Repentance
In trying to learn how to stay out of hell and get to heaven, we must explore
several different areas such as
repentance, forgiveness, Baptism, and witnessing our faith to others, doing the
will of the Father. Repentance is a word used often but understood little.
Many define repentence as simply saying you are sorry for your sins; but
it goes much further than that.
Repentance
is a change of thought and action to correct a wrong and gain forgiveness
from the one wronged. In religious contexts it usually refers to confession to God,
turning away from sin
against Him, and resolving to live according to His law. It always includes an
admission of guilt,
and includes a promise not to repeat the offense; it includes an attempt to make
restitution for the wrong, or in some way to reverse the harmful effects of the
wrong where possible.
In
the New
Testament, the word translated as 'repentance' means: 'to think differently
after'. Repentance is an after-thought, different from the former thought; a
change of mind accompanied by regret and change of conduct. A "change of
mind and heart", or, "change of consciousness". One of the key
descriptions of repentance in the New Testament is the parable
of the prodigal
son found in the Gospel
of Luke 15 beginning at verse 11.
11"There
was a man who had two sons. 12The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give
me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them.
13"Not
long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant
country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14After he had spent
everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be
in need. 15So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who
sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16He longed to fill his stomach with the
pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17"When
he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to
spare, and here I am starving to death! 18I will set out and go back to my
father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19I
am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.'
20So he got up and went to his father.
"But while he was still a long way off,
his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son,
threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21"The
son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no
longer worthy to be called your son.[b]'
22"But
the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him.
Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23Bring the fattened calf and
kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. 24For this son of mine was dead and
is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.
25"Meanwhile,
the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and
dancing. 26So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on.
27'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened
calf because he has him back safe and sound.'
28"The
older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and
pleaded with him. 29But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been
slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a
young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30But when this son of yours
who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the
fattened calf for him!'
31"
'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is
yours. 32But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was
dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' "
The
story of the prodigal son is the story of the sinner's restoration to fellowship
with God our heavenly Father. Repentance is always about that, even when
the repenting sinner is already a Christian!
Deep level change isn't going to happen just because you know something in your
head. Being effective at "changing your mind" requires taking steps to
train your heart that it is right, good, and safe to turn and draw near to God. You
have to take steps to calm your fears and build your faith. You have to
become a teacher and your own heart has to become your student. By this, you can
change from the inside out. Repentance should be as important a practice in your
Christian life as prayer or reading the Bible.
_________________________________________________
There are
Steps to Repentance:
1.
Feel Godly Sorrow
"For I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin."
(Psalms 38:18)
o
First
recognize that you've committed a sin against God's commandments.
o
Feel true
sorrow for what you've done and for disobeying our Heavenly Father.
o
Feel sorrow
for any pain you may have caused toward other people.
2.
Confess to God
o
Pray to our
Heavenly Father and be honest with him.
o
Tell him of
your sin(s).
o
Confess only
to Yahweh or Yahshua, no one else.
3.
Ask for Forgiveness
o
Pray to God
for his forgiveness.
o
Forgive
others who have hurt you.
o
Forgive
yourself and know that God loves you, even though you've sinned.
4.
Rectify Problems Caused by the Sin(s)
"And if it be stolen from him, he shall make restitution unto the owner
thereof."
(Exodus 22:12)
o
Make
restitution by fixing any problems caused by your sin.
o
Problems
caused by sin include physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual damage.
o
If you can't
rectify the problem sincerely ask forgiveness of those wronged and try to find
another way to show your change of heart.
5.
Forsake Sin
"He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and
forsaketh them shall have mercy. (Proverbs
28:13
o
Make a
promise to yourself and to God that you will never repeat the sin.
o
Recommit
yourself to obeying God's commandments.
o
Continue to
repent if you sin again.
6.
Receive Forgiveness
"Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the
Lord, remember them no more." (Jeremiah 31:34)
o
The Lord
will forgive you when you truly repent with a sincere heart.
o
Allow his
forgiveness to come upon you.
o
When you
feel at peace with yourself you can know you are forgiven.
o
Don't hold
onto your sin and the sorrow you've felt.
New
Testament repentance is not confined to the unsaved or to the moment of
conversion. It may take place repeatedly within the Christian experience,
whenever there is a need for it.
Of
all the New Testament writers, Luke speaks the most frequently about repentance.
Yet, in one of Luke's most famous stories, a badly shaken Philippian jailer
inquires of Paul and Silas, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" The
answer they give to him is: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will
be saved, you and your household" (Acts 16:31). There is not a word
here-not a syllable!-about repentance. Paul and Silas did not say,
"Repent and believe," but simply, "believe."
"But," someone will say, "does not the Bible also declare God's
demand for repentance?" Indeed it does, and perhaps nowhere more forcefully
than in Acts 17:30 where Paul declares: "And these times of ignorance God
overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent.). Simply put, we may
say this: the call to faith represents the call to eternal salvation. The call
to repentance is the call to enter into harmonious relations with God.
If the issue is simply,
"What must I do to be saved?" the answer is to believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ (Ac 16:31). If the issue is the broader one, "How can I get on
harmonious terms with God?" the answer is "repentance toward God and
faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 20:21).
Along the course of Christian life,
the believer will need to repent many times as the Scriptures clearly attest.
And although no one will be saved more than once, the
fact still remains that God demands repentance from all and He conditions their fellowship
with Him on that.
The Gospel of John does not reference repentance at all; not once.
But "No evangelism that omits the message of repentance can properly
be called the gospel, for sinners cannot come to Jesus Christ apart from a
radical change of heart, mind, and will."
In
Luke 5:31,32 Jesus tells us , “Those who are well do not need a physician, but
those who are sick. I have not come to call [ invite] the righteous, but
sinners, to repentance”.
"I
am here," says our Lord, "to bring spiritual health to those who are
sick with sin. I have come to invite sinners to the banquet of repentance."
That
is what repentance is all about. It is all about the sinner finding
spiritual health. It is all about the sinner "sitting at the
table"-having fellowship-with God. Without repentance, repeated whenever
the need for it exists, there is no fellowship with God.
God desires fellowship with repenting sinners. Thus to repent is to rediscover
our direction and to experience true "life" in harmony with our Maker.
The call to repentance is the call to harmonious relations with God.
We must conclude that the call to repentance is broader than the
call to eternal salvation. It is rather a call to harmony between the
creature and His Creator, a call to fellowship between sinful men and
women and a forgiving God. And it is necessary if you want a relationship with
God.