Biblical Repentance:
Repentance is a major topic in the Bible but unfortunately not of modern preachers. All the prophets mention it in one way or another. Isaiah called Israel to repent, as did Jeremiah and Ezekiel and Hosea and Micah and Malachi. John the Baptist cried out, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matthew 3:2). The entire message of Yahshua Messiah is summed up in these words: “Repent and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15). When Yahshua sent the 12 apostles out, they preached “that people should repent” (Mark 6:12). Luke tells us that Yahshua ordered that “repentance and forgiveness of sins be preached in his name to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem” (Luke 24:47). On the Day of Pentecost Peter concluded his powerful sermon by calling on his hearers to “Repent and be baptized … for the forgiveness of your sins” (Acts 2:38). The Gospel invitation begins with repentance. Repeating the so-called sinner’s prayer or the currently popular Four Spiritual Laws will not lead you to eternal life.
“In the past Yahweh overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent“(Acts 17:30). What is Yahweh saying? He wants you to repent!!! He commands you to repent! No one likes to be commanded to do anything. But here is a command from Almighty Yahweh that applies to every man, woman, boy and girl born on this planet. No excuses will be accepted. If you do not obey Yahweh’s command, you will someday face a divine judgment.
In the Old Testament, ‘repentance’ is translated by such words as “turn,” “return,” “seek,” “restore.” In the New Testament the Greek word ‘metanoia’, means “to change the mind.” Repentance fundamentally means to change your mind about something. When you really change your mind about something, it’s going to change the way you think about it, talk about it, feel about it, and act about it.
Only Yahweh can grant repentance. Repentance is a gift from Yahweh. We are all born with a sinful nature that leads us constantly away from Yahweh (Ephesians 2:1-2). If we are not checked, we will always walk in the wrong direction. No one will ever have the slightest desire to change unless and until Yahweh touches that person with the power of the Holy Spirit. That’s why both Acts 11:18 and 2 Timothy 2:25 speak of Yahweh granting the gift of repentance. Without that gift, no sinner could ever turn from his sin and find the Lord Yahshua.
Repentance is the doorway to heaven and there is no other entrance. If we fail to preach repentance, we are leaving out a vital part of the gospel message. Our failure in this regard has produced a tasteless and ineffective gospel, without its power to change human lives. If you are a Christian, repentance should be part of your daily life.
Biblical repentance involves sorrow - II Cor. 7:10 ‘For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.’
Most people think of repentance as a kind of sorrow, but this is not Paul’s intention. It is not repentance when we find that our sin has been discovered and the thing that we love the most has been put away from us. The sorrow which repentance brings is when the sinner is aware of his sin in relation to the holiness of Elohim. The sinner feels guilty of having fallen away from Elohim’s grace and love. All sorrow, is not repentance; but the sinner who has no sorrow for his sin will not have the feeling in him to produce a godly sorrow that he has sinned against Elohim. As there is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, so there is joy in the church here when sinners are brought into the church, or a backslider returns by repentance.
There are many examples of true and false repentance in the Bible. On the one hand we have the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) When he came to his senses, he realized what a fool he had been, and resolved to return to his father’s house. On the other hand we have Judas who betrayed the Lord for thirty pieces of silver. When he realized his error, he returned the money to the high priests, but it was too late (Matthew 27:1-10). The Bible says Judas repented, but he ended up committing suicide. The prodigal son cried out to his father for forgiveness while Judas did not.
Biblical repentance involves separation - John 5:14; ‘Afterward Yahshua findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.’
The separation we are talking of is from our past ways, from our past sins. When Messiah healed the lame man and afterwards found him in the temple, he said to the man ,’ Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee (John 5:14). When the woman caught in adultery was brought to Messiah, he told her,’ go, and sin no more’.( John.8:11.) Once we repent and our sins are forgiven, we must not look back as Lot’s wife did. W should sin no more.
Biblical repentance involves submission - I Thes. 1:8-9; ‘For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to Elohim from idols to serve the living and true Elohim; ’In the lives of the apostles we find that by their witness, they were an encouragement to the saints and evangelists to the sinners. They spoke about and they shared the Gospel. As they lived out their faith, others talked about them. Their witness was so effective that everywhere Paul went; he found their message had preceded him. We should saturate our world with the message of repentance and salvation. When people repent and meet Jesus, everything in their lives should change. They should turn to Jesus and show a changed life. Biblical repentance will show in us in three ways. It will cause us to be active,(John 9:4); clean(1 John 3:3); and joyful(Titus 2:13).
It would be terrible to go to hell because you never repented of your sins. Terrible because Yahweh has already sent his own son to die on the cross, bearing your sins, taking your place, paying your penalty. Do you feel your need of him? If you do, I urge you to come to Messiah and put your trust in him. Do it today and enter into the salvation Yahweh has prepared for you. Amen.
