WHAT IS REPENTANCE?

How many times have you and I confessed the same sin over and over again to the Lord, and each time you feel sorry and tell Him you won’t do it again? Yet deep inside, you doubt that you’ll follow through. We’ve all been there. Quite possibly, the problem is that despite our confessions, we haven’t entered into genuine repentance. Repentance is vital for salvation and growth in holiness. Before Jesus ascended to heaven, He commissioned his disciples saying, “repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations” (Luke ).
The message of repentance is prominent throughout the entirety of the Bible, it’s important to accurately understand the biblical meaning of this term.
In the New Testament, repentance includes recognition of sin, godly sorrow for that sin, and a commitment to change direction. Regret, grief, and remorse accompany repentance but are not evidence of it if there is no change in behavior.
In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for repentance is “turn.” When one repents, he turns from his sinful way of life to head in the direction of obedience to God.
Repentance begins with the Holy Spirit’s conviction of our wrongdoing. At that point, we become painfully aware of our sin against God and feel the weight and guilt of it. But it doesn’t end there. Genuine repentance results in a change of mind, heart, direction, conduct, and attitude. Instead of tolerating that sin, we now hate it and turn to a life of obedience to almighty God.
Confession isn’t merely listing our sins to God, thanking Him for His forgiveness, and going on with life. It means we say the same thing or agree with God about our sin and what we should do about it. It’s seeing our wrongdoing from His perspective. Since He is holy and hates sin, so should we. The Lord wants us to lay it down and walk away from it. True biblical confession includes an attitude of repentance. We are not to confess lightheartedly, but in a repentant way that produces victory over sin through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Repentance is necessary for everyone. For an unbeliever, it’s an essential part of salvation, and for followers of Jesus, it’s needed for daily cleansing and continuing fellowship with God. When we refuse to repent, sin gains an increasingly stronger hold on our lives.
“All to Jesus I surrender
All to Him I freely give
I will ever love and trust Him
In His presence daily live
I surrender all
I surrender all
All to Thee my blessed Savior
I surrender all
All to Jesus I surrender,
Lord, I give myself to Thee;
Fill me with Thy love and power,
Let Thy blessing fall on me.
I surrender all
I surrender all
All to Thee my blessed Savior
I surrender all
All to Jesus I surrender,
Now I feel the sacred flame;
Oh, the joy of full salvation!
Glory, glory, to His Name!
I surrender all,
I surrender all;
All to Thee, my blessed Savior,
I surrender all.”
(Judson W. Van DeVenter)