There is a confusion in some minds about repentance and questions asked like, “What if I don’t go before God and repent before I die?” When what is really being asked is, “What if I do not go before God and lament before I die?” According to Webster’s Comprehensive Dictionary of the English Language (Trident Press International, 1996) repent means to feel remorse or regret, to feel such sorrow for one’s sin as to reform, and repentance means a turning with sorrow from a past course of action. Webster’s defines lament as to feel or express sorrow for; bewail, and lamentation as the act of lamenting or bewailing; utterance of profound regret or grief; a wailing cry. While there is a very close relationship between repent and lament, lament is the action of feeling or voicing regret that does not include the act of turning away from. Christians are compelled to repent, TURN AWAY FROM, a past course of action so as to reform (be reborn).
The reason I am writing about this subject is because there are some Christians that lament their sins because of the results they see in their lives, but have not taken the steps to turn away from their sins. In John chapter eight we can read about Jesus and the women accused of adultery. Jesus instructed her to, “go and sin no more” (John 8:11). That is the action of repentance, turning away from sin – sin no more. Jesus did not ask the women to lament over her sins; He asked her to leave the life of sin. It is written, “Those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:18-19). With repentance comes a “time of refreshing.” Lamenting alone cannot give one a time of refreshing. We cannot change what has been done, but we can change now and the days to come. Praise God!
The gospel message includes repentance. “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the 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 to all nations” (Luke 24:46-47). Is it our sins or the results of our sins that lead us to repentance? Paul wrote, “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?” (Romans 2:4). Paul also wrote in Second Corinthians 7:8-9, “Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.” A godly sorrow produces repentance but worldly sorrow produces death. Lamenting that does not lead to repentance produces death. The important part of repentance is the action not found in sorrow alone. That action is turning away from sin to God.
In the garden when man first sinned, they turned away from God to sin. Repentance is the act of turning away from sin to God. Jesus came to reunite mankind with God – to turn us back to God. How? By the remission of sin. By the payment of our debt (death) for our sins, Jesus takes away our sins. We are to repent, turn away, from our sins and turn to God. When we accept Jesus as the payment for our sins, we give them to Him. Jesus is God. Free from our sins we can have a relationship with the Father. The Father is God. The Father and the Son send to us the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God. The difference between repent and lament is that repent includes REFORM. Repentance with forgiveness means that our sins are given to Jesus and we make every attempt to stop living in sin. Lamentation can mean that we feel sorry for our sins and go back for more sin or stay in a sin lifestyle. How can we say we accept Jesus’ grace and not hear the message of repentance?
As Christians we are under grace. Grace says, “I am forgiven, not because of what I have done but for what God, in Jesus, has done for me.” Repentance is because of what God, in Jesus, has done. The fact that we turn away from sin has not and cannot save us. Grace saves us – Jesus saves us. How can we continue to live in a sinful lifestyle after we learn how much one sin cost? One sin cost the life of Jesus. That is a high price to pay. THE PRICE HAS BEEN PAID. Is that a reason to continue in sin? No. Father God gave to us His Son and gives to us His Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives us memories of Jesus and speaks to us the Word of God (again Jesus). How do we keep from sinning? It is written to love God and love our neighbors; love one another, including your enemy – praising and glorifying God.