Repentance
It is amazing to discover how few people today in the body of Christ realize the importance of repentance as the primary response to hearing the Christian gospel.
This essential aspect of the new birth is the least considered aspect of Christian initiation, and it is the least controversial , because it is the most neglected element in the process of salvation.
To better understand what repentance is, let us first consider what repentance is not.
Repentance is not regret.
Regret is something that we feel when we consider that we will experience the consequences of our own actions. Regret is very close to self pity which is focused and centered more on self (egocentric) than it is on God (theocentric).
Repentance is not remorse.
Remorse comes when we consider how our actions affect the lives of others. And although remorse is not as egocentric in nature as regret, it falls short on being theocentric (God centered) in nature.
True repentance begins when we realize the effects of our sins not so much in relationship to ourselves or others, but by how our actions have had consequences for God and His Son. And although this godly sorrow in itself does not constitute biblical repentance, it certainly leads us to it.
2 Corinthians 7:9 – “For godly sorrow produces repentance [leading] to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.”
Only when we realize how much our actions have had negative consequences for God and His Son, do we begin to realize that we have also sinned against heaven as well as our self, and others. It is this very thing that brings into focus the full scope of sins effects.
When we sin, we violate God’s authority by breaking His law, we spoil His creation, and we defile ourselves and provoke God’s wrath, His anger, and His Righteous Judgment.
A careful contemplation of the full effect of our sins will bring us into a healthy fear of the Lord.
True repentance is something that begins in the inner man, and it works its way outwardly, later finding its full remedy in and through our actions.
Repentance begins as an inner action by means of the convicting work of the Holy Spirit Whom Jesus told us would convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment.
John 16:8 - “And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment”
Repentance of sin is something that first happens within the minds of men. What’s interesting is that the Greek word for Repentance (metanoia) literally means to change one’s mind. It also means to “think again” with regard to a past behavior.
It is through the convicting ministry work of the Holy Spirit, that we are led to re-think about our sins from God’s perspective in order for us to understand how He feels about our sin, and what His verdict is with regard to our behavior.
The ministry of the Holy Spirit plays a leading role in repentance by leading us toward an acceptance of God’s “yes” and God’s “no” with regard to our behavior in light of His perfect law as well as His standard of divine righteousness and judgment.
It is this very thing that leads us to “a knowledge of the truth” about God and about ourself.
2 Timothy 2:25 - In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth”
Once our thoughts are changed through our acceptance of the testimony of the Holy Spirit regarding our sins, there will be a progression from acceptance of our sins to an open acknowledgement of them. When this takes place, repentance begins to move from the inward man toward the outward man. This happens when we confess our sins by articulating them before God by our confession of them with our mouths in prayer.
When we articulate our sins before God using our mouth, we are using the very portal that connects the inward and outward parts of man. The Bible tells us that whatever a man has in his heart will inevitably be manifest by the words that come out of his mouth.
Luke 6:45 – “"A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”
Matthew 12:37 – “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”
Mark 7: 18-23 – “So He said to them, "Are you thus without understanding also? Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, "because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?" And He said, "What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, "thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. "All these evil things come from within and defile a man."
James 3: 9-12 – “With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring send forth fresh [water] and bitter from the same opening? Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.”
The ministry of John the Baptist focused on the kingdom of God which was approaching Israel. Baptism in water in John’s day was the consummation of repentance.
Matthew 3:11 - "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
Notice the use of the preposition used of being baptized “unto” repentance…
Confession of sins was a vital accompaniment of water baptism.
Matthew 3:6 – “And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.”
John expected a verbal confession as a public admission of personal guilt in specific matters. Works of darkness needed to be brought into the light before both God and men.
It was the very refusal of the Pharisees to openly admit their guilt which prevented them from coming to John to be baptized by him. The understanding of this event offers more background with regard to the conversation that Jesus had with Nicodemus in the book of John (chapter 3).
Such self-disclosure of personal sin involves the swallowing of one’s own pride.
By naming sins individually before God rather than in a “blanket” type fashion, the reality of each sin and its effects are brought forth for each sin as it is confessed.
It has been said that:
“Whatever is uncovered by man now, will be covered by God’s mercy.”
And it has also been said that:
Whatever is covered by man now, will be uncovered by God’s judgment.”
Confession of individual personal sins is an acceptance of personal responsibility and accountability before God. This reveals our willful guilt and our need for God’s un-deserved forgiveness for our sins.
Individually confessing sins opens up a channel for God’s grace to flow in our lives. It is helpful for us to verbally renounce our sins before God as well, as it is helpful toward making a clean break from the besetting sin in our lives.
To renounce means to abandon, surrender, decline association with, to give up, to withdraw from, to discontinue, and to forsake.
Thus repentance is far more than being merely sorry for your sins, it is being sorry enough to stop sinning.
Our confession and renunciation of our sins need to be followed by our actions, which are the “manifest works of repentance.”
John the Baptist insisted that candidates for baptism “produce fruit in keeping with repentance.”
Luke 3:8 – “Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to [our] father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.”
And when John was asked about this, he was very clear and practical in his response”
Luke 3:10-14 – “And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then? He answered and said to them, "He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise." Then tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, "Teacher, what shall we do?" And he said to them, "Collect no more than what is appointed for you." Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, "And what shall we do?" So he said to them, "Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages."
The process of repentance finds its fulfillment though our actions.
Consider the case of Zacchaeus which involved action on his part, of whoich resulted in the Lord saying “Salvation has come to your household.”
Luke 19: 1-10 – “Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. Now behold, [there was] a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house." So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, "He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner." Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold." And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; "for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."
Paul the Apostle also expected that repentance be followed in such a way that gentiles were called to repent and turn to God to prove their repentance by their deeds.
Acts 26:20 – “"but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and [then] to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance.”
To be continued…
