Repentance
What does repentance mean to you?
Verse of the Day
‘From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”’
Today’s Devotional
In the book of Matthew, the first time we see Jesus teach or preach anything, it is this: “Repent of your sins and turn to God.” In my quest to understand exactly what, exactly Jesus is teaching, I did some research about what it means to repent. This is one of those “churchy” words that we can gloss over, but if Jesus is telling me to do it, I need to understand what “it” is.
The best answer I found was from gotanswers.org. I will link the entire article here, but here are some of the main points.
-The word repentance in the Bible literally means “the act of changing one’s mind.” True biblical repentance goes beyond remorse, regret, or feeling bad about one’s sin. It involves more than merely turning away from sin. Eerdmans Bible Dictionary includes this definition of repentance: “In its fullest sense it is a term for a complete change of orientation involving a judgment upon the past and a deliberate redirection for the future.”
-When the ancient prophets beckoned the people to repent and return, they were calling for a complete turnaround inspired from within the heart and will of the individual. The prophets called both the nation of Israel and individual people to surrender their lives, to turn away from a life ruled by sin to a relationship with God, the sovereign ruler over all.
-The theme of repentance continues in the New Testament, beginning with John the Baptist (Matthew 3:2) and then Jesus Christ (Matthew 4:17); both urgently called people to repent because the arrival of the Kingdom of God was at hand. Many chose this radical reorientation of their lives and demonstrated repentance through baptism (Mark 1:4) and profound changes in lifestyle and relationships (Luke 3:8–14).
-True biblical repentance is characterized by four elements:
1) True repentance involves a sense of awareness of one’s own guilt, sinfulness, and helplessness (Psalm 51:4–10; 109:21–22).
2) True repentance apprehends or takes hold of God’s mercy in Jesus Christ (Psalm 51:1; 130:4).
3) True repentance means a change of attitude and action regarding sin. Hatred of sin turns the repentant person away from his or her sin to God (Psalm 119:128; Job 42:5–6; 2 Corinthians 7:10).
4) True repentance results in a radical and persistent pursuit of holy living, walking with God in obedience to His commands (2 Timothy 2:19–22; 1 Peter 1:16).
-To repent means to make an about-face, heart-directed turn away from self to God, from the past to a future ruled by God’s commands, acknowledging that the Lord reigns supreme over one’s existence.
Jesus is teaching us that we need to make a radical decision about Who is in charge of our lives. He is inviting us to surrender ourselves to the rule and reign of God, which will involve a daily denying of ourselves and our sinful, human nature. If this is what Jesus is teaching us to do, are we willing to obey?
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
When was the last time God made you aware of sin in your life? What did you do about it?
When have you experienced God’s mercy about your sin?
How easily do you change your mind?
How can you declare to God today that you are willing to make a heart-directed turn away from yourself and toward the Father?