Repentance
By Mike Mancuso
In Matthew's gospel, the first recorded public ministry words of Jesus after his temptation in the wilderness was to, “repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
A.W. Tozer wrote that, "Sin is a radical moral dislocation from God," which is a theologian’s way of saying that sin separates and alienates us from God. Sin deceives us and enslaves us so that we can scarcely remember or know our true selves.
The fact is, we are not all sinners because we sin; we sin because we are all sinners! And sin requires a remedy.
Blaise Pascal said, “Nothing offends us more rudely than the doctrine of original sin, and yet without this mystery, the most incomprehensible of all, we are incomprehensible to ourselves.” Loosely translated, if you don't realize the truth that on your own, you are incorrigible and degenerate from your birth, if you're not appalled by your sins, if you're not ashamed, if you're not utterly frustrated and disgusted by your total inability in and of yourself to not sin, then whatever foundation your salvation is built on is flawed at best and there’s no place for meaningful Godly repentance that brings salvation.
As Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 7:10, worldly sorrow for sins is to be sorry for getting caught or lament the consequences of sin, but Godly repentance leads to a genuine salvation.
To be genuine, salvation must have the component of repentance, and the biblical definition of repentance is a change of mind that results in a change of thinking and especially the behaviors that result from that change.
When the apostle Paul spoke before King Agrippa in the Book of Acts, he defended the new ways—unknown then as Christianity—by stating that the adherents of this new faith are to repent, and turn to God, and do works that proved that repentance.
Despite the availability of the full armor of God as described in Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus, even God’s people still sin. And there are those in the church who say, "God is love, who are we to judge sin”? But the response of God’s Word is that He judges sin with grace and truth.
Grace in our life on earth is applied to repentance and remorse for sin, not sin itself. One needs only to look around, almost anywhere, to see sinners without grace doomed to their slavery to sin. Lamentably, grace is not accessible after death. After death is the unyielding truth of judgement and, without a genuine repentance and change in thoughts and deeds in this life, the final and eternal separation from God.
In the end, friends, the world is not divided into sinners and saints, but into repentant and unrepentant sinners. The prerequisite for joining the family of God isn't to clean yourself up, but to allow Jesus to clean you up. That means turning from sins, not clinging to them. Turning from sin takes faith. Faith brings grace. In the Greek, grace means, “the divine influence on the heart, and the reflection of that influence in the life of the believer.” In other words, a change of mind that results in true repentance, a change of thinking and behavior.
The Westminster Catechism asks the question of the chief end of man, and answers that question with this. “The chief end of man is to glorify God, and enjoy Him forever.” Repentance is the first step in cooperating with and participating in the Kingdom of God.
Challenge:
The obligation of repentance is simple, though not always easy. As you pray today, understand that we are all sinners, but through the gift and grace of Christ, we may be repentant sinners. Allow God to shine a light on your heart for sins known and unknown to you. Repent from them, confessing your sins, and allow His grace to influence your heart and mind, changing your actions and behaviors.