Repentance

On October 4, my post was entitled the Keys to the Kingdom. In that post we looked at the first ever gospel message, preached by the Apostle Peter on Pentecost. Jesus had given Peter the Keys to the Kingdom of heaven, and Peter used those keys to show us how to get into heaven. Peter responded to those who were cut to the heart by his message with the instructions to:

“Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off – for all whom the Lord our God will call.” (Acts 2:38-39)

As the Bible records, the keys to the kingdom of heaven require us

1. to be cut to the heart by our sin and what Jesus did on the cross to redeem us
2. to repent
3. to be baptized for the forgiveness of sin

Let's look at repentance. Many people think repentance is just feeling sorry about your sin. That is part of being “cut to the heart.” Feeling sorry is not repentance.

In the New Testament, [repentance] does not merely mean “change of mind” (as some have gathered from the Greek term); it reflects the Old Testament and Jewish concept of “turning around” or “turning away' from sin. Jewish people were to repent whenever they sinned; the New Testament uses the term especially for the once-for-all turning a Gentile would undergo when converting to Judaism or any sinner would undergo when becoming a follower of Jesus.^*

I've heard repentance described as “making a 180.” Turn your life around in a completely different direction – the direction that God calls you to go.

To show that repentance meant more than just feeling sorry or having a change of mind, let's look at the first call to repentance in the New testament.

Then [John] said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. (Lk 3:7-8 NKJV)

John the Baptist tells us that we need to bear fruits of repentance. There must be action that accompanies repentance. A Christian heritage or a Christian ceremony is not enough. Feeling sorry is not enough. We must turn away from sin and this turning will produce fruits – actions or results – of repentance.

Prayer: Father, we know we are sinners. It is our sin, it is my sin, that sent Jesus to the cross. That burdens my heart, and I know it burdens the hearts of many who read this. Please help us to respond to that burden with repentance. Let our lives be different today because we love Jesus. Show us the areas of our lives that need to change. Give us the strength and power to make that change. Thank you so much that Jesus went to the cross! Thank you that He led a sinless life so that we could have an example, and so that He could be the perfect sacrifice for our sins. Help us to imitate Him out of a deep love and gratitude. Please help us, please help me, not to belittle His sacrifice by clinging to our sin and our excuses. In the precious name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

*The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, Craig S. Keener, InterVarsity Press, 1993.