Repentance

In Acts 17:30-31 we are told: “In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.” God has thus commanded all men to repent for at the last day everyone who is responsible to God will appear before Christ in judgement. Therefore if we have failed to obey God’s command to repent of our sins, we will be lost for ever. It is vitally important that we learn the meaning of repentance.

What is repentance?

“There was a man who had two sons and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my vineyard. He answered and said ‘I will not’, but afterwards he regretted it and went. The father went to the second son and said the same thing. The son answered ‘I will, sir’ but he did not go” (Matt 21:28-30). This parable teaches us the true meaning of repentance. At first the elder son in the parable refused to obey his father’s command to work in the vineyard; later, he changed his mind and went to work. All of us are like this son in the parable. We have disobeyed God’s commands many times. But when we stop disobeying God and begin to do His will, we have repented. Repentance is a change of mind. It is a decision to stop doing wrong and to begin doing right.

A man decides he will no longer rebel against God. He will obey the commands of God. His repentance will be seen in the good works that he does. One who has truly repented will try to please God in everything.

What causes repentance?

“For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death” (2 Cor 7:10). Repentance is caused by godly sorrow. When a person realises he has sinned by disobeying God, he becomes sorry for what he has done. This sorrow for his sin will lead a person to turn away from his sin. Thus godly sorrow (being sorry for disobeying God) causes one to repent.

“Or do you despise the riches of his goodness, forbearance and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads to repentance?” (Rom 2:4). God is good to us. He has given us Jesus, His Son, to die for our sins; He has given us the Bible to tell about the way to eternal life. When we realise how good God is to us, we should be ashamed to disobey Him. Our sorrow for disobeying our Father will cause us to repent of our sins.

The fruits of repentance

“Produce fruit in keeping with repentance and do not begin to say to yourself, ‘We have Abraham as our father’. For I tell you that out of these stones, God can raise up children for Abraham” (Luke 3:8). These words were spoken by John the Baptist. The people of Israel thought that they were saved simply because Abraham, God’s faithful servant, was their father. John told them that they must prove that they had repented. We prove that we have repented by doing good works. Before repenting, we do evil deeds; after repenting, we must do good deeds.

Suppose a man has a fruit tree in his garden. If the tree does not produce good fruit, he will cut it down and use it for fire wood. But if the tree produces good fruit, he will save it. If we turn from our sins but do not do good works in their place, we will still be lost. But if we produce good works, God will love us and save us.

Conclusion

Have your relatives and friends repented of their sins? Are they producing the fruits of repentance? If not, they are lost for ever, Christ will reject them in the last day. “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). In Acts 2:37-38 Jesus said to Peter. What shall we do and he said, “Repent and be baptised every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins.

Bro Biza Christopher (Zaka, Zimbabwe)