Repentance, how many times in Scripture do we see a call to repentance, a call to return back to the Lord? How many times does the Lord have to remind us to seek forgiveness? How many times in Scripture does the Lord command us to repent and do no more? Repentance is a forsaking of our wrongdoing, a forsaking of our sin, returning back to the Lord, obeying the Lord, and changing our hearts.
Her little hands are clasped tightly, she folds them in prayer. Even as they are young, we teach our children to pray. We teach them the Lord's Prayer, "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors," or some say "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." We teach repentance, and how many times do our children still commit the same sins, still lie, still take a toy instead of sharing, still touch when we've told them not to. And we too are like children, we kneel in repentance, we pray our prayer. And how many times do we still commit the same sins, still lie, still stay in relationships, still cover up sins, still are selfish, still hold pride, still cheat at work, still live inappropriate lifestyles, still make excuses for ourselves and for others. We ask forgiveness for the moment but neglect to realize what true repentance is.
We can't understand repentance until we understand the condition of our heart. Our heart is sinful. We were born into sin and we are totally depraved apart from the saving grace of our Saviour. We are NOT GOOD. The world will teach otherwise, the church may teach otherwise, but scripture clearly states we are sinners, we are saved by grace, and we can not do anything without the saving grace of our Lord. Can the world do good acts? Yes! Can we do good acts? Yes! But only through the common grace given to man that keeps this world from going into total chaos and corruption. Our hearts are deceitful above all things and desperately sick, no one can understand them. (Jeremiah 17:9) If our hearts have not been redeemed by the Saviour, we can not and will not be able to make decisions that are godly and wise. And if our hearts our redeemed by the Saviour, we must still realize we are human and we are flesh and our hearts are deceitful and sinful and we must DAILY renew them, DAILY refresh them, DAILY feed them with the Word and the Spirit. Apart from Him, DAILY we can do NOTHING!
Repentance is a daily coming to the foot of the cross and letting go of all the wrong we have committed, all the deceit and sin in our lives and in our hearts. But repentance is a turning away. We do not and can not use repentance as an escape card, a get out of jail pass. Repentance is not an excuse to do wrong. Repentance is a recognizing of our sin, a turning away and a doing no more. If we are truly repentant, if we are truly sincere, we will with the help of the Holy Spirit do that sin no more. We will not hold onto it because it is fun, because everyone laughs at the joke, because everyone talks about others, because we don't know what to say to get out of it, because we are happy, because I can ask for forgiveness, because everyone else is doing it; we each have our excuses! But holding onto our sin is not true repentance. Repentance brings a change, a heart change, and a life change. There may be things we have to stop doing, places we have to stop going, technology we have to stop or limit using, people we have to change relationships with, things we have to stop eating or drinking, people we have to stop talking to....whatever the sin is there will have to be changes made. True repentance comes through the work of the Holy Spirit convicting the saints, placing them on their knees daily before the cross, and giving them strength to turn and sin no more.
Repentance must also be immediate. My sister and brother in law are doing a wonderful job in teaching my nieces repentance. They make sure they see their wrong and repent immediately. There is no greater joy than to see a 3 year old asking for forgiveness and in her own little heart meaning it. Will she mess up again? Yes! Will she daily do things that cause her to go in time out or have to apologize? Yes! But is her heart being transformed daily into a heart that one day the Lord will grab hold of, work in to convict of her sin, and bring salvation? That is my daily plea! If we have wronged, if we have sinned, our repentance must be immediate! We must not continue living in that sin or with that sin in our heart. We must immediately repentant, and if it is against another, we must immediately seek forgiveness. Repentance is an immediate response to our conviction and a complete turning away from our wrong doing.
When we understand the condition of our hearts, we understand our need to repent and our need for the Saviour to cleanse us from all our unrighteousness. When we understand our hearts, we understand the cross. We understand that daily we must meet at the foot of the cross, where all our sin was taken upon our Saviour, and we must cry out in repentance. We understand that we must daily take up the cross and follow Him. When we understand the condition of our hearts, we understand the joy that comes from salvation. We understand that daily we are being sanctified, daily we will be tested and we will be tried and emotions will come like the waves, but there is a joy and a peace that come from living a life of repentance and restoration. "To the Lord our God belongs mercy and forgiveness because we have rebelled against Him." (Daniel 9:9)
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