REPENTANCE is much more than mere REGRET

Christians are very familiar with the term ‘repent’ and more often than not we tend to treat it lightly not realising the meaning in its wholeness. Time and time again we hear sermons and revival messages mentioning and emphasising the word ‘REPENT’. It is even mistakenly understood to be simply ‘regret’ for the wrong doings and sins of commission and omission. There is a lot more to it. It is like the tip of an iceberg. The hidden part is not easily recognisable unless some effort is put in to take a closer look. In this blog I am attempting to explain it with references from the Holy Bible and some illustrations.

THE LORD RESTORES WHAT HIS PEOPLE HAVE LOST

Time and time again the Bible presents the people mentioned in it having lost all that they have or a considerable portion of their possessions which they have lost. It never stops there. At some point later, there is recorded the manifold recovery of what is lost earlier and the losers rejoicing in the recovery. In scriptural terms, we even call these ‘total recovery’. Does it apply to our times also? The answer is an emphatic ’yes’.

The Holy Bible is a book for all people and all times. There are eternal truths which can never be altered. One such truth is the ‘recovery of the lost’. Jesus is telling parables concerning ‘the lost sheep /coin/son’. Everywhere the ‘loser’ persists till the ‘lost’ is found and more than restored. The redemption plan of the Bible is also that God came in search of the fallen humans and took upon Himself the whole process of recovering the ‘lost’. God is always the victor, though we stumble on the way, trip and fall. His love searches for us and He redeems and restores us back to Himself. The Eternal God does the same thing in spirit, soul and body. For those of us who believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour there is always the hope of recovering all that we lost or lose now and then in the earthly journey. We are more than conquerors through Christ who loved us. (Rom 8: 37). Loss is not at all the final word for God’s people.

Let me illustrate the point I am making with what the Lord has been teaching me. Hope that the readers will be encouraged and edified with the biblical illustrations I am presenting in this blog. Hallelujah!! The Old Testament is full of historical characters who ‘lost’ people and materials due to some reason or the other and have ‘recovered’ what was lost. I was intrigued by David, Job, Daniel and Isaac, men of strong faith who drew their spiritual strength from relying on God and His Word. Prophet Joel declares that what the people of Judah lost due to falling away from the LORD will be restored by the LORD Himself. He goes on to say that God’s people will never be put to shame in front of the others.(Joel 2:25,26). It holds good for any Bible believing person too.