Repent and Turn

What Is Biblical Repentance?

Repentance isn't 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.

How to Repent in Christ

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. Jeremiah 25: 4-6 tells us that the people have ignored the prophet's call to repent. In Ezekiel 18: 30-31, God says to "repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin."

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. We know that God is faithful to forgive us from our sins when we confess them (1 John 1:9).

Confession and Forgiveness in Christ

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’ Call to Repentance: Repent and Turn

In the Gospels, 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.” And in Luke 24: 46-47, in speaking to his disciples, Jesus said, it was necessary for Him to suffer and rise from the dead. It was necessary that "repentance and remission of sins" should be preached everywhere. 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.

Repentance in the Early Church

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 recorded by John says,

"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 everlasting and abundant life. We don't just sorrow for sins, we confess and we turn from them. The Lord looks at the heart. 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.

Repentance as a Lifelong Journey

Jeremiah 25: 4-6 tells us that the people have ignored the prophet's call to repent. Repentance is a journey of a lifetime. Why? Because we will stumble, we will fall and we all fail sometimes, 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. We should embrace His forgiveness. 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

Repent and Turn