We are all sinners as laid out in Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Therefore, we must all die to our sins to have eternal life, a life through Christ Jesus. Turning away from sin, repenting, is the action behind Christ’s forgiveness. The act of repenting however is rarely discussed in churches today, there is no how-to course on how to repent on Sunday’s. The secular definition from the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines repent in various verb forms. repent, as an intransitive verb, “to turn from sin and dedicate oneself to the amendment of one’s life.” and repent as a transitive verb, “to feel regret of contrition.” Both definitions are correct, but hardly encompass the above-mentioned complete fullness behind the action of repentance. Today we are going to take a journey through the river of repentance. It’s not a single action that can be laid out as transitive or intransitive verbs.
The act of repentance can be broken down into a handful of actions to fully cleanse ourselves from the inside-out. Confession, where appropriate, to another Christian and always to God, as laid out in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”, releases us from the grip of darkness that the devil uses to harden our hearts. As we speak aloud our wrongs to another human, specifically another Christian, we are shining the Light of Jesus on the darkness of our wrongdoing. This, in effect, creates accountability and trust between two believers, freeing the sinner from the burden of holding the sin inside of them, the only fruit of which disconnects us from God. The book of James, my favorite book of the Bible, is considered the New Testament book of wisdom. James, the half-brother of Jesus didn’t believe Jesus was the Messiah until after His death and resurrection, then he became one of His most ardent followers, later persecuted for his unwavering belief and faith. James, in chapter 5, verse 16 states, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
Trust is an integral part of confession to another person; we are all sinners. Self-righteousness can often masquerade as righteousness and people can become indignant for many reasons. Just ask me about my indignation and the American Church (an oxymoron). Nobody is immune from jealousy, demonic activity, personal strife, or their own darkness allowed in by their own unwillingness to confess. We are called to be righteous in everything we do. If your brother or sister is not rooted in the word, actively discerning or doesn’t understand righteousness, hold your confession from them. As Matthew 18:15 points out, “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over.” If a person is claiming righteousness in a crowd, ask them to remove the plank from their own eye before commenting on the speck in yours. In this way, Christ has given us the power of discernment, a gift of knowing who is in self and who is in Christ our Lord. God oversees judgement and atonement, not other followers of Christ. It is a trap I fall into often enough to pray about often.
Repenting involves a change of heart and turning away from sin. Acts 3:19, “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” The powerful mercy of the Lord is indescribable and His love and faith in us is unbounding and unending. Turning from our sin, and turning to Christ renews our minds, removing the heavy burden carrying sin around produces. In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus implores us to come to Him, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Repenting is a daily effort, each day renewing your mind to move away from sin. Giving all your sins over to Jesus through prayer, removes your heavy burden, allowing you to find rest in Him.
Repentance does not come without remorse as Paul points out in 2 Corinthians 7:10, “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” It is important to note the difference between Godly and worldly sorrow. Godly sorrow is fear of the Lord, so that sin shall be left at the feet of Jesus on the cross. Sorrow driven by another human, worldly sorrow, is only temporary and we are easily justified back into sin; a chain wrapped around our necks. Lust is a notable example and one that many men struggle to leave with Jesus. God has blessed many people with beauty, both male and female and eyes easily wonder. I am not immune to this, no man or woman with eyesight is immune. Whether roaming eyes at the beach, gym, or work or watching pornography, only the fear of God can remove the sin from our lives. Repenting out of fear of another human only builds resentment for them, while repenting to our Lord, out of our innate fear of Him, generates renunciation against sin therefore granting us freedom, breaking the chain tying us to sin. God is our chief atoner. Romans 3:23-25 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith.”
Forgiveness, a key component of the fullness of repentance, starts with forgiving ourselves and not holding on to our sin. Grudges are not just external; we can hold a grudge against ourselves. A grudge against ourselves invites the devil into our mind. I have laid awake so many nights in anger at myself, for sins I have committed over the years. I often forget that Jesus carried the cross so I would not have to carry a grudge. Psalm 103:12 “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” There is no worse darkness than self-hate or resenting oneself. In this state, when our mentality is guiding our reality away from Christ, we become infants, tossed around by the waves led by our feelings. Only the light of Jesus removes that heavy burden. He did the work for us already, living the perfect life, removing our transgressions from us, granting us peace. Be wary of those who live in the flesh and not in Christ, they may guide you to selfish acts of forgiveness, seeking forgiveness where it cannot be given.
