Repenting of sin
Posted on April 9, 2007
Filed Under Matt Clifton, Salvation
by Matt Clifton
At this point we have had two installments on the subject of how one can know for certain he or she is a Christian. In the previous two articles, we noted that faith comes from hearing the Word of God (Rom. 10:17), and the faith we are to have is a faith in Jesus Christ as the promised Messiah (John 4:25-26), the Son of God (Matt. 16:16), God in the flesh (John 1:1; 1:14). Now we turn our attention to another facet of obedience to God that is necessary in order to be a Christian: repentance.
From the first moment the kingdom of God was preached, it involved the idea of repentance. Before the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry, John the baptizer proclaimed the need for repentance in light of the coming of the kingdom. “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,†he said (Matt. 3:2), and urged the people to “bear fruit in keeping with repentance†(Matt. 3:8). Jesus Himself preached this same message (Matt. 4:17), and so did the apostles when Jesus sent them out to preach (Mark 6:12). Following the resurrection of Christ, Jesus gave the Great Commission, which included the preaching of repentance (Luke 24:47). Both Peter (Acts 2:38) and Paul (Acts 17:30) stressed the importance of repentance and connected it with salvation.
So it is clear from the scriptures that repentance is necessary. But what is repentance? The technical definition of the Greek word that we translate into English as “repent†is “to think differently, reconsider.†This necessarily means that in order for one to repent, he or she must change the way he or she thinks. This change in thinking has to do not only with our attitudes toward God, but also our attitudes toward sin. When Paul was preaching the gospel, he told people that they should “repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance†(Acts 26:20). Therefore, repentance is not just about a change in mind, but it is also about a change in actions and deeds that must begin in the mind! So repentance is a decision—followed by action—that one will forsake the ways of sin and start doing things God’s way.
Is it necessary to repent in order to be saved? According to scriptures, the answer is certainly “yes.†We cannot be saved without forgiveness of sins! Acts 3:19 says, “Therefore repent, and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.â€
We continue to build upon our understanding of how we can be certain we are Christians. After learning that faith comes from the Word of God, and that we are to believe upon Jesus as the Son of God who died for our sins, we have now added the scriptural understanding that repentance is necessary in order to be saved. The next article will examine Jesus’ command that we confess Him publicly.
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