Information Related to "What Is Repentance? (4/2004)"
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Repentance.
It's a strange-sounding word. It gets used a lot in religious circles: People
speak of it as something essential, and Jesus Christ taught that all who
are without it will perish (Luke 13:3,5). But what exactly is repentance?
What does it involve? If it's so essential, you need to understand it to
be able to do it.
As a teenager growing up in London, England, I began to read the literature of the Church of God and was fascinated with the subject of prophecy. I read all I could lay my hands on concerning the end of the age and the return of Jesus Christ. But the articles often ended with a reference to the same subject—repentance.
I couldn't understand what repentance really meant. I think I toyed with the idea of walking through deep snow with a heavy burden strapped to my back. Perhaps this was repentance? Or maybe it involved fasting, and getting very hungry, so God would accept me and spare me. Was that repentance?
Years later, I came to understand that the definition of repentance is, in fact, quite simple.
Perhaps the clearest and most basic definition is provided by King David in one of the Psalms. He wrote, "Depart from evil and do good" (Psalm 34:14). The same words are echoed in Psalm 37:27, with a related thought in the second part of the verse: "And dwell forevermore."
So repentance seems to have something to do with our future, and dwelling forevermore.
Yet if we are going to depart from evil and do good, we obviously need to know the definition of both terms. The definition of these, too, is provided in the Bible.
God's commandments and laws reveal what is good in His sight, since only He has the ability to determine right from wrong. Evil is breaking God's laws, while doing good is living in agreement with them. (If you don't have a copy of our free booklet The Ten Commandments, we invite you to contact our office nearest you and request one. The booklet will help you understand the definition of right and wrong, good and evil, as laid out in the Bible.)
So repentance involves learning, in order to find out what evil we need to turn from, and what good we need to turn to. But when, and how often, must we repent?
The answer to this question is simple too: God commands us to always repent! In fact, the Bible shows that all human beings everywhere are commanded to repent (Acts 17:30). This scripture is directed to Christians and non-Christians, churchgoers and nonchurchgoers. Everyone!
Repentance isn't just for adults. When a child fights with a brother or sister, and the fight ends in tears, if the child decides never to mistreat his or her brother or sister in that way again, the child, in doing so, repents!
When a teenager gets drunk and feels shame but then determines that he or she won't allow that to happen again, that, too, is repentance. When an adult who has committed some terrible sin determines not to make that mistake again, that is true repentance as well.
The Bible tells us repentance is something a person must do before he or she becomes a Christian. Note the exhortation of the apostle Peter in Acts 2:38: "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Human beings have to repent before receiving God's gift of the Holy Spirit, which is what makes a person a true Christian (Romans 8:9). It is required!
Does this mean that once a child has repented of fighting with a brother or sister, he is ready to be baptized? No. There are different levels of repentance, and a special, deep repentance is required of adults before they can be baptized.
Repenting of sins as we grow up is good and pleasing to God, but the special repentance that precedes baptism is a unique experience that leads to the greatest commitment in life—to offer one's life to God as a living sacrifice and become a Christian for as long as one lives. It's not a commitment to be taken lightly, or a commitment for anyone who hasn't yet reached adulthood.
If the thought of baptism and questions about repentance have been on your mind, we recommend you talk to your pastor. He will be able to help you understand this subject more fully and determine if you are ready to take on the lifelong commitment of becoming a true Christian.
In the meantime, remember that repentance is for everyone. "Depart from evil and do good" is the definition. Are you following that instruction? VT
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Origin of article "What Is Repentance? (4/2004)"
Keywords: repentance, meaning of repentance
Repentance: