What is repentance and why do we need it? �In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.� A few days later, he added humans, and he gave them free will to do whatever they wanted, except one thing. The humans lived happily for a little while without sin, and they were close to God. Then their free will kicked in and they did the one thing God told them not to do. God was angered and they were separated from him. (Genesis chs. 1-3) And so the story continues, year after year, decade after decade, and still today. It happens every day! God gave us free will, and we use it the wrong way. We sin, and we are separated from Him. But we don�t have to stay that way. We don�t have to stay separated from God! Much of the Bible talks about turning to God and repenting. What is repentance? According to the dictionary, it is �to feel regret for something which has occurred; to change one�s sinful way.� According to the Bible, this means admitting to God that you have sinned and asking Him to forgive you. God wants us to repent! God sent many prophets to warn the people of the Old Testament to turn from their sinful ways and repent. Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos, Hosea, Habakkuk, the list goes on and on. He warned them that if they didn�t repent, terrible things would happen to their land and people. The same holds true today. God doesn�t send prophets to threaten us with destruction, but He does tell us through his word, the Bible, that the punishment for our sin is death and eternal separation from him. �Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.� �Matthew 25:46 But he gave us an answer, a way to turn from sin. �For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. � John 3:16. Isn�t that exciting? Eternal life with God? The Bible says that Jesus was exalted for this purpose. (Acts 5:31) He was God�s only son, and God sent him to die in our place, so that we wouldn�t have to. He died for everyone- you, me, your parents, your best friend, you�re next door neighbor. He wants us all to be in Heaven with him someday! 1 Timothy 2:4 tells us that God wants all men to be saved. 2 Peter 3:9 says, � The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.� He�s waiting for us to turn to him! There are MORE benefits to repentance! �You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must return to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.� �Acts 20:20. So repentance IS helpful to you! What are its benefits? Well, if you are already a Christian, it is a way of bearing fruit. There are other benefits for both Christians and non- Christians alike. In the Old Testament, when a person sinned they were �justified by the Law of Moses.� But there were ways that the Laws of Moses could not justify you. That�s where Jesus comes in. �Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the Law of Moses.� Acts 13:39 Turning to God and repenting leads you to a knowledge of the truth. �Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth.� 2 Timothy 2:25. When you turn away from your sin, you understand the truth-that there is no life in sin and you need Jesus to be freed from it! What do I do now? Are you tired of living a life of sin? Are looking for something more out of life? Does repentance sound like the way to go? Turn to Jesus today. Tell him that you know you are a sinner and you are sorry. Ask him for forgiveness and tell him that you are thankful for his sacrifice. Then go out and show the world that you�re a changed person! ��I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by good deeds.� Acts 26:20. You�re a different person, you are no longer living a life that leads to death. Now prove it! Show your repentance through your deeds. If you want to know more about repentance, there are many places that you can look in the Bible. Try Matthew 3:8, Luke chapter 3, Mark chapter 1, and 2 Corinthians 7:8-10. Still need something more? Cick here. |
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