Congratulations on making it to our final step of salvation!
Beads of salty sweat volleyed between his leg hair as he crotched down. Muddied, calloused hands snatching and grabbing at his six-legged dinner. Grunting and gnarling with each successful and failed catch. The first complete handful shoveled into his mouth. Crunch! Bug guts pop, coating his tongue in yellowish-white gut pus. Crunch! Legs and wings snapping and cracking, walking their way between his teeth. Crunch! Earthy pieces and chunks of umami flavored locust slither down his throat.
A crowd has gathered bearing witness to this feast of plague. The man jumps at them, a maddening passion flickering in his eyes. The crowd, starring in bewilderment, hesitant to hear the words of this sweaty, wing-in-tooth mad man. The man cries aloud in a unsocialized yawp, “repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand!”
This may not be an accurate depiction, but it’s how I envision John the Baptist. Uncultured, dirty and filled with passion. Despite being taken aback by his apparel, diet and lifestyle he was considered, by Jesus, to be the greatest of all prophets. His message, however simple, is still as relevant to us today as it was 2,000 years ago, repent!
We’ve all seen the signs posted on street corners, held during football games or poorly written on a bedraggled man’s cardboard sign. We’ve heard or seen the angry, hell-fire preacher’s sermon terrifying grandma and child alike. We see and hear it here and there, we see it everywhere, but do we know what repentance is?
Is repentance just a one-time prayer we pray? Perhaps, to repent means, I’m sorry- despite knowing good and well we plan to make the same dumb choice again. Or is repentance something more refined, more concrete in finality?
Dictionary.com defines repent as: to feel sorry, self-reproachful or contrite for past conduct; regret or to be conscious stricken about a past action, attitude, etc. So, is repentance then just the state of feeling sorry for oneself? Is God looking down upon us thinking, hmm I don’t think he’s hating himself enough yet to be fully repentant?
As we should in all things, let’s read what the Bible has to say about repentance. Here are a few verses that can help us more clearly define what it means to repent:
- Romans 2:4- “… God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance.”
- 2 Corinthians 12:21- “… For Godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.”
- Revelation 16:11- “… They did not repent of their deeds.”
- Matthew 3:8- “Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.”
- Romans 6:11- “So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.”
Repentance begins with the goodness/kindness of God. When we begin to believe, despite all our short comings, despite our inherited evil, despite all that we have said and done contrary to God, that God loves us our hearts become primed to repent. In the glory of Jesus’ love and sacrifice for us certain things we say and do will begin to feel more shameful, dirtier. They begin to grieve our hearts in such a way that only riddance of these things will stop the grief.
Growing up I had a bad habit of saying sorry, for everything. I would say sorry for something just to do the same thing upteen times more the same week. My mom finally had enough of it and told me that sorry meant I wasn’t going to do it again. And now, twenty-five years later I finally admit she was right. Mama knows child, mama knows.
Interestingly, God would tell me the same thing years later, “I’m done with your sorrys. They mean nothing to me. If you were truly sorry you would stop doing it. Tell me you’re sorry by what you do!”
Repentance begins with God’s goodness and is carried out by our actions. It needs to become a lifestyle (more on this later). Repentance is how we show God we are truly sorry for our old way of living. Repentance is an act of faith that shows Jesus our deepest gratitude. Repentance is us waging war against the world itself, setting us apart, consecrating, ourselves unto God.
Jesus tells us to seek first the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33). Jesus is the door to the Kingdom and repentance is the key to enter in. We must be living repentantly if we desire to enter the Kingdom (more on the Kingdom later).
I would bet that even though I have yet to say or list things we need to repent of that there’s been at least one thing in your life that has come to mind. So, start there. If there are things being highlighted in your life that need to be dealt with, deal with them. Get rid of them! Start there. When Holy Spirit convicts us of things He always gives grace along with it. And that grace strengthens us to do things we couldn’t normally do in our own strength.
There is more to learn about sin but for now we will stick with this: sin is what separates us from God and the punishment for sin is death (Romans 6:23).
God gave Mose 10 commandments along with 600 other laws. Any time we do not follow these laws and commands we miss the mark. If we have missed the mark, we are not in-line with God. And if we are not in-line with God, we are separated from Him. If we are separated from Him and die, then we die, also, separated from Him. Thank you, Jesus, for forgiving us of our sin and making a way for us to no longer be separated from God!
This is why we repent, to stay in-line with Jesus who, in turn, keeps us in-line with God- we are at peace with God because of and through Jesus (Romans 5:1). We cannot truly follow Jesus or be His disciple if we do not pick up our own cross. To pick up our cross is to deny ourselves. It is turning our back on the things and ways of the world that are contrary to God. It is to repent!
As stated previously, salvation is a state of being and a process. Now that we have come to the end of the three steps don’t be deceived into thinking you have arrived. Salvation is a journey that doesn’t end until we reach Heaven. So, until we arrive let us daily acknowledge God and our need of Him, believe in the cross and resurrection of Jesus, and repent of everything that separates us from God.
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