Repentance: Without it "Christian" is just a nice meaningless word

True repentance starts with the recognition of the holiness of our God. We cannot rightly perceive the greatness of His goodness without apprehending the puniness of our own. Such a realization causes us to fall down in humility before God.”   Bryan Chappell

One of the great tragedies that a pastor periodically must deal with is spouse abuse. Can you imagine a man coming to his pastor for counseling because he periodically smacks his wife around? In their conversation, his pastor asks him, “How often does this happen?” The husband shamefacedly replies, “Every Friday night. I get home from a long week of work. I’m beginning to decompress, yet I look for something to pick a fight about. Before the night is over, I’ve lost my temper and smacked her around.” And the pastor responds, “Well, it’s obvious that this has become a habit. Everyone knows habits are hard to break. Why don’t you work at cutting back and only smack her around once a month?”

  Or a woman is committing adultery. Her lover is her neighbor and every day, as soon as her husband is off to work, her neighbor comes over and they have sex. She begins to feel guilty and goes to see a Christian counselor about it. And her therapist counsel her, “Well, it’s obvious that this has become a habit. Everyone knows habits are hard to break. Why don’t you work at cutting back and only commit adultery once a week?”

  By now (hopefully) you’re thinking that’s nuts! It’s repugnant that survey after survey reveal that there is little difference in the moral and ethical behavior between those who profess to know Christ and those who don’t. So what’s the problem? Repentance. We have bought into a Satanic and pernicious lie that someone can come to Christ and simply add Christ to his/her life, but not subtract sin. It is a change in belief without a change in behavior. Yet, the Bible is clear, that if there is salvation, if there is new life in Christ, there is repentance.

  So what is repentance?  According to renowned theologian, Dr. J. I. Packer, “The New Testament word for repentance means changing one’s mind so that one’s views, values, goals and ways are changed and one’s whole life is lived differently. The change is radical, both inwardly and outwardly; mind and judgment, will and affections, behavior and life style, motives and purposes, are all involved. Repenting means starting to live a new life.” Though the Bible continually commands repentance, as Acts 3:19 says, “Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out.” Repentance is not optional, it’s an indispensable part of salvation. Yet, the vital word of repentance is one of the least used words in the Church today. Add to that, ours is a world that won’t tolerate the mention of sin. Even in churches sin is frequently defined only in psychological or sociological terms. As a result, the biblical teaching on repentance has inevitably been ignored. Yet, as Spurgeon wisely stated, “We shall not adjust our Bible to the age, but the age to the Bible.”

  Knowing what repentance is, and actually repenting, are essential to true Christianity. Jesus Christ Himself said that if we do not repent, we will perish! It’s vital for us to know and study what the Bible has to say about repentance. Our salvation and eternal destiny hangs in the balance. We risk being wrong about repentance at the cost of our eternal souls.

  As we study Scripture, we discover that in true Biblical repentance, there will be three spiritual actions that occur as repentance takes place and God does a work of grace in the sinner’s heart.

  Conviction. We admit our sin. Each lost person must see themselves as a lost, ruined, guilty, desperately wicked sinner without hope or help, in danger of eternal hell. In repentance, a lost sinner not only sees himself as a sinner, but recognizes the fact that he has sinned against a righteous and holy God. The message that Paul preached was: “repentance toward God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). In repentance, there will always be confession of sin to God (Psa. 32:5; 51:1-4).

  Contrition. Our sin is looked upon with disgust, even hatred. When we see ourselves as we appear before God, we’re brought to a place where there is godly sorrow for our sin and we despise it. “I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin” (Psalm 38:18); “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret…” (2 Corinthians 7:10).

  We must hate sin if we are going to love God. Can you imagine someone saying, “I’m Nazi who’s pro-Israel.” It’s one or the other. When there is true repentance, there’s not only the desire to escape the consequences of sin, but to be rid of sin itself as a thing displeasing to God. It’s detested like a foul bandage filled with disease.

  Conversion. When repentance takes place sin is abandoned. It’s like someone who has been committing adultery. For the marriage to be restored, there must be the abandoning of the partner in adultery and committing to one’s spouse anew. As Isaiah 55:7 says, “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that He may have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” Repentance is not only a heart broken for sin, but also from sin. We must forsake what we want God to forgive. But it’s not enough just to turn away from sin; we must also turn to God for salvation. “To open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins…that they should repent and turn to God…” (Acts 26:18 & 20).

  When there is true repentance, there is conviction, contrition, and conversion as one turns from sin to the Jesus Christ for salvation. Salvation is deliverance from our sin, not merely from a sinful environment.

  Wabush, a town in a remote portion of Labrador, Canada, that was completely isolated for some time. Recently a road was cut through the wilderness to reach it. So Wabush now has one road leading into it, and thus, only on one road leading out. If someone would travel the unpaved road for six to eight hours to get into Wabush, there is only way he or she could leave—by completely turning around. Each of us, by birth, arrives in a town called Sin. As in Wabush, there is only one way out—a road built by God himself. But in order to take that road, one must first turn around. That complete about face is what the Bible calls repentance, and without it, there's no way out of town and there is no salvation.  

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