What Is True Repentance?

[G.U.W. MINISTRY]

“Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?  Then Peter said unto them, Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” – Acts 2:37,38 KJV

What shall we do?  This is the basic question we must ask in the twenty-first century church if Jesus tarries.  What shall we do?  It is not enough to be sorry for our sin.  What shall we do?  That question had a real ring of desperation in it.  What shall we do?  It is like the Philippian jailer who asked, “What must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30) 

What shall we do about the Lordship of Jesus Christ?  He is either Lord or liar, and our eternal destiny hinges upon what we believe about this fact.

Peter answered their question with a pointed reply by saying, “repent” (Acts 2:38).  He told his hearers what they ought to do.  He did not give them several multiple-choice options.  He was pointed.  In a word he replied, “repent.”  What shall we do?  Repent.

There is an important question to be asked at this point: What is repentance? 

1. First, what is repentance?  Let’s look at what repentance is not.  Repentance is not remorse.  It is not simply being sorry for your sin.  Remorse may lead to repentance, but remorse is not repentance.  The rich, young ruler went away very sorrowful when Jesus explained the demands of discipleship.  He was remorseful, but he did not repent.  Many people have substituted remorse for repentance.

2. Repentance is not regret.  That is, it is not merely wishing some sinful deed, word, or action had not occurred.  Pontius Pilate ceremonially took a basin of water and washed his hands, regretting his evil deed, but he did not repent.  Many of you have substituted regret for repentance and have tragically fooled yourselves in the process.

3. Repentance is not resolve.  You cannot substitute resolve for repentance.  Genuine repentance is characterized by you saying to yourself and God, “I never want to displease you Lord again.  I am so sorry for my sins.  I am leaving that old life behind me.  I don’t want to be the same.  I want to be changed by the Holy Spirit.  Through the years, I have heard many people make resolves that they have never followed.  They bargained with the Lord, “O, Lord, if you just get me out of this mess, I’ll do whatever You want.  I’ll follow wherever you lead.  Lord, just help me.”  And the Lord does help them.  They get out of their jam.  They go on living as they did before, making a mockery out of God, ignoring Him, and never looking back to those resolutions, because they were not accompanied by real repentance and doing an about-face from sin.  A mere resolution will not suffice.

4. Repentance is not reform.  Sometimes reformation even involves restitution.  It was so with Judas Iscariot.  After betraying our Lord, he grabbed the thirty pieces of silver, returned to the temple and threw it at those who had paid the price of betrayal.  Judas reformed, but unfortunately, he did not repent.  Many of you today have substituted reform for repentance.  Peter did not preach on the Day of Pentecost and say, “Reform.”  Nor did he say, “Resolve.”  Nor did he say, “Regret.”  Nor did he say, “Have remorse.”  His message was a pointed call for repentance.

So, what is repentance?  Is repentance turning from every sin as some people preach today?  If so, then who has repented?  When you came to Christ, did you turn from every sin you had ever committed?  What is repentance?  The word repent is the Greek word metanoia, which in its original language is defined a s a change of mind.  It is to change one’s way of thinking about salvation.  Repentance makes you love what you once hated and hate what you once loved.  The bad things you used to love, you no longer desired and the things I never thought I would like became the things I love to do.  It is a change of mind.

It was the message of the forerunner John the Baptist: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matthew 3:2).  And Matthew 3:7-8 says, “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them; You nest of snakes.  Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?  Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.”

Let’s face it.  I doubt if John the Baptist could make it as a pastor in most churches today.  He preached without fear or favor.  He laid the ax to the tree.  He did not care who it offended, if God laid the message on his heart.

John the Baptist denounced Herod for adultery.  He referred to his listeners as vipers and snakes.  How long would a preacher last, if he called his listeners snakes? 

It was also the message of the apostles.  “They went out and preached that people should repent” (Mark 6:12).  They went out and preached.  What did they preach?  Prosperity?  Successful living?  What?  They went out and preached that people should repent.

What was the message of the Bible?  Was it positive thinking, with all sorts of trinkets for reminders?  Was it concentrated ministries on the home, ministries on finance, or selected other “professional ministries”?  When we read the Book of Acts, we find none of these in the early church.  Why?  Their message was “repent.”

This is what accounts for a happy home when a husband and wife repent.  We can fill out workbooks until we are blue in the face and sit before videotaped seminars until we can sit no longer, but I believe what the church severely needs today is the message of repentance.  When a person genuinely repents, he or she will put one’s home in order….

Repentance is a change of mind.  Repentance involves a change of your mind about yourself, a change of your mind about sin, and a change of your mind about salvation.  The battle is in the mind.  Each of us will repent when we change our minds, and in changing our minds, our hearts will be changed.  This change of mind will cause us to regret our deed and blame ourselves for it, take responsibility for the deed, and resolve to set our face toward the Lord Jesus Christ…

God’s amazing grace is offered freely through His goodness and mercy.  He guides and leads the unconverted person toward repentance, God, faith, and our Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 21:20).  Can’t we understand that it is the goodness of God which allows us to hear the gospel and that this is what leads us to repentance?  Peter stood up and shouted, “Repent!”

