Repentance - A Gift from God
There’s an infamous story in our family about the Christmas when I received an air filter for my minivan as a gift. No, it wasn’t a prank. It was a practical gift given in love. What makes the story legendary was that I failed to receive and appreciate it as such – and just how strongly my face and reaction revealed my lack of appreciation!
In a Bible study a few years ago, I encountered a thought that was new to me. The concept of repentance as a gift from God had never occurred to me. I understood that repentance was an elemental part of the process of submitting to the Lordship of Jesus. What I hadn’t considered was the role repentance played in my ongoing relationship with Him.
What is repentance? It’s to be grief-stricken by our sin, recognizing it as an offense against God and the cause of our separation from Him. As a result, we wholeheartedly turn completely away from that sin and into the arms of God.
Repentance is bringing ourselves dangerously close to the edge of a cliff because of our own thoughts, words, and deeds, and suddenly turning back to run to God in sorrow and gratitude for His rescue.
In my mind, repentance was based on effort. For example, if I struggled with gossip, I would work hard to change my speech. If I struggled with drinking, I’d try really hard to avoid alcohol. If I struggled with pornography, I’d set lots of parameters to limit my access to screens.
Yes, the Holy Spirit convicts us of our wrongdoing, and yes, we bring our desire to God for the clean break from that sin pattern. But the effort isn’t in cleaning ourselves up. It’s in running to God!
Scripture makes it clear that there’s no works-based repentance. Repentance is turning from sin and running to God! Repentance is turning from gossip - and running to God. Turning from drinking - and running to God. Turning from pornography - and running to God.
God wants us to let go of our sin and come to Him – whether this is our step of faith in entering our new life in Christ or whether we’ve been walking with Him for years. A wellspring of kindness, forgiveness, rest, life, and compassion awaits the one who repents!
As we turn to God, He embraces us and takes on the work of transforming our hearts and minds. Through His Holy Spirit, He partners with us to “produce fruit in keeping with repentance (Matthew 3:8),” and He does the heavy lifting in cooperation with our willing hearts. We return and “do the things we did at first (Revelation 2:5)” – loving Him with all our heart, soul, and mind, and loving our neighbor as ourselves. (Matthew 22: 37, 39) The troubling sins of our past are left further and further behind as we walk forward in Christ’s righteousness – not our own effort.
So how is repentance a gift? Jesus said of His mission here, “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Matthew 9:13b), and we’re all sinners. That sin cuts us off from the holiness of God. Ultimately, every sin is against Him and Him alone. (Psalm 51:4) The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), but God has granted “repentance that leads to life.” (Acts 11:8)
There it is, my friends – the gift of repentance – the first step for all who are willing to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior and the way back home for those who stray from their kind, faithful God. His kingdom is at hand. God’s “abundant pardon” (Isaiah 55:7) is available now. But at a day and time that no one but the Father knows, the opportunity to accept the gift will be gone. Let today be the day of your salvation and the day you return to His arms.
