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.

Mere Regret is not enough

St. Paul writes to the Corinthians in his second letter stating that,

‘ godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. It produces the eagerness to clear oneself ‘. ( II Cor 7:10,11)

Paul is talking about the way in which the Corinthian church received his corrections written to them even though it hurt their feelings a little. He sees the reward it has given rise to and compares it to the worldly sorrow that produces death to the life in Christ. It is vivid that godly sorrow yields the fruit of repentance and worldly sorrow is fruitless regret. How do we illustrate the difference?

Two clear cases are there in the Bible that bring out clearly that mere regret over past sins will not bring about restoration in one’s life.

1. We find Judas Iscariot the betrayer of Jesus, who was also his chosen disciple, after seeing that the Jewish leaders had got death sentence passed by the Roman rulers on Jesus ,

‘was seized with remorse ……. Went away and hanged himself’. ( Matt 27:3-5 NIV) ; ‘Judas was afflicted in mind and troubled for his former folly; and with a little more of selfish dread of the consequences …. Went away and hanged himself’’ ( Matt 27:3-5 AMP).

He sure regretted for what he did to Jesus, but did not come to a point of repentance. He became sorrowful but found not the grace of God to clear himself up.

We may contrast Judas to Peter and see what resulted. Peter denied knowing Jesus, his closest friend and Master, to whom he said,

‘even if everyone leaves you I will not. I am prepared to follow you to prison and in death’.

Peter surely disowned Jesus on the same night on which Judas betrayed Jesus.

‘When a rooster crowed in the wee hours of the morning, Peter remembered the words of Jesus , and he went outside and wept bitterly.’ ( Matt 26:74,75)

Later Jesus Christ met Peter as the Risen Lord and restored him back to the place from where Peter fell. Grace lifted him up and he confessed to Christ and declared his loving devotion to Jesus. Peter did not run away immediately. The stealth of Judas can never be compared to the impulsive reaction of Peter in fear.

‘Jesus did not need man’s testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man’. ( Jn2:25)

Repentance is accompanied by a change of mind and spirit. On the one hand we find Peter reinstated in his calling with enhanced power of the Holy Spirit and testified to thousands about the resurrected Christ( Acts 2:23), and on the other hand ‘ the son of perdition alone was lost’ among the disciples ( Jn 17:12). It is clarified to the believer that a regret without repentance leads to death , spiritual and otherwise. A repentance is restoring in its result and it is rather a ‘U-turn’ as some Bible teachers put it .

2. An Old Testament character, Esau who lost the right to become a patriarch of Israel by choice, is also mentioned by the author of the book of Hebrews and put forth as a warning signal to the believers of that period of time.

‘ See that no one is sexually immoral or godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. …. When he wanted to inherit the blessing he was rejected. He could bring about no change of mind, though he sought it with tears’ (Heb 12:16,17). ‘ He found no opportunity to repair by repentance…… to recall the choice he made once earlier…..’( AMP) How sad!!

Esau rejected the double blessing of leading the clan socially and spiritually. His priority was the ‘temporal’ and he was indifferent to the spiritual. Esau chose to be godless rather than following the rules of God. Did he not regret? Oh, yes he did! He did regret but did not repent. He did not turn roundabout and mend his ways. Instead he continued to live as he liked and piled up wealth and people but rejected by God. The readers are admonished not to model their lives after Esau. The Lord chose Jacob, the cheat, over Esau because he chose to take on the double responsibility to be a social and spiritual leader! He was brought to seek the face of God at Peniel which was a more blessed experience than the one at Bethel. It caused a change of his nature as the Lord changed it from ‘Jacob’ to ‘Israel’.

The book of Obadiah with just one chapter, pronounces the doom of Edom, the descendants of Esau for the violence done against Israel. What we notice here is the curse falling upon a generation that has nursed hatred against their brethren, because of the ancestral sins.

The What and Why of repentance

‘The biblical meaning of repentance is’ a turning from sin to God’. Sin indicates the mindset to go against the will of God and the nature of God. ‘The open demonstration of this turning to God is also referred to as conversion ‘. Faith involves repentance and repentance involves faith. (Don Fleming, concise Bible Dictionary, AMG Publishers, USA)

Repentance is to ‘think differently ,regretting for the past sins and changing the mind ‘( AMP). The act of faith is repentance in case of one who turns to God believing in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus, the sinless lamb of God. It is more than sorrow, it is surrender to God. It seeks for the forgiveness of God for sins. Yet God in his grace and mercy forgives freely. Grace is the ‘undeserved favour’ we receive from God. Mercy is the’ great escape from the ‘punishment due to us’ by the grace of God. True repentance involves the turning to God from self-driven sinful walk of life. It results in a changed lifestyle, that seeks to please God rather than one self.

Being born again, denotes repentance from one’s own ways and being resurrected in the spirit man, to be changed in the whole being by the Spirit of God to lead a new life acceptable to God. Such are the people in whom God is pleased and they become the children of God. (Jn 1:12). This is being born of God and in the spirit by the Holy Spirit. The spiritual death into which humanity plunged because of the ‘great fall’ in the garden of Eden ,is nullified and man is restored back to the same relationship with God , which was intended to be. Anyone who repents and receives the salvation through Christ, becomes eligible to inherit in Christ, all the blessings available in the kingdom of God in the now and eternity. The kingdom of god indicates the ‘rule of God’ in the lives of believers in time and in eternity.

Who are to REPENT?

No matter what, the Bible points out that all the children of God need to repent, whether a chosen generation , gentiles who do not know him or the Church of Jesus Christ which has once turned to him in repentance. We should regularly introspect and turn to God from our worldly ways! It is not directed only to some people labelled as ‘sinners’. Repentance is the eligibility criterion for entering into the perfect kingdom of God that is synonymous with the kingdom of heaven, as seen in the gospels. ‘The Lord desires not one to perish but all to turn to repentance’ (II Pet 3:9).

The prophets gave a clarion call to the people of Israel to repent from wickedness and change their lives (Jer 8:6). Quite often it is the ‘turning away’ they talked about. Prophet Ezekiel brings it out emphatically. Ezek 14:6 says that the children of Israel, the elect of God, in His sovereign will, should repent and ‘turn away’ from their idols and their abominations. Ezek 18:30, instructs them to turn away from their transgressions. It is crystal clear that repentance involves action that is commensurate with the faith as its demonstration. Salvation does involve a lifestyle that reflects the ‘repentance’ of heart and soul. Otherwise it may be simply a regret that bears no fruit.

‘Repent’ seems to be the bottom line of the Spiritual walk with Christ. The word ‘repent’ is freely used more in the New Testament than the Old Testament. Many references are there in the gospels and epistles to repentance. John the Baptist started his mission in the deserts of Judea, with a call to repentance and he baptised the people who came to him unto repentance and forgiveness of sins. (Matt 3:3).The Lord Jesus started his earthly ministry in Galilee of the gentiles and his first declaration was ‘REPENT for the kingdom of God is at hand’(Matt 4:17). Jesus told Nicodemus, a devout Pharisee that unless he is born again, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. (John 3:3). Jesus taught his disciples ,

‘Unless one repents and become like a child at heart, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God’. (Matt 18:3). When Jesus was talking to multitudes, he said that ,‘unless they repent they too will perish’ (Lk 13:3,5). Once a person repents he/she is expected to produce in their lives fruits that are consistent with repentance. ‘ let the lives show the change of hearts’ (Matt 3:8). The final commission of Jesus to his disciples as put forward by Luke is that , ‘repentance (with a view to and a condition for) and forgiveness of sins in His name to be preached to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem (Lk 24:47AMP).

After his resurrection Jesus appeared for forty days to the disciples and talked about the ‘things pertaining to the kingdom of God’ and was teaching them (Acts 1:3). We understand that ‘repentance’ is a precondition to enter into the kingdom , i.e., come under the rule, of God. The early church functioned to this end only. ‘Repentance’ is the first milestone in following Christ, ‘The Way’. The lives of the disciples were counted worthy to live only for this supreme cause.

The book of the Acts of the apostles, which is rather ‘the acts of the Holy Spirit’, details the message of repentance preached to both Jews and all the gentiles without any discrimination, across the world. Jesus is the Saviour of the whole world. Barriers were crossed. His Holy Spirit can pervade anywhere and everywhere. Peter, to whom Jesus gave the charge of leading the disciples after ascending to the heavens, addressed a multitude of Jews gathered in Jerusalem for the feast of the Pentecost , emboldened with the power of the Holy Spirit and 3000 were repenting and added to the church that same day. The Day of Pentecost is the birthday of the Church of Christ!

“Peter answered them, ‘Repent (change your views and purpose to accept the will of God in yourselves instead of rejecting it) and be baptised ,in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of and release from your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit’. ” (Acts 2:38 AMP) .

Peter in his rhetoric after the first miracle performed by him and John, in the name of Jesus, declares once again,

‘ so repent (change your mind and purpose); turn around and return [to God], that your sins may be erased …’ (Acts 3:19 AMP ).

It is clear that the salvation in Christ is free for all who repent of their past sins and believe on His name and his atoning sacrifice on the cross for the whole world, since Jesus is the Son of God , the creator of the universe.

The apostle Paul, commissioned by our Risen Lord Jesus to preach His gospel to the gentile world, addresses a crowd in Athens, saying

‘…God now charges ALL people EVERYWHERE to REPENT….’ (Acts 17:30) .

Paul standing convicted for preaching the gospel of Jesus ,in front of King Herod, Agrippa, boldly witnesses saying,

‘… the whole land of Judea and among the gentiles, that they must repent and turn to God, and do works and live lives consistent and worthy of their repentance’ (Acts26:20).

The early church consisting of Jewish and non-Jewish believers had taught and lived ‘repentance’.

The Book of Revelation to John, presents the vision of John wherein the risen Lord Jesus, the alpha and omega, the one who died as human and rose again as the Divine, summons the seven churches in Asia. He commends and cautions the believers and reminds them of their call to be His witness in the world and to be with him in eternity. These things apply to the body of Christ through all ages! Christ calls upon the church to ‘repent and return ‘ repeatedly. Three times this call is given within two chapters (Rev 2: 5, 16; 3: 19).

To me it implies that it is sealed that all of the Christian believers are to repent. Have we not repented already? Yes, but it is a command to be obeyed each day , constantly, continue to be cleansed and be holy in the Christian walk till the end . Only by REPENTING constantly and returning to the Lord every time, can we be in sweet communion with the Spirit of Christ all through.

 ‘Without Him we can do nothing’(John 5:5). Jesus said, ‘Lo, I am with you all days to the end of ages’ (Matt 28:20).   AMEN and AMEN!!