REPENTANCE / RETURN
BILL HOFKINS ©
Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; Acts 3:19.
The Greek word Repent in the New Testament is metanoeō, and is defined as,
“to change one’s mind or purpose. To amend one’s thinking. Always for the better, and always from sin.” It is also associated with the term convert, ‘to return’.
We often misinterpret the word conversion to mean a transformation or an exchange from one ideology to another. i.e., John has converted from Judaism to Christianity. But the true meaning in Greek is: To turn around and go the other way. A one hundred eighty-degree turn.
The correct meaning of Repent and ‘be Converted’ is to change our mind with action and behavior. If you repent of lying, then you stop lying. If you repent of fornication, then you stop doing it. It demands a turnaround. You were going in one direction, but you turn and head in the opposite direction.
How seriously should we be as we tackle this subject of repentance?
How credible is it to say you love God, walk in the Spirit and love truth, but continue to smoke crack? Or live with your girlfriend? Or continue embracing the glitter and glamor of this fallen, sin-filled world?
You may think this is too harsh and legalistic. But our key verse leaves no room for negotiation. It says to change your mind and make a turn in God’s direction. You are the one who needs to change—God does not do the changing.
The verse is saying, ‘To continue in the way you are going is Madness…and Folly.”
The path of Jesus is Grace and Health and Life and Peace and Eternal Joy and Gladness.
A Top Priority
The very last words of Jesus revealed his top priority and agenda to his disciples.
He is instructing them to preach and to teach that all men everywhere should repent and be forgiven of their sin.
And (Jesus) said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:
And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things.
And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem…. until ye be endued with power from on high.
Luke 24:46-49
Peter Preaches Again
The `Gospel message of Christ must be potent! Potent meaning, that preaching and teaching is anointed and persuasive enough to convict the hearer to repent, receive Christ, and get saved by transforming the heart.
Peter preached repentance and remission in a different evangelistic event. Instead of repent and be converted, he preached, Repent for the… remission of sin:
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the Remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Acts 2:38 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
Acts 2:41
Three thousand souls were saved and baptized because the message was strong, not diluted or watered down.
Water baptism is the confirmation of repentance and evidence of a changed heart. It is worthy of note that, to a Jew to be baptized in the name of Jesus would be renouncing the traditional Jewish religion.
Therefore, it was a brave and bold act of faith for the Jews to accept Christ. They were so convinced that Jesus rose from the dead, by Peters preaching, that they believed, repented, and baptized.
The Goodness of God
Because of the love and mercy of God, we have remission of sin. It is also the love and mercy of God that leads us to repentance.
Jesus was never harsh, but he was uncompromising when he spoke of repentance. It is for our good! He wants to change our hearts, change our minds, and return us to his path of righteousness and Godly living.
listen to this verse:
Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?
But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. Romans 2:4-5
Necessity of Repentance
Jesus taught the necessity of repentance, how we must repent as instructed.
There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things?
I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?
I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
Luke 13:1-5
Jesus is sweet and nice and kind to us and provides a wonderful Salvation. But we must do our part. Our part is, with all sincerity, to have a feeling of deep sorrow for our sins and rebellion and be contrite of heart.
I will repeat this truth, that God does not need to conform to your will, you need to conform to His. There is a process that is followed. First, he shed his blood for the remission of sin. Next, you must accept Jesus with a penitent heart and a resolve to turn from your sin.
Notice also in this passage, Jesus warned that if they did not repent, they too would perish, just as those killed by Pontius Pilate or the tower collapse that crushed eighteen Jews.
God is extremely merciful, patient, and tolerant, but in the end, if you do not change your wicked ways, you will die and face justice.
God is showing you mercy right now regarding salvation. But when you die, mercy ends, and judgment begins. When you take your last breath, it’s over—there is no repenting at that point. Your fate is your choice to make, and God will honor your decision.
Repentance is Continual
Repentance is an ongoing requirement as we grow spiritually and mature. As we spend time in the Word of God, he reveals to us the things that please Him and things that do not please Him. It is little by little that we mature in Christ.
Therefore, we must repent for our sins when we receive Christ, and as time goes by, we continuously turn from unacceptable behaviors.
I remember when I received Christ, I repented of all my sins, and I had a wonderful encounter with the Lord. I was truly born again. But a few weeks later, I was still doing the same old sinful habits. The Holy Spirit began to deal with me on many of my weaknesses and lovingly helped me grow.
He showed me a sinful practice, and I repented. He showed me another, and I repented. Then, unfortunately, I fell back to the first sinful practice.
He convicted me of it, and I repented. I kept repenting of these sins until I overcame them completely through the act of maturing.
I do not mean I became perfect and never sinned again. No, all human beings are flawed because of the flesh nature we are born with. The trick is, when we sin, we repent immediately.
