The Practice of Repentance
The Practice of Repentance
The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news! (Mark 1:15)
I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus. (Acts 20:21)
I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds. (Acts 26:20)
Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. (Rev. 3:19)
After 400 years of silence, God’s opening New Testament message to a world very similar to our own was spoken through John the Baptist. It was an announcement of a new kingdom and a call to radical change, a call to repentance: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matthew 3:2). Jesus’ core message was the same: ... the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel (Mark 1:15). This is truly good news!
The gospels and the epistles both affirm that to enter into this new order where God reigns requires repentance. This is the gate; it is also the path. The message to five of the seven churches in Revelation included a call to repentance.
The first of Luther’s 95 Theses was about repentance: “When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, 'Repent,' he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance."
Repentance Described
Repentance is acknowledging our profound waywardness and our desperate need for a Savior. Evangelism that emphasizes faith without the call to repent is incomplete. That message allows self-sufficiency to remain uncontested. As a result, we live with the illusion that we can come to Jesus on our own terms. We subtly and mistakenly think we are the lords and he is our servant.
When we are anxious, for instance, we should repent of our lack of trust. When we believe that we are superior to others, we should quickly repent of our pride. When we speak careless words that injure others, make it right quickly. When we “strike the rock” instead of “speak to the rock” (Numbers 20:7-12), in matters of simple obedience, we should take responsibility and not make excuses. When we, like Eli (1 Samuel 2:29b), place anything in our hearts above Christ and his word, we should get honest about our idolatry. When we covet that which belongs to another, turn away with haste.
Ancient Christian worship included the Kyrie (or Kyrie eleison). Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Our liturgies (and we all have them) should reincorporate this repeated cry for God’s ongoing mercy in our lives. This does not imply that our God is stern, grumpy and generally unwilling to forgive. He is just the opposite. He loves us with an everlasting love. He is full of compassion and eager to forgive.
But when we are unrepentant toward our sins, great or small, an abiding relationship with God is hindered. Repentance is rooted in our desire for unbroken fellowship with him. Grace was never meant to be an excuse for disobedience; rather it is grace that enables our obedience. Repentance is simply acknowledging where we fall short. It is "owning up,” taking responsibility for our shortcomings. If we make excuses for our sins and blame others, we are welcoming darkness, and fellowship with God and others is damaged.
Hidden Sins
There are some sins of which we are aware but other people aren’t. The Holy Spirit who convicts of sin will be faithful to bring us to acknowledge these and make things right. But there are other sins that are so deeply embedded in us that even though they are evident to others, we are not aware of them.
In Psalm 19:12-13, David prayed,
Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me!
This is where we need the help of a close brother or sister. Sanctification is not just personal, it is communal. We must help one another.
Repentance is more than confession, or just acknowledging the transgression. It begins with confession, but requires that we also forsake, and amend our errors. Or, as the Prayers of the People in The Book of Common Prayer implores, “…for the forgiveness of our sins, and for the grace of the Holy Spirit to amend our lives, we pray to you, O Lord.”
Proverbs says it like this, “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy” (Prov. 28:13). Confess and forsake, by God’s grace.
Misery or Joy?
You may think this emphasis on repentance would make us dour and prone to self-condemnation. Quite the contrary! Those attitudes come from “worldly grief” and from trying to hide our sins.
For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. (2 Cor. 7:10)
David’s repentance led to joy (Ps. 51:12). Ours will too. When we get honest with God and ourselves, when we own our responsibilities rather than dodge them, we can then draw from the Lord the forgiveness that he gives generously to those who fear him (Psalm 103:11-14). Burdens of guilt will be lifted, and gladness of heart will be restored! We become white as snow (Ps. 51:7).
So, enter the kingdom, and grow in the kingdom, by way of repentance.
This is the practice of repentance.
By your grace, O Lord!
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