Ibelieve repentance has been given a bad rap. Often, when our attention is drawn to the topic of repentance, our mentality is that it is for all those sinful people in the world who need to repent of their sin. Certainly, it is true that all the people in the world outside God’s kingdom need to repent and come to the Father. But that kind of thinking causes us to disregard the call to repentance, assuming that applies to someone else. The fact is, our lives, and yes our Christian lives, are a series of occasions wherein we need to repent to maintain or regain our place in the highway of holiness. The first thesis of Martin Luther’s 95 thesis’ he nailed to the door at Wittenburg said, “When our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, said ‘Repent,’ He called for the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.”
Acts 17:30 – “God now commands all people everywhere to repent.”
God knows the only way we can experience the life He has planned for us, is to repent from our disobedience when convicted. This does not mean we have lost our salvation or moved outside God’s reach of grace, but rather repentance moves us back where we belong so we can experience that abundant life Jesus spoke of.
Repentance is necessary because through listening to wrong voices and making bad choices, we find ourselves journeying somewhere other than obedience to the Father. It is sort of like the character “Christian” in the book “Pilgrim’s Progress.” Occasionally he would find himself off the prescribed path and ultimately be fraught with misery and danger while away from the road on which he was supposed to journeying. Like Christian, we find ourselves in those places (not just once either) and it is repentance that leads us away from the dark path and returns us to the road where the Lord orders our steps. Repentance is not simply a one-time action, but it takes in the entirety of the life of a follower of Jesus. Repentance takes place every day in a believer’s life in Jesus.
What exactly is repentance? Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines repentance as “poignant grief or remorse proceeding from a consciousness of guilt; the pain or sorrow or regret for having offended God, and incurred His wrath.” When we find ourselves traveling in the wrong direction, there is no corrective measure except to change direction. Repentance responds to our remorse by having a change of heart following our regret. Twice, through the prophet Haggai, the Lord says, “Consider your ways.” This is the stage for repentance when we consider our ways and become regretful or remorseful for our errant direction. Our change of heart will always include a change of direction if we are truly repentant.
Before there can ever be true repentance, there must be the conviction of our sin or wrong direction.
2 Corinthians 7:10 – “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, but worldly grief produces death.”
This is when we discover the ability to repent of our waywardness is a gift from God. We have no ability to change our ways or thoughts in our own human strength. Without God enabling us to be able to repent, we could not even come to God and receive His love and mercy. We would not even conceive of such a thing left to ourselves. So, when Jesus said the Holy Spirit would convict the world of sin when He comes, this is the greatest news we could receive. For it is by the Spirit’s conviction that we gain the wherewithal to exercise this gift of repentance from God. The good news is that the Father granting us repentance is a clear indicator of His willingness and desire to forgive us of our sin. The forgiveness we receive from Jesus upon our act of repentance opens the way and brings us to the fountain of grace and mercy from heaven.
When we are “off the path” like Christian, we block the supply of grace and mercy. It is when we come with a contrite heart to the Father, renouncing where we have been and what we have been doing that is outside obedience to God that we open ourselves back up to the blessings of God. Our disobedience to God’s direction separates us from the Father (in fellowship, not relationship). Our repentance in response to the conviction and work of the Spirit restores that fellowship with God.
Take a look at these verses. When Peter was recounting how the Holy Spirit fell on the house of Cornelius while he was proclaiming the gospel, the apostles, and the rest of the brethren in Jerusalem declared,
“Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.”
Note they were granted the gift of repentance by the work of the Father through the Holy Spirit. The supernatural preaching of God’s word established an environment where the Spirit of God began to minister to each one the ability to consider their ways and “turn from their wicked ways.”
And when Paul was writing his second letter to Timothy he instructed him to be kind to everyone, to not be quarrelsome, and to correct or educate those in opposition to God’s kingdom. He then concluded with this statement.
“Perhaps God will grant them repentance leading them to the knowledge of the truth.”
Note that repentance leads us; in this case, to the knowledge of the truth. That’s because to repent leads us away from that which ministers death and confusion and brings us to a place of light.
Sometimes, what we need to repent from is not an area of gross sin, but a place of being misguided and misdirected by our own assumptions. In Acts 16, Paul is traveling on one of his missionaries journeys with Silas and Timothy. The Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit forbade them from speaking the word in Asia.
Now as a little bit of a side note, there was no reason to not preach the word in Asia except the Spirit had directed them elsewhere. We should not just assume God wants us in a particular place at a particular time, without the guidance from the Spirit of God. The fact that the Spirit forbade them from preaching the word in Asia is most likely in indication they went into Asia and gave it a try. Also, note that later on, Paul would minister in Ephesus – which is a part of Asia.
We see next in their story “they tried to go into Bithynia.” Once again, the Spirit of God would not allow them to preach the word in that land. In both cases, Asia and Bithynia, these servants of God went into the undirected area to minister and had to change their direction to find God’s divine purpose, which was to go to Macedonia. So, sometimes an act of repentance is not due to some gross sin (I suppose all sin is gross), but due to following a path God had not illuminated for us to follow. We receive the same grace in those times to repent and change our direction.
One thing that must be mentioned here is that it is the kindness of God that leads us to repentance. Remember this verse.
Romans 2:4 – “Do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?”
God’s goodness and kindness is often misread by believers as a license to continue in their mis-directed lifestyle. “If God has not struck me down by now, then He must be okay with my choices and actions.” God is not your grandmother that overlooks everything you do. The intention of the Lord in extending kindness and patience towards us is not for us to take advantage of His good nature, but rather to understand they are meant to draw us into repentance. We must remember this as well when we engage with people outside God’s kingdom and are presenting them the gospel. It is kindness that will draw them to repentance, not our condemning them attempting to be the convicting agent.
The first words recorded from the lips of the Lord Jesus was “repent.” (Matthew 4:17) We are called upon to live in such a frame of mind that repentance isn’t something we resist or delay, so that we might live a life that can be described as holy and blameless. It is repentance on a regular basis that will keep us close to the strait and narrow. As the Puritan Thomas Watson wrote,
“Repentance is a grace of God’s Spirit whereby a sinner is inwardly humbled and visibly reformed.”
The Scripture is clear that repentance is a change of mind resulting in a change of life. John MacArthur defined repentance as,
“The meaning of the word repentance has been twisted in recent years to the point that its biblical meaning is now obscured in the minds of many. The idea that genuine repentance could result in anything but a change of life is completely foreign to Scripture.”
As we march on as soldiers in the Lord’s army, we should remind ourselves the message of repentance is something we proclaim to ourselves each and every day. We should not shy away from those occasions when the Spirit of God convicts us of our missing the mark of holiness set by our Lord. We also should know that repentance doesn’t mean we are a vile sinner, but a person living in a tabernacle of clay, who needs direction and correction throughout our days. Thank God for the gift of repentance because it means He cares for us.
O Come To The Altar
Chris Brown, Mack Brock, Steven Furtick, and Wade Joye. 2017
Are you hurting and broken within
Overwhelmed by the weight of your sin Jesus is calling
Have you come to the end of yourself
Do you thirst for a drink from the well Jesus is calling
O come to the altar
The Father’s arms are open wide
Forgiveness was bought with
The precious blood of Jesus Christ
Leave behind your regrets and mistakes
Come today there’s no reason to wait
Jesus is calling
Bring your sorrows and trade them for joy
From the ashes a new life is born
Jesus is calling
Oh what a Savior
Isn’t He wonderful
Sing alleluia, Christ is risen
Bow down before Him
For He is Lord of all
Sing alleluia, Christ is risen
