab’s faith was shown to be living by their works: Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son, and Rahab was willing to hide the spies. They wouldn’t have done these things if their faith was dead. Individuals with dead faith are demons. James 2:19 says, “demons believe and shudder.” They have faith, but no works, demonstrating that their faith is dead. Similarly, just as there are two types of faith, there are also two types of grief. If I didn’t know this passage in 2 Corinthians 7, I would think there’s just one kind of grief. Something bad happens, you grieve, and that’s it. But look at the next verse to see the two types of grief: 2 Corinthians 7:10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. Just like living faith and dead faith couldn’t be more opposite of each other, godly grief and worldly grief couldn’t be more opposite of each other: Peter’s Godly Grief Produced Repentance Godly grief is grief over the sin that’s committed. It’s grief from recognizing that our sin was against God. As David said: Psalm 51:4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight. Even when we sin against others, godly grief knows that our sin was ultimately against God. When we experience godly grief, we confess our sin rather than hide it or make excuses for it. We desire victory, and as the verse says, all of this leads to repentance. And this is the grief Peter experienced: Godly grief produces repentance that leads to salvation because true repentance always means turning from our sin to the Lord. Think about the prodigal son, one of the premier examples of repentance in Scripture, and where he turned when he repented: Luke 15:17 “When he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. Peter wept bitterly when Jesus made eye contact with him after he denied Him three times. We know Peter experienced godly grief because we know the rest of the story: he preaches an incredible sermon on Pentecost, becomes a pillar in the early church, and writes the letters bearing his name. However, if we didn’t know anything other than that Peter wept, we can’t say whether his grief was godly or worldly. In other words, we can’t say if he turned to the Lord or not. But the next time Peter sees Jesus, we are given a beautiful description of Peter turning toward Him. Peter is fishing, he realizes Jesus is on the shore, and we read: John 21:7 That disciple whom Jesus loved (this is John; apparently, when you write your own gospel, you can refer to yourself however you want, and John wanted to sound like Jesus’s favorite) therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. 8 The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off. Talk about turning to the Lord: Peter jumped out of the boat and swam to shore. He left the other disciples to bring in the boat and a net full of fish, which was over 100 yards away. This is what godly grief produces: repentance that turns toward the Lord. It’s easy to see why Paul says this grief is never regretted: we don’t regret the salvation it produces, the forgiveness it produces, or the changed life it produces. Nobody ever experiences godly grief, repents, then looks back and says, “You know, I really miss when I was caught up in that sin that was ruining my life, marriage, family, or job.” Worldly Grief (Unrepentance) Can Produce Multiple Deaths Worldly grief is grief over the consequences of one's actions. This is the grief when: the verdict is read, and the defendant starts sobbing people lose their jobs or get a speeding ticket children learn they are going to be spanked or grounded If you’re a parent, you know you're always trying to figure out which grief you’re seeing from your children: is it godly grief over their sin, or worldly grief over the consequences? It’s difficult to tell because they look so similar. Because worldly grief does not produce repentance, there’s no redemptive or salvific value. In other words, there’s no spiritual benefit. John MacArthur wrote,