Are repentance and repression the same thing? Do they have a connection? Which one helps us heal trauma, grow in our faith and feel closeness to God?
The other day I heard a popular Christian podcast host stating that as Christians we should repress our sinful desires. As a Christian therapist of 14 years, I wholeheartedly disagree!
Not only is repentance not repression, repentance is Biblical while repression is not. Repressing our sinful desires does not keep us from acting those desires out, it only halts our healing and increases the likelihood that when we do act out, we create all the more chaos and dishonor for God.
Repression and repentance: What’s the difference?
When we turn away from sin, repenting as Christians, it can be tempting to repress what we are seeking to repent. We may not even do this consciously or be aware that we are doing it.
So what’s the difference between repentance and repression?
Repentance is Biblical.
Luke 17:3-4 says, “Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”
2 Timothy 2:19-22 says,
“Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: ‘The Lord knows those who are his,’ and, ‘Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness. In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use. Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work. Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”
In scripture repentance is ordered by the Lord- it contributes to our restoration and redemption, our being forgiven; and it joins us closer to Christ.
Repression, on the other hand, is not Biblical. Repression is the unconscious pushing out, or the conscious attempt at removal by force, of the sin pattern we are seeking to turn away from.
Repression is not Biblical because it does not lead to true repentance. When we repress things, nothing in our neurobiology (our “hard-wiring”) truly changes.
When we repress things, we don’t seek the Lord’s counsel around how to shift our sin pattern, but rather ask God to deliver us and then leave it at that.
A lot of folks, when they read verses like 2 Corinthians 10:5: “…take every thought captive to obey Christ…” interpret this to mean we just shouldn’t even think about the sin pattern we struggle with. But, if we don’t think about it, if we don’t investigate it, if we won’t get to the root of it and it will continue to pour out of us against our volition (and the enemy loves that).
Many of our sin patterns are rooted in trauma- they are a response to the ways in which others have sinned against us. Faith-centered trauma therapy is critical here, as it honors the Lord’s authority, but allows you to get to the root of and resolve the trauma that has consquently resulted in the sin patterns you are stuck in.
How to actually turn away from sin patterns (the temptations and behavioral patterns that separate us from God)
So how do we turn away from the sin patterns that plague us if we can’t run away from or repress them? We do the counterintuitive thing…we turn toward them. We turn toward the aching parts of us inside that are burdened by this sin pattern and its deeper roots.
We don’t like to do this as humans; we don’t like to turn toward pain, yet this is what Christ modeled for us. Christ got close the the lepers, the poor, the outcasts, the burdened and heavy-laden. In Psalm 34:18, the Word says that “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
With closeness comes connection and with connection comes healing.
One modality of psychotherapy that I use that I have found brilliant at helping believers turn toward the parts of them burdened by sin, so that these parts my have liberation and live anew, is called Internal Family Systems therapy or IFS.
I utilize IFS from a Biblically-sound, Christian perspective and I’d love to explore with you if this modality might be the right fit for you.
I invite you to click here to book a free 15-minute call with me. I’ll answer any questions you have.
May the Lord bless you.