Seeking Him: 12 Days to Spiritual RevivalSýnishorn

Day 4: Repentance

Calls to repent are seen throughout the Bible. In the Old Testament, the nations of Israel and Judah repeatedly strayed from the Lord, and each time, God sent messengers to plead with His people to return to Him.

This same message is a prominent theme throughout the New Testament as well, from beginning to end.

An attitude of repentance is crucial in our initial coming to Christ for salvation. The New Testament apostles called both Jews and Greeks to respond in “repentance toward God and . . . faith in our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). To become a Christian involves repenting—turning away from an old way of life and turning to Christ for forgiveness and salvation.

Yet repentance does not end there. This same attitude is needed in our ongoing relationship with God. Christians will still be tempted to sin even though they have been given a new nature. They will sometimes yield to temptation and choose to sin. However, the inclination of those who truly belong to Him will be to humbly confess and forsake sin whenever confronted with it.

At one point in his ministry, the apostle Paul was forced to send a strong disciplinary letter to the church in Corinth to address a particular issue that needed to be corrected. In the letter we know as 2 Corinthians, he commends the Christians there for responding to his earlier rebuke with godly sorrow and true repentance.

I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us.

For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, but also what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved yourselves innocent in the matter. (2 Corinthians 7:9–11)

Before sin becomes an act, it is first a thought. We call that being tempted. If we don’t call out to God for help and deliverance in these moments of temptation, or if we allow ourselves to indulge the thought of sin in our minds, we will likely commit the sin sooner or later.

Once we sin, God gives us the means to escape sin’s lure and grip through the power of the Holy Spirit, who lives within us. This conviction is an internal “call” to turn around and change direction.

Just as sin begins in our minds (as a temptation), so repentance begins in our minds as the Holy Spirit brings conviction. The mind is a crucial part of our spiritual anatomy, as the following verses show:

[Jesus] said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37)

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:1–2)

Repentance cannot be considered genuine unless there is outward evidence—a behavior change. It’s not just a matter of feeling bad about our sins. If repentance is real, it will show itself. The outward manifestation of repentance may be instantaneous or seen over time. The length of time for real change may depend on the nature of the sin and how long one has been involved in it or other variables. But sooner or later, there will be a behavior change.

Is God calling you to turn away from any particular sin? Responding to God is more important than what you plan on doing next. If God is speaking, the time to respond is now. Will you humble yourself and allow Him to begin restoring you? Remember, He loves you, offers grace to cover any sin, and longs for you to walk in freedom and joy.

Consider:

When God brings conviction of sin to the heart of one of His children, what does it tell us about Him?