The Doctrine of Repentance
When we think of repentance, we often think of saying “I’m sorry.” True repentance involves much more than an apology or sorrow over consequences. Repentance and faith go hand in hand. Belief without repentance is not true saving faith. Even demons believe that God exists. Likewise, repentance without belief in God’s right to be obeyed yields only sorrow over sin’s painful consequences. Those who repent turn their backs on their sin to worship and obey the one true God.
We cannot conjure up repentance. In kindness, God leads His people to repent through the mysterious working of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit convicts sinners of their guilt before a holy God. By God’s power, repentant people receive God’s mercy and desire to please Him. Jonah repented, as did Nineveh, after God confronted them with His power and holiness. The posture of repentance leads us to pray with the tax collector, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
Over time, the Holy Spirit transforms a believer’s heart, attitudes, and motives. Love for God along with a longing for His righteousness grows within the believer. The path of spiritual growth involves ongoing repentance as God continues to purify our desires and actions. Until final glory, we must repent over and over again. We continue striving for holiness in dependence upon God’s compassionate grace. Thanks be to God that His mercies are new every morning.
Without turning from sin and to Christ for salvation, we walk a road that leads to eternity under God’s wrath. If we only repent to escape sin’s consequences, our repentance is pretense. To refuse to repent while continuing in sin is to reject God’s offer of mercy. Without repentance, we are left carrying our burden of sin without hope of relief. Attempts to numb the pain and escape the guilt and accompanying shame come up short.
God does not leave us in a place of despair. Do you sometimes wonder if God really forgives a sinner like you? Take heart! When you repent and confess your sins, “… he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Repentance brings supernatural peace as well as an assurance of God’s love and salvation. God lifts our eyes beyond our circumstances to see His greater plan for our lives. What would it look like for you to rest in this truth as you confess your sins?
Resource: Bible Study Fellowship - People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided - Lesson 12
