Repentance
Wow it’s been a long time since I blogged. I’m going to try to start doing it more this summer, but no promises. This post is inspired by something the speaker last night at FCA said. His message wasn’t really about this, but he said something that caught my attention. He said, “repentance means changing the way you think.” I had always thought that repentance was feeling bad or regretful about doing something sinful and asking for forgiveness. Well, it actually does. The dictionary says the word repent means “to feel sorry, self-reproachful, or contrite for past conduct; regret or be conscience-stricken about a past action, attitude, etc.” But let’s take a look at the Bible. That usually helps.
The Bible uses the word repent a lot. Let’s take a look at just a few:
“From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” – Matthew 4:17
“the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” – Mark 1:15
“but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. ” – Luke 13:3
“Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” – 2 Corinthians 7:10
“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
Looks to me like this is a pretty serious issue => Repent or die. Obviously it’s not a physical death, but a spiritual one. So let’s figure out how to repent. Like I said, I think a lot of people think repentance is feeling bad about doing something wrong. A lot of people think repentance involves not doing that past sin again (for example: I cheated once, but I promise I won’t do it again) But I don’t think that’s all God wants for us. A lot people would feel bad about doing something morally wrong like hurting an innocent child or committing adultery. It doesn’t take the Holy Spirit to cause that. But without Jesus, that is worldly sorrow which, as we see in 2 Corinthians above, brings about death. One example of this is when Judas turned Jesus over to the religious leaders.
Matthew 27:3-5 says “When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.” “What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.” So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.”
Judas suffered from worldly sorrow about betraying someone who trusted him, but that lead to his death. So what makes Biblical sorrow and repentance different? Biblical sorrow is caused by a change of mind.
The word for repent in the Bible comes from the Greek word Metanoia which literally translates to “changing one’s mind”. Why is Jesus so zealous about getting us to change our minds? I think it’s because of what the change of mind represents. What brings about a change of mind? Something has to happen to make you change your mind. One of those things is a change in beliefs. If you go from living for yourself to believing in Jesus Christ and knowing that He is the son of God and our savior, I’d say that counts. That transformation leads to a change in your mind and your heart. This change in heart involves allowing Jesus to come in and live inside of us. Having Jesus inside of us leads to Godly sorrow. Sorrow shouldn’t be confused with depression or sadness; sorrow is healthy, for sorrow not only makes us appreciate happiness and joy even more but it leads to a change in actions. Godly sorrow is felt in the heart, and as Matthew 12:34 states “For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” This Godly sorrow naturally changes the way we act, speak, and live our lives.But don’t be discouraged if you have made that change of mind and still make mistakes and mess up with your actions. In Romans 7:15, John says “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” John repented and he was one of the most Godly men ever to walk the Earth, but he still messed up a lot. Jesus has paid for our sins past, present, and future, and repentance is what He commands for your life.
So, in my opinion, repentance is not an act or a temporary feeling or sadness, but a lifestyle that you choose when you accept Jesus in your life. Repentance is the most important part of a Christian life. Repentance is God’s plan. Once you repent and have a radical change of mind, the rest of your life will never be the same. Your mind and heart are connected in the Bible, so when your mind changes, your heart changes, and your actions change. This is why repentance is so much more than guilt, regret, asking for forgiveness, or saying you won’t do something again. It’s a radical life change. If you haven’t made it yet, I encourage you to think about it. Maybe take that leap of faith. If you have made it, are you living like it? Do your actions reflect a changed mind and a changed heart? I have a lot of work to do myself, but I just wanted to write about what true repentance was in my opinion and how it applies to us in our everyday lives. I learned some stuff while writing this and I hope you did too.