It is an ongoing, continual attitude of the heart, and willingness that makes the difference. The Holy Spirit helps us as he shows us our weaknesses.
Power to Repent
God gives us his grace to be saved. Grace = Un-merited favor.
God showers his goodness upon us—this leads us to repentance.
It is also God who graciously empowers us to be pleasing to him.
The following is an excerpt from my booklet, Sit, Walk, Stand, While Running. I am writing on how God fills us with His Holy Spirit, and it is He who gives us the power to be obedient to God. But we may also apply this to repentance. He gives us His power to repent:
The kingdom of God also has a code of conduct to follow, but I must state up-front that we cannot live the Christian life with our strength or force of mind. Since He fills us with His Spirit, we conform to his will and agenda, using His inward strength and power.
I must repeat this, it is ONLY by the transforming power and infilling of the Holy Spirit that we conform to His will and purpose. Otherwise, we are not in the spirit, but walking in our willpower.
That said, as spirit-filled Christians, we have the power of God to do his will and keep his commandments.
We love our neighbor as ourselves and walk-in Agape love. We forgive and forget the offenses of others. We walk humbly, not arrogantly or prideful.
We do not lie, steal, or cheat, or murder. We are charitable and show empathy. We do not backbite or show malice toward any brother. We are also faithful in marriage. No fornication. No adultery. No homosexuality.
Jesus IS the KING. Whatever he requires of his citizens is what we conform to. We are ready, willing, and able to do his bidding, his will, and his agenda. We renew our thinking to conform to His way of thinking, not the other way around. End Excerpt.
We may conclude that the grace of God, his mercy and love, and tolerance save us, fill us, and lead us to repentance.
Let’s Get Serious
We have established that we must be contrite in spirit, repent, and receive Christ, to be saved. For a moment, let us set aside the repentance component of salvation and consider a deeper relationship with the Lord.
In John chapter six Jesus speaks of the bread from heaven and if we eat this bread, we have eternal life. First, here is the verse that we are all familiar with:
… but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world…Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. John 6:32-35
This does sound harmless or, innocent. We understand Jesus was the bread from heaven. He promised that by eating this bread we would never hunger or thirst for spiritual food ever again.
But the concept of eating the bread gets a little dicey further in the chapter.
Jesus never taught that all one needs to do is receive him into their heart, and then they go to heaven when they die; but while here on earth, one can live any ol’ way he wants to. James 1:22 says “but be ye doers of the word and not hearers only.”
As Jesus was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum, he said, “You must drink my blood and eat my flesh.” What a concept! Listen to Jesus in the following passage:
Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. John 6:53-54
WAS Jesus talking about cannibalism? To eat his flesh, to drink his blood? That sounds grotesque to our modern sensibilities. This was not very pleasant to hear, coming from the Prince of Peace.
Many in the synagogue found it revolting, to eat his flesh and drink his blood. Here is their reaction:
These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.
Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is a hard saying; who can hear it? John 6:59-60
From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. John 6:66
I have read of primitive warriors who practiced cannibalism. The idea is, if you eat the flesh of your victim or the one you conquered, you will gain the essence, or the spirit, of the one you killed. You would absorb his skill-set and increase your combative power and life force.
There are people in this world who actually believe this!
No, Jesus is not encouraging cannibalism! He is notifying his disciples of the requrements he demands. To embrace all that Jesus represents wholeheartedly, spirit, soul, and body.
To surrender our will to Jesus Christ not only as our savior, but as our Lord and master. We take on his spirit and life by serving him and his agenda.
In essence, we become what he is.
The best way to eat the bread of life is to read the New Covenant. As we comprehend and obey the Word, we absorb the essence of its message into our spirits, and we become one spirit with him.
We often hear the phrase, ‘Be a follower of Christ.’ That is a wonderful saying if we truly follow him by doing his Word. Eat his flesh! Drink his blood! Absorb his life into our spirit.
But do not fool yourself: But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. James 1:22
Eating his flesh sounds grotesque until we discover he only means to surrender our whole heart. Everything belongs to him anyway, so don’t just mouth the words.
What is he? He is life. He is the supreme authority to save and resurrect the dead. He is the very image and character and personality of God the Father. He is love. He is peace. He is joy and gladness.
Remember, the most essential element of being a Christian is making Him Lord and Master. It requires eating his flesh and drinking his blood. It requires faithfulness and our loyalty is to HIM.
We are obedient to him and him alone. We no longer serve the devil and his agenda.
Think about that the next time you want to smoke a doobie!
If you are not born again
Please pray this prayer in a simple yet sincere way:
Heavenly Father, I thank you for sending Jesus and that He shed His blood for me. I receive Jesus into my heart right now and take Him as my Savior. Forgive me of all my sins and make me a new creation in Christ. Amen.