Why is it that our culture has retarded the word repentance. We have all been guilty of it. "Jesus, I REPENT of my sins, I'm sorry I (fill in the blank). Please forgive me." WHY ARE YOU BEGGING GOD TO FORGIVE YOU!?!?!?! He already has! Now, before you get all upset, I am not saying we don't need to ask for repentance of our sins, but what exactly is repentance? What does God's Word tell us about the word repentance? What does the language of Jesus say about the word repentance.
The Hebrew word for repent ( התחרט ) is to be sorry, regretful for one's actions, but also to return, turn back, or restore oneself to a place of holiness. It is a verb; an action requiring you to actually change something. The Hebrew for repentance ( חרטה ) is an actual returning, or retirement, or withdrawal from something. The Greek word for repentance (μετανιώνω or metaniono) means changing one's mind of something already done. A change is involved in all of these definitions. "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,..." (Acts 3:19) Did you catch the "and turn to God" part? Hey, I didn't say it... the Holy Spirit said it.
Have you ever known those people that say "I know (blank) is a sin, but God forgives sin, so it is OK to do it.". I want to smack that person in the forehead. The Bible says in 1 John 2: 3 - 6, "We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did." Maybe they should actually live by his commands. That is true repentance. God is not an enabler of wicked ways, he is a transformer. He doesn't allow us to live the way we want to freely, He convicts us to live the way Jesus did.
Jeremiah 5:3, "O LORD, do not your eyes look for truth? You struck them, but they felt no pain; you crushed them, but they refused correction. They made their faces harder than stone and refused to repent." Some of us get hit over the head by God and still refuse to repent (change). Ever had to hit rock bottom before you changed your ways? Are you on your way to rock bottom now?
"For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death." (2 Corinthians 7:10) This is Miranda's new favorite verse. God says that there is such a thing as a worldly "sorry". It is the one that keeps leading to death. Instead, the sorrow that is according to the will of God is a sorrow that leads to repentance (which we know means "a change").
So, for the Christian that is stuck in their ways of saying sorry to God, maybe try asking Him for strength to actually CHANGE instead of saying sorry. For the Christian that says on Friday morning ' God will forgive me for what I will do tonight' THINK AGAIN! For the Christian that feels like they are heading for rock bottom, maybe try truly repenting before you feel the full wrath of God. And for the Christian that says sorry but has no passion behind the idea of changing... are they really sorry? Maybe not. Remember that God judges the heart and not the mouth. Listen to this,"If you love me you will keep My commandments." (John 14:15).
AG
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