Repentance. Not a word we hear a lot anymore. Not even in church. When we hear that word, we probably imagine it means to be sorry for your sins, to feel bad for something wrong you did, which in part that is absolutely correct, but the Hebrew word for repentance means much more. In Hebrew it means to return. When we repent, we are to have remorse for our sin but that feeling of remorse is to be followed up by action. The action of returning to God. The action of turning our heart back to the God who first loved us. Repentance without this turning away from sin is not true repentance.
The Old Testament prophets were continuously calling the Jewish nation to repentance. In Ezekiel 18: 30-31 the prophet declares:
“Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways,” says the Lord God. “Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel?"
Ezekiel doesn't just say that God says to repent, he says God says to "repent and turn". Repentance with just a lot of sorrow is empty. Nothing really changes. When we turn from our sin - that is the action God expects from our sorrow.
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." I John 1: 9. Repentance and confession are the cornerstones of a forgiven and justified life. To turn from something, we have to acknowledge it's existence. When we confess our sins we acknowledge our shortcomings, our failures - ever present before the perfection of God, and then we must do something about them. We must turn from them.
Jesus first and foremost declared that people should repent. In Matthew 4: 17(b) He says,
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
In Mark 1: 15 (b)Jesus says:
"Repent, and believe in the gospel.”
It is recorded in Luke 24: 46-47, in speaking to his disciples, Jesus said,
"Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem."
While the gospel of John never specifically uses the word "repent" or "repentance" you see repeatedly the implication of repentance. In John we see that people are told to "honor God", "obey the Son", "love the light", all action verbs that require repentance.
In the early church the book of Acts thunders with the command to repent (emphasis added).
Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38)
"Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out" (Acts 3:19a)
"When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.” (Acts 11:18)
"Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent," (Acts 17:30)
"testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ."(Acts 20:21)
In Revelation one of the last things told to the Church that John records is this:
"Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you." Revelation 3:3
So from the beginning of the Bible to the end we see the importance of repentance. Of turning to the One who gives us life everlasting and abundant. We don't just sorrow for sins, we confess and we turn from them. This is the proof of our love for Him who first loved us. To stay mired in the old ways, to stay the "same" is not possible when we have truly encountered the Holy Spirit.
Jeremiah 25: 4-6 says,
"And the Lord has sent to you all His servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, but you have not listened nor inclined your ear to hear. They said, ‘Repent now everyone of his evil way and his evil doings, and dwell in the land that the Lord has given to you and your fathers forever and ever. Do not go after other gods to serve them and worship them, and do not provoke Me to anger with the works of your hands; and I will not harm you.’"
Repentance is a journey of a lifetime. Why? Because we will stumble, we will fall and we will fail, but God's mercy reaches out to us and gently reminds us to turn, to turn back to the one who loves us and who has promised us good things. Our beloved Father, our Shepherd who lovingly tends His flock, waits for us. We are His sheep, we hear His voice, we must turn as He commands.
Enjoy "I Repent" by Steve Green here
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