Thoughts for Easter
Repentance

On 31 October, 1517, an Augustinian Monk nailed to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, his 95 theses. They were points upon which Luther invited public discussion and disputation. The first of these items was:
“1. When our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, said ‘Repent’, He called for the entire life of believers to be one of penitence.”

The call to repentance is fundamental to all the proclaimers of the Gospel in the New Testament. John the Baptist, who was preparing the way for Jesus, preached in the wilderness of Judea saying, “Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand”(Matt. 3:2). Likewise, when Jesus began His public ministry, He commanded, “repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 4:17).

Peter, the preacher of the first post-Pentecost apostolic sermon, when asked by his audience what they must do, responded “Repent” (Acts 2:38). At the Aeropagus, Paul lectured the Athenian philosophers about the limited knowledge of God up to the coming of Christ. But now, with the revelation of the living God, all men are commanded to repent (Acts 17:30). And, in front of Agrippa, Paul stated that he was true to his conversion to Christ in calling Jews and Gentiles to repentance (Acts 26:19 ,20).

For the modern day Christian, repentance is often confined to the “day I accepted Jesus.” But, true repentance is much greater than that. Repentance, as the flip side of faith, includes trust in Christ that unites one to Jesus in His death, burial and resurrection (Rom. 6:1-11; Col. 2:9-12; 3:1-4). This empowers one to live as the Christian he/she is in the face of the world, Satan and the flesh.

Furthermore, this call to repentance is not just to the unbeliever. Jesus also has the household of faith in mind. Recall what He said to the orthodox Ephesians? “Remember then from what you have fallen, repent and do the works you did at first” (Rev. 2:5). This call to repentance for believers in the church by the Glorified Christ is also made to Pergamos (Rev. 2:16); Thyatira (Rev. 2:22); Sardis (Rev. 3:3); and Laodicea (Rev. 3:19).

When you are discharging the imperative of the Gospel, it requires repentance, daily and always. You are not to reform the flesh, but to put to death your members upon the earth (Col. 3:5). The child of God continues in repentance all of his/her life. The nature of sanctification (becoming more like Christ) is continual turning to Christ (faith) while turning from sin (repentance). Luther knew very well the centrality of repentance to the Christian life.

Seems to make sense, so why is there a problem? First of all, there is the emphasis of “getting saved”. While that is indeed the first step to salvation, it is just the beginning. The failure of churches to nurture and teach the saints into mature Christian belief and living contributes to the problem. Churches send folks right into the fray as “green recruits” without proper equipping. Doing [serving on boards, teaching Sunday School, going on mission trips] is never a substitute for being, which, comes from knowing.

Secondly, it is tacitly ingrained that you have been delivered in one fell swoop from temptation and sin. Instead of teaching that the Christian life is a lifetime of putting off the old and putting on the new, there is no time for dealing with indwelling sin. We are too busy doing good things.

We fail to see that God never promised to transform us instantly into super Christians who no longer need be concerned with sin and repentance. We need to get into Romans 6, 7 and 8. The power of sin has been broken, but that does not mean sin is gone. Sin is present, but, praise God, there is no condemnation for the believer (Rom 8:1).

Finally, there is a tendency to dwell on religious experiences instead of the reforming of the heart and mind. Involvement in programs and activities does not lead to the rooting out of sin in a life. Dealing with sin in your life requires the intervention of the Holy Spirit. The experience-oriented church has permitted guilty feelings and sorrow to be an inadequate substitute for repentance.

But, true repentance is not saying: “I’m sorry”. Nor is it feeling guilty for being caught. It is a turning from sin and a changing of one’s mind. It is intentional and purposeful. Repentance is a way of life for the believer.

What is true when one comes to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ must continue throughout one’s life. There must be a daily conversion of the heart and crucifying of the flesh. Repentance is the way God continues to impress upon the sinner who is a saint that he needs more of the Lord of glory. Repentance is the way to glorification, to being more like Jesus Christ. Repentance is the human response to a life lived by faith in Christ and the sign of a mature believer. During this season of Easter, have you repented?