[Rt. Rev. Adrian L. West I]

My brother, WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! POWERFUL VERY POWERFUL...

  I will say that we became lost during the Leadership changes during the civil rights movement... Watered down  mis-nomers, became the norm.. You are correct in your reasoning .. John the baptizer, would not be welcome in our Congregations today, just as he had to preach in the wilderness then, he would have to start his own ministry today.. funny how the Truth makes us free, and it is free, yet no-one accepts it, yet they will pay to attend, and purchase, multiple Lies...

  Beautiful post brother,, outstanding, thanks for this discussion..

[Mrs. Denise Jones]

Greetings Bro. Watson...I was trying to find Karen's post, the one in which you were responding.  I enjoyed reading your replies, but was not on point in what you were replying too.

 

I concur with your statements wholeheartedly, in your first paragraph and last sentence...God has already established laws against this type of disobedience and has established rules to follow to SET THEIR BEHINDS down.  It only takes ONE person to obey the word of God and stand on God's word and allow God to fight the battle, but be fully amoured according to the Word of God and that Pastor will either kneel in humility or or out shamed.  God don't like mess and God promises to be in the battle with the one who is a follower of HIS WORD.  All one have to do is see what God say about it and do what God say to do, it is ALL in His Word....those pastors who fall can be restored also, but ONLY according to God's Word.  It is just that God's so called followers just sit back and let the any and everything go on in the house of God and pollute Gods santuary with STRANGERS.  God Help Us ALL.

 

And as far as 1 Tim 3 1-7...God's Word is what it say...can't change it, but some have to appease their flesh in this WORLD.  God said It, I believe IT, that settles it for ME.  But you have the women now being wives of other women...and getting married in the churches etc...THIS WORLD has TWISTED the Word of God to please itself.  God HAVE MERCY.  You have woman calling themselves Bishops...wow...unbelievable.  It started out subtle like the serpent with Eve...twisting what God say...remember....

In Love Sister Denise

[Bigman Ugochukwu c.]

Repentance is a decision nt to return to ur original life. Sin is the nature of man, bt when one decides to repent, he decides to be born of God, after that he gets the spirit that quickens his mortal body not to sin, because sin is a power over man. Paul said, the things i want to do, i do nt do them, but what i do nt wnt to do, i find myself doin them. So the spirit of God cud help one come to true repentance, through the word, by continuos renuewin of our mind. I have dis to tel u also dat

[Bigman Ugochukwu c.]

Hey when the spirit of God came upon peter, he gave him a Degree certificate in mass communication. Hey when d power comes upon u, he will teach you all things because he that is born of God overcomes the world. Get the word of God, n make alive, the spirit of all abilities inside of you.

[Felecia Wright]

Honorable Rev. Arlee Turner Jr.,

I am very impressed in the lovingly way you informed your READERS.

How do you plan on taking this message into the highways and byways?

It is written the Apostle spoke have you RECEIVED since you BELIEVED?

Believing of the message or letter.

Receiving of the Spirit.

Jesus Christ spoke also, you must be Born Again.

Everyone may not be aware of the twofold process.

John 7:15-19

The Jews were amazed and said, "How does he know scripture without having studied?" Jesus answered them and said, "My teaching is not my own but is from the one who sent me. Whoever chooses to do his will shall know whether I speak on my own. Whoever speaks on his own seeks his own glory, but whoever seeks the glory of the one who sent him is truthful, and there is no wrong in him. Did not Moses give you the LAW? Yet none of you keeps the LAW.

From Genesis to Revelation same message, same response. Many are called into TRUE REPENTANCE, but few are willing CHOICE into TRUE REPENTANCE. But we READ and Say we shall KNOW the Truth and the truth shall make you free. Maybe some may have realized what type of TRUTH they may have come against.

To know is to understand the LAW and the SPIRIT.

Thanks again and again

God bless

 

[Lacie Monique]

We learn the truth at Life Changers, the hard truth, and it's true many don't want to hear it.  It takes too much time, too much effort, it's no fun...Well, hell won't be fun.  The Bible says that the righteous will scarcely make it into heaven.  The people that are sincere that serve God with all that is within them will scarcely make it into heaven.  God, Jesus, Holy Spirit (Trinity), is not taken seriously.  It's just something we profess without practicing, (when a medical doctor professes to be so, he practices).  As we learn better, we do better, James told us it is the knowledge of good and the choosing not to do it is sin.  We choose our fate by our actions.  Our preachers today cannot be afraid to lay the axe at the root, chop it up.  That's what my Shepherd does.