Ephesians 1:7, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.” Praise Jesus! This is the light that transforms us from darkness through the pouring of His blood over our bodies. God knows no end to His grace for us, we are His special creation, made in His image, given free will and through obedience and renunciation, opportunity to become redeemed souls. Grace is an undeserved gift, as a lifelong sinner I never felt worthy of God’s grace, and I spent much of my life feeling unworthy of Him. While I am not a tax collector or prostitute the summation of my sins on this earth led me to death. A death that has been overcome by a new life, grace given, and grace received. Who am I to receive such a gift from God? As His children, we are called to give away what has been freely given to us and Matthew lines it up in his Gospel. Matthew 6:14-15, “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
Self-righteousness is a plague in Christianity and those who do not forgive others of their sins are not in Christ, they are in self. We are called to reflect Jesus in all that we do and those that claim, this and that, in His name, yet do not follow what the Bible says are not known by our Lord and Savior. Hypocrites, tarnish the name and reputation of Christ Jesus driving the lost further away from salvation, building distrust among other believers and sharing false testimony to remove their own feelings of inadequacy. Forgiveness does not come at the expense of another person.
Restitution and making amends, much like the story of Zacchaeus, who upon being saved by Christ gave half his possessions to the poor and gave back four times the amount of money stolen to anyone he cheated. He is a great example of what restitution looks like and how to make amends. Through the Godly action of making amends, we show one another our commitment to change. When we have transgressed against another in sin, whether stealing, coveting or adultery and have given our sin over to God we can only make amends. Zacchaeus, after having met Jesus, and he was desperate to do so, became enveloped with the fear of God. Before such fear he never thought twice about his actions. Being we are all made of flesh, the fear of God must be kept. If we cast the fear of God aside, we will be unable to live in the reflection of Christ. We will fall right back into the snares of the devil and back into sin.
Pray about amends deeply and religiously. If making amends may harm another person spiritually, personally or relationally, then find another way. As mentioned previously, Jesus is the catalyst for our atonement, no person of flesh may atone us for our sins. When we mix pride with shame, like those drinks with the umbrella, dreadful things can happen. Do not mistake amends with selfish desire to remove guilt or shame, that will only transfer your burden to another person. Jesus died on a cross for us and said, let the dead bury the dead. Any transgressions made in life before being reborn are dead with the old you. No one should grab a shovel from their garage or the local hardware store and dig up who they used to be before Jesus raised them from the dead. If you have received Jesus, His Light alone will cast out the darkness from within. Allow His abiding to do the work and let your amends be His amends. He will guide you every step of the way, have faith in that.
We are dead in our sins; therefore, it is time to live a new life. 2 Corinthias 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” Relish this! We must follow Jesus to live our new Life, but also remember that it is not ours, it’s His. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life after all. Following Jesus in your new life, imitating Him and living in love of God and your neighbor will ensure internal congruence, where thoughts, words and actions all align with Jesus. Regardless of if your friends or acquaintances are in Christ or not, we are all, full of judgement, envy and pride and may lead you to unbury the dead. This is an act of self-righteousness and must be met with righteousness. Romans 10:3-4 “Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.”
We are called to walk around in peace, not in pieces. Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace, and he didn’t live the perfect life to keep going back to the cross. Jesus always said after healing someone to not sin again. Nothing more. We are buried with Jesus Christ as mentioned in Romans 6, where through baptism we are raised from the dead and may live a new life. We must accept this, it’s God’s grace for us. We don’t deserve it, yet He gives it to us anyway. Leave the burdens of past sin behind you and press forward. There is no room in your soul for guilt when Jesus dwells within you. Paul, while writing to the Philippians, says in chapter 3:13-14, “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” The prize Paul is referring to is eternal life in a glorified body in the home of our God with His glorious riches waiting for us to return to Him. Personally, I can’t wait!
In closing, there is no condemnation for those abiding in Jesus Christ. This freedom can only be carried out through intimacy with Christ. Make Jesus the center point of your life, not an activity on Sunday’s. Spend time with Him, worshipping Him. Bring Him into your marriage, school, work, or church, yes, church. So few people are following Jesus, they call out to Him in times of need or wanting. Thank Him for your life, every single moment of it, because without Him we will be found dead in our sins. When your internal rot begins showing through your polished chrome exterior like mine was, surrender your life to Him, grab His hand and allow Him to reveal Himself to you. Fall in love with Him, keep Him close and pray for His Holy wisdom and discernment. And always, like the name of this blog, go where guided by Him, not by man.
I pray that all who read this can find intimacy with our Lord Jesus Christ, that He may remove your burdens, envy, pride, self-righteousness and bring you to surrender and renunciation. I invite you to walk along the narrow path, there you will find Jesus and He will walk alongside you. Give your life to Him as He gave His life for you.
