Repent and be saved

Whatever happened to repentance? You rarely hear the word mentioned in most churches today.  Many pastors seldom call for their congregations to sorrow over sin and to grieve over wounding Christ by their wickedness. Instead, the message we hear today is, "Just believe. Accept Christ, and you'll be saved.  But there is more to it.  You need to repent and to believe to be saved.  Many who claim to be saved have never rejected sin. The popular idea today is that you can continue to live in sin with no change of heart, no change of mind, no conviction, and think you’re OK.  Only if there is a change of heart and mind toward sin, then it is true saving faith! If there is no change of heart or mind...there is no salvation. Belief without repentance is only a head knowledge of Jesus Christ.  Just knowing about Jesus and wanting to go to heaven is not enough. We must understand that we, the individual, have sinned against God and we must do something about that sin. The person who sees himself as a sinner and sees that sin is rebellion against God will want to change. He sees that sin is destructive and dishonors himself and God. That is what the Gospel teaches, that Jesus Christ came into the world to save men from their sins. It teaches that one must believe, put their faith in Jesus Christ, and turn from their wicked ways in order to be saved.  We all fall into this category as wretched sinners; I am that wretch that the song refers to. Note what God says about this: "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one." (Romans 3:10-12) and Paul says in Timothy, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.

Think about it — what was the first message Jesus delivered, after he emerged from the temptation in the wilderness? REPENT! Scripture says, "From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17).  Jesus called people to repent before he called them to believe! Mark writes, "…Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel" (Mark 1:14-15). Christ preached, "Repent first — and believe." Elsewhere Jesus says of his mission, "…I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (Matthew 9:13). And he told the Galileans, "I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3).  Jesus' gospel was all about repentance! John the Baptist also preached repentance to prepare Israel for the coming of Christ. John's message to the Jews