Repentance, What Is It?

 

Repentance, What Is It?

 

I have heard people saying, that those who just say a formulated prayer of forgiveness are not really saved. That there is no prayer of forgiveness in The Bible, actually there are, especially in the Psalms and Acts. JESUS taught us to ask GOD for forgiveness and that we must forgive others in Matthew 6:9-15 and that GOD sovereignly forgives for His own purpose, Matthew 9:1-8.

 

Psalm 51 is David’s prayer for forgiveness

Acts 1:37-39 many are convicted of their sin by Peter’s preaching and ask what they must do, he tells them to repent and be baptized.

Acts 8:14-25 a sorcerer is convicted of his sin and starts serving The LORD, yet there is still sinful habits in his life and he is told to pray for forgiveness and he asks for prayer.

 

Repentance does not just happen in a person’s life, it begins mostly when they are convicted of being a sinner and ask GOD to help them. Whether by a passionate cry for forgiveness or repeating a formulated prayer. Whether in an instance or over a period of time, forgiveness is the first step in repentance!

 

Repent basically means to feel sorrow or remorse for past or current actions or behaviour.

Repentance basically means to change the behavior that caused one to repent.

 

JESUS made it clear what repentance looked like in one who believed in Him, “When He had called the people to himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, ‘Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and The Gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give for his own soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My Words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him The Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in The Glory of His Father with the holy angels.’” Mark 8:34-38

 

Paul reiterated that, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is GOD Who Works in you both to will and to do for His Good Pleasure. Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may be blameless and harmless, Children of GOD without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.” Philippians 2:12-15

 

At the moment of forgiveness some are delivered of their sinful habits and thoughts, some are not; some are healed and or delivered of demonic control and some are not.

 

Paul was a perfect Jew by lifestyle and religious practice, but he did not believe in JESUS as the Messiah. When he met JESUS he asked “What must I do?” he asked for forgiveness and direction. Over the next 3 days JESUS showed him and when he was truly repentant JESUS sent Ananias to pray for Paul. His repentance was to proclaim JESUS CHRIST as LORD and Savior for the rest of his life; which was not always easy and was often dangerous. Acts 9:1-30

 

When Philip, led by The HOLY SPIRIT joined himself to the Ethiopian and shared JESUS with him out of the passage the eunuch was reading in Isaiah 53, the eunuch asked “See here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?” he was asking for forgiveness and started the process of repentance. Acts 8:26-39

 

The point is that repentance starts with forgiveness – the act of realizing we are a sinner and going to hell, then asking GOD through JESUS to forgive us our sin. Hopefully when that happens the person, either led by The SPIRIT or encouraged by a SPIRIT filled believer, is directed to a SPIRIT filled fellowship of believers where The Bible is taught and lived.

 

Coming to a place of asking GOD for forgiveness takes longer for some than others.

Working out our repentance in our life takes longer for some than others.

 

This is What Repentance Looks Like!

 

“I beseech you therefore brethren, by the Mercies of GOD, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto GOD, which is your reasonable service.” Romans 12:1

“The altar means the destruction of every affinity that GOD has not started and of every attachment that is not an attachment in GOD. Tell GOD you are ready to be offered and GOD will prove Himself to be all you ever dreamed He would be.” Oswald Chambers

 

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” Matthew 7:1-2

“Therefore, put away lying, ‘Let each of you speak truth with his neighbor,’ for we are members of one another. ‘Be angry, and do not sin’: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. Let him who stole, steal no longer, rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is necessary for Edification, that it may impart Grace to the hearers. And do not grieve The HOLY SPIRIT of GOD, by Whom you were Sealed for the Day of Redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice And be Kind to one another, Tenderhearted, Forgiving one another, even as GOD in CHRIST Forgave you.” Ephesians 4:25-32