Repentance

[Leafrivermac]

Jesus made repentance a priority. From the beginning of His ministry, He preached, "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand" (Mat 4:17). He stated that His mission was to call sinners to repentance (Mark 2:17). He did not present repentance as an option . . .He told the Jews and the Gentiles that they would repent or perish (Luke 13:3). Prior to His ascention Jesus instructed His diciples to preach repentance to all people . ."And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations beginning at Jerusalem"(Luke 24:47).

[Leafrivermac]

On the day of Pentecost , while the diciples were worshiping God, the Holy Ghost filled them. This was the birth of the church. A crowd gathered and were amazed at what they saw and heard. Peter explained to the people that the death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ made the outpouring of the Holy Spirit a reality. Conviction gripped the folks and they cried out to the Apostles "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" In his reply Peter echoed Jesus words . . "Repent . . ." (Acts 2:38).

[Rebel Hog]

Yes Sir, very true! Amen!

[Snooky]

Bro Mac; After believing on God, I see repentance as the very first step in startinga walk with God. To me the very word repent means to stop and be sorry for a deed done or, a practice that has been followed in the past. Is it possible for one to truly repent and then still continue onward comitting the same act or following the same practice that was just repented of? What would be the signs of true repentence in ones life? The reason I ask is that I know a brother who when questioned about any act or deed done will reply quickly. "I repent". This is done to stop any further questions or rebuke concerningwhat he has done. If you say any more about his actions, you are accused of not forgiving. The brother then continues without a change in his lifestyle, committing the same deeds over again.
If you don't want to comment, I will understand to reasons why.
May be some will offer their understanding of what scriptural repentance is. It could be that I have an incorrect understanding of what repentance is. Should I expect less than a turning away from the act or deed done, and a refusal to return and commit these same deeds again? Does the Bible teach something less what I am expecting? Snooky

[Leafrivermac]

I know what your saying Bro Snooky, . . .using scriptures like legal loopholes . . ."I said I repent so therefore I have biblical amnesty".
But a look at the following scripture reveals what true repentance is composed of:

2Co 7:10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
2Co 7:11 For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after agodly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.

Paul listed several elements in repentance. . . .godly sorrow, carefullness (a diligence to do right), eagerness for clearing (to make amends), indignation (against sin), fear (reverence for God), zeal ( an intense desire to do right), and revenge ( an intent on correcting the situation in which sin flourished)

To repent is a work, it is action, in that it is a biblical responce in faith to the cross . . . not a ritual.

[Alex The Hawk]

Repentance= A change of Mind.

[motor]

Repentance is a change of mind toward God that results in a change of life..

[Leafrivermac]

Standing before King Agrippa in the Roman court of Caesarea, Paul told the ruler that his mission was to preach to everyone- Jews and Gentiles-" that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance" Repentance includes turning to God, and it results in "works" that testify to the persons change.
Act 26:20 But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.

[m.t.hands]

great post Mac, i have often wondered about the "Sunday Christians" to me always repenting of the same thing with no action would seem very hollow to me..

thanks for the post and the follow-up scriptures

Keith

[manuman]

Let me try to add here to what everyone is saying, and correctly I might add. Leafriver mac has provided the Scripture, and others have provided definitions, so let me provide an analogy. I believe, scripturally speaking, that salvation involves both faith, and repentance, and that actually, they are inseparable. Repentance is a change of mind. What about our thinkinghas to change? Our attitude concerning sin. What is sin? Being opposed to God's willin any form, andas a result,being separated from Him. Ultimately, it boils down to a question of who's in charge, or even further, who's really God, you or--God? All 'sins' result from us having control of our own lives, whether it be in the area of money(greed, stealing, dishonesty,etc.), relationships(selfishness, anger, abuse,etc.)thought life( lustful thoughts, anxious thoughts, worry, etc.), and on and on, no matter what form that our sins take. So the real issue is Sin ,and not sins. Sin being ,ultimately our refusal to surrender the control of our lives to the rightful place, God as Lord of all things. He is the Lord whether we acknowledge it or not. Our sins are manifestations, or results of us trying to do it our way,(Sin), and it takes shape in as many ways as there are people. I think the worst form of sin is the pride in which people think that they can somehow reach God on their own terms. I think this is why that Jesus was angry at the religious hypocrites, and compassionate to the immoral.We seem to have that reversed today. Anyway. this Sin is what has to be repented of . To turn away from our having control over our own lives means we have to have to turn in another direction. This is where faith comes in. To turn from our self reliance we have to become reliant on someone or something else. So, it is crucial that you not only have faith, the relying on something or someone else, but make sure that you are placing your faith in the right direction. You hear all the time about a Hollywood actor or actress that has become disgruntled with their lif as it is, to only turn towards some transcendental meditation, or Buddhism, New Age,etc.. They had a change of mind, but their faith was misdirected. Essentially, theyare still in charge, because their choice was still their own. If it had been led by God , He would have led them to the Cross, which is the only place to find redemption. Faith turns toward God, away from self reliance, which is repentance. That is why I say they are inseparable. The analogy I promised , 2 hours ago, goes like this--I leave my driveway saying I'm headed to Atlanta, which is directly south of me. When I turned, I headed north. I keep on driving, confused because I don't see any familiar landscape. I also begin to notice signs along the way, all of which say Atlanta is getting further away. I ignore these signs and stubbornly continue on my way, refusing to listen to anyone, not even my own conscience, which is getting more and more dim as I go. I may travel as far as New York before I begin to admit to myself that I am really lost, and unable to reach the destination I set out to. Finally, I admit that I'm lost , but that isn't enough. I have to also be willing to change directions, and to seek someone that knows the way. At this point, I make a u-turn and begin my journey back to where I am supposed to be going. Not on my own, but by the guidance of one who knows the way. At this point, I am now headed in the right direction, a long way from where I need to be , but going the right way. Repentance is more than just being sorry, or even recognizing a problem. It is being willing to change my direction, and be able to change who is controling my destination.