Repent is one of the most important words in our vocabulary. It is the very point in which a person realizes the weight of their sins before God, asks for forgiveness, and literally turns away from their old man. Repentance was a central characteristic of Jesus’ ministry.
Matthew 4:17 says: From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Let’s look together to see what repentance is and why it’s needed. This writer believes there is a direct correlation between the diminishing popularity of the repentance message today and the ultimate widespread rejection of repentance by most people during the Great Tribulation because the Bible makes it clear they won’t repent.
What is repentance? It is the result of knowing we are completely helpless and undone before a holy God. Repentance produces genuine sorrow and remorse for our sins. Once we become aware of our heart’s lost position, we confess our sins and ask God to forgive us and at that moment….the blood of Jesus is applied to our life. We are no longer enemies of God but now we’re adopted into his family as his son’s and daughters. This awareness of sin, atonement, and new life produces something very unique to the believer in Jesus. We put off the old man and put on the new.
To repent is to literally turn 180 degrees in the other direction. No longer do we live for ourselves, earthly pleasures, and to satisfy sinful desires. Instead, the new believer had done a u-turn in their conduct, thinking, obedience, and will. How can you Identify true repentance in your life? The fruit of true repentance is a marked definitive change in the way we live. Paul tells us if anyone is in Christ…he is a new creature. True repentance brings God-honoring conduct and a new way of thinking and living. The marks of a truly repentant person is a radical sold out affinity and desire for the things of God…..we are never the same.