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Rusty Miller
If you were asked to name the dominant doctrines of the New Testament, how long would it be before you named repentance? Many today would not mention it, but New Testament preaching is filled with teaching on repentance. Among the first sermons, preached by John the Baptist, are those which begin, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt. 3:2), and "Repent and believe in the gospel" (Mk. 1:15).
Matthew tells us, following the Lord's temptation and the imprisonment of John, "From that time Jesus began to preach and say, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand'" (Matt. 4:17). When He sent out the twelve, ". . . they went out and preached that men should repent" (Mk. 6:12).
When the church began, Peter's first sermon aroused the question "What shall we do?" (Acts 2:37), to which the apostle responded, "Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (v. 38). His sermon at the Temple's portico of Solomon also stressed repentance: "Repent therefore and return, that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the
presence of the Lord" (Acts 3:19).
Paul, at Athens, even spoke of repentance to a non-Jewish audience, proclaiming, "Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all everywhere should repent" (Acts 17:30). He also spoke of the twin importance of "repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 20:21). And in the book which records our Lord's final instructions to the seven churches, He speaks of repentance to five (Rev. 2:5, 16, 21-22, 3:3, 19).
How has such an important New Testament topic become such an unimportant 20th Century reality? Oh, we still speak of repentance, and pay it lip service, but in many ways it has become the stepchild of doctrines (faith and love being more palatable, and hope more inviting). In fact, repentance is virtually ignored, except that we know it to be one of the steps to salvation. In an article titled "Did You 'Repent In the Aisle'?" (Plain Talk, Vol. 1, No. 12, December 1964),
Robert Turner discusses this concept:
"Many years ago while teaching a Bible class, I asked a young lady the meaning of 'repent'. Her immediate answer was, 'Oh, that's what people do in the aisle.' Then, seeing my puzzled expression, she continued: 'You believe in the seat, repent in the aisle, confess at the front, and are baptized in the baptistry.'"
This concept is carried further in our practice of "coming forward", in which we seem to have created an idea of the front pew as a kind of giant, Catholic confessional where we go for absolution. We confess, generically, "I am a sinner." This is no surprise, since everyone else in the room is a sinner as well. From there, we go on our merry way, forgiven with no more inconvenience than possibly, a little embarrassment. This seems far from the kind of repentance which Paul worried might cause the sinner to be ". . . overwhelmed by excessive sorrow" (2 Cor. 2:7). In fact, one looking to ease his conscience essentially has it easier than the Catholics, in that there is no penance required by "coming forward".
What steps must we take in order to restore a proper concept of repentance? First, we must recognize sin for what it is; a serious affront to God and His word. The prodigal son, when he came to himself, said, "I have sinned against heaven . . ." (Lk. 15:18), and we must realize our first responsibility in repentance is to God. We say that sin separates man from God, but do we
understand what that means? Paul said it meant death (Rom. 6:23; 1 Cor. 15:56), i.e. the end result of sin is eternal death, or separation from God forever (Matt. 25:46; Rev. 20:14-15). Separation from God, if not repented of, means eternity in Hell.
Second, perhaps we would understand repentance better if we spent more time in examination of examples of repentance from scripture. We have already touched on the prodigal son (Lk. 15), and his story is a great scriptural key to understanding repentance (and forgiveness, as well), because it teaches us that repentance is more than just saying, "I won't do that anymore." The young man's confession to his father, including his willingness to accept far less than that to which he had been accustomed, shows his heart to be burned by the reality of his sin.
Maybe the area where we most miss the Biblical concept of forgiveness is that of sorrow. Today, we make our march to the front, demanding forgiveness, but the woman who washed the feet of the Savior (Lk. 7:37-38) did so with her tears. Her sorrow at recognizing what she was caused her to come to Him weeping, unable even to speak her humble request for forgiveness.
It is David, proclaimed by God, "A man after My heart" (Acts 13:22), who best exemplifies what utter sorrow is found in the penitent soul. It is David who understands that sin is against God ("Against Thee, Thee only, I have sinned", Ps. 51:4), and it is David who tells us how devastating is the realization that he is a sinner:
"O Lord, rebuke me not in Thy wrath;
And chasten me not in Thy burning anger.
For Thine arrows have sunk deep into me,
And Thy hand has pressed down on me.
There is no soundness in my flesh because of Thine indignation;
There is no health in my bones because of my sin.
For my iniquities are gone over my head;
As a heavy burden they weigh too much for me.
My wounds grow foul and fester.
Because of my folly,
I am bent over and greatly bowed down;
I go mourning all day long.
For my loins are filled with burning;
And there is no soundness in my flesh.
I am benumbed and badly crushed;
I groan because of the agitation of my heart" (Ps. 38:1-8).
True mourning for sin does not seem to take place anymore, but it is clear that such was an integral part of the people of God's understanding. Isaiah even rebuked the children of Israel, saying that because of their sin, God had called them " . . . to weeping, to wailing, to shaving the head and to wearing sackcloth. Instead, there is gaiety and gladness, killing of cattle and
slaughtering of sheep, eating of meat and drinking of wine: 'Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we may die'" (Is. 22:12-13). If the same is said of us, we must also reap what the Israelites reaped, for Isaiah continues, "'Surely this iniquity shall not be forgiven you until you die,' says the Lord God of hosts" (v. 14).
Finally, to understand repentance, we must come to a knowledge that it requires a change, a turning away from sin and a turning to God. David asked, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me" (Ps. 51:10). Paul described the effect of repentance on the lives of the Thessalonian church, expressing joy at ". . . how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God" (1 Thess. 1:9). We cannot truly come to repentance until we are willing to give up the sin, sometimes at great sacrifice (some have quit well-paying jobs to avoid temptation, while others have removed themselves from loved ones who were a hindrance to their service to God).
Repentance may indeed be a misunderstood concept today, but we cannot deny its importance. We must recognize the eternally deadly consequences of our sin, turn in mourning from it, ask God's forgiveness, and look to Him for strength in further temptation. That is true repentance.
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