If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. -1John 1:9
There is a simple truth in the Christian life that is easy to forget but that is essential to remember. What I am talking about is repentance.
Anybody who is a Christian understands in some form that the first step in coming to God for salvation is to confess his sins to God and repent. The thing that is often misunderstood or forgotten though is that this isn’t just how we start our Christian walk, but it is also how we continue in our relationship with God.
The first of Martin Luther’s famous 95 thesis said, “Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ… willed that the whole life of believers should be repentance.” So we too must remember that when we fall into sin as a follower of Christ, our solution isn’t simply to say to ourselves “you gotta do better next time and avoid that temptation.” Sure that is true and part of the whole picture, but we must not begin there because that is simply repentance to ourselves. Sin is about breaking relationship with God and finding satisfaction in something rather than Him. It is committing adultery on God in front of his face.
When put in that light, would we really think it adequate to simply say to ourselves “do better”? No, repentance is not simply a feeling of regret or remorse and a desire to do better. That is part of it, but biblical repentance is feeling remorse for our sin, acknowledging our guilt before God, asking for His forgiveness through Christ, and by God’s grace committing to turn away from that sin and live a new life. When that happens we can walk in confident faith that we are forgiven and that we will indeed be cleansed. This is repentance, and when we truly repent, God will then give us the grace to truly do better and avoid the temptation next time.
I’m sure that many reading this already know what repentance is, but I offer up this reminder because I can’t even count how many times in my Christian walk I have gotten into a pattern of sin and eventually by God’s grace I would come to my senses and ask myself “why can’t I stop doing this?” Every time the answer is because I didn’t take it to God first in repentance and instead just tried to willpower it to death. Remember, all of life is repentance, and because of Christ, God is always willing to receive all who come to Him and ask for forgiveness. Then and only then we will actually have the power to overcome sin in our lives.
2 Comments
Hi Evan: A good article. The issue of ‘repentance’ is why the reading and teaching of the law is so important on Sunday mornings. This is the duty of pastors – to teach what sin is – and in particular (Romans 7:7). Only then will we escape the snare of some generalsome and unsure repentance. We should say, “What particular sins have I transgressed, Oh God? . . . for Your commandments are exceedingly broad” (Psalm 119:96) The justification of the soul is an ACT, but the renovation of that soul is a WORK done throughout our life. See how big and broad and complete is this renovation to be, for we are to become like no one else but Jesus. His gift of repentance shows how much work God Himself is willing to exercise in us, that He may never give up on us! Our aquiesence in USING this gift of repentance to show our agreement, humiliation, obedience, and thanks towards Him is the cause of much assurance in the faith.
William Ames taught young Puritan Christian pastors-to-be that repentance comes from preaching the high demands of the Ten Commandments, and that faith comes from preaching the delicious Gospel of Christ. Unbelievably most church people today rarely hear the law read, and even fewer hear the commandments exposited and guilt proclaimed. Revivalists looked for only two things from their preaching – tears of repentance and then songs of faith. Love, Phil
Phil, thanks for your comments. I agree. I like what you said about a general repentance. While that is good and necessary, it so important to get specific with the sins we are repenting of. And again as you said, this can only come from a regular hearing of what God requires of you. So many Christians view the law as a negative thing, but it’s only negative toward those outside of Christ. For those who have the Holy Spirit, we should want to hear the law because we can actually begin to obey it now. Sure it is difficult to overcome sin, but we must always remember that ultimately we would be happiest if we choose what God requires.