Repentance

Written By: Darius

What is repentance, and why is it important?

There are some misunderstandings of what repentance actually is. Many people think it's simply just asking for forgiveness, but it does go deeper than that. Repentance isn't just a one-time action, it's a mindset and a way of living. To truly repent, you must recognize your sinful ways, realize how desperately you need salvation, and accept Christ fully into your heart. Repentance means to rearrange your entire way of thinking and living, giving up what is wrong, and surrendering yourself fully to God. 

True faith will produce fruits of the spirit, one of these fruits is repentance. As your heart grows more aligned with God's will, you will start to notice this. Sins that you once indulged in won't satisfy you anymore, and your words and actions will reflect a desire to honor God. Now repentance by no means is about being perfect, because none of us ever will be. We will all still be sinners for the rest of our lives. What repentance is about, is acknowledging that sin is evil, and doing our best to turn away from sin.

I'm sure you've seen many examples of Christians who are comfortable in their sin. These people are often called lukewarm Christians, meaning they believe in God, but aren't on fire for God. They aren't cold because they claim to be followers of Christ, but they're not hot, because they don't live out His commandments. 

"I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of my mouth" (Revelation 3:15-16).

This verse is Jesus speaking about people who are lukewarm in their faith. He says that He wants us to either be fully devoted to Him, or not devoted at all, rather than being lukewarm. He uses the analogy of vomiting to express His disgust towards people who claim His name, but aren't actually devoted to Him. This is why repentance is so important. If we claim to follow Christ, but don't actually surrender our hearts and lives to Him, then we are lukewarm.

The role of repentance for salvation

If you believe and have faith in God, then you must also believe that sin is real, and that sin separates us from a holy God. That separation is the very reason we need repentance.

Jesus didn't just come to forgive us, He came to call us to repent. Throughout Scripture, we can see many times that we as believers are called to repent. Here are some of the more prominent verses:

"From then on Jesus began to preach, 'Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near'" (Matthew 4:17) 

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15)

"Therefore repent and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped out" (Acts 3:19)

These verses make it clear that repentance is important. Faith and repentance go hand in hand. You simply can't fully turn to God, without turning away from sin. If we have faith, but don't turn from sin, then our faith isn't true.

"The one who says, 'I have come to know him,' and yet doesn’t keep his commands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps his word, truly in him the love of God is made complete. This is how we know we are in him: The one who says he remains in him should walk just as he walked. " (1 John 2:4-6).

This verse emphasizes that point. If we claim to know Jesus, but don't repent and do our best to keep His commandments, then He isn't in us, but if we keep His word, and repent, we can be saved.

Do I repent to be saved, or because I'm saved?

An important thing to make clear is that repentance is not about working your way to heaven. Salvation is a free gift we receive by God's grace. We don't repent to earn God's love, we repent because of His love. When we put faith in God, and receive his grace and love, our natural response should be to follow Him, and to turn away from evil. Essentially, the change to repentance is caused by being saved, not the other way around.

Can I repent later, and just live in sin now?

This is a mindset I've unfortunately seen a lot. Many people live with this idea that they'll live however they want for now, then before they die they'll repent and ask for forgiveness. Now, while it's absolutely possible to truly repent and turn to God after living out a long sinful life, we shouldn't wait to give ourselves fully to God. 

Answer this, when are you going to die? Hopefully you'll live a long healthy life and die of old age, but that's never a guarantee. Every night when we go to bed, we may not wake up in the morning. Each time we drive somewhere, we could get into a fatal crash. We simply don't know when we're going to die, so trying to wait until last minute to repent isn't a good way to go about it. We need to fully turn to God and repent now! Everyday of our lives are not guaranteed, and you would much rather turn to God now, then regret waiting.

Where do you stand?

Jesus truly does love you, no matter who you are or what you've done. He's not asking for perfection, but for you to give Him all your heart. You'll make mistakes and stumble, and struggle with faith, but what matters is that you keep following Him and going back to Him after you fall. Repentance isn't about never sinning again, but about making a decision to follow God every day, even when it's hard. If you haven't already dedicated your life to Christ and turned away from your sinful ways, then don't wait. Let the way you live and the fruits you produce show that your faith is real. Don't wait, start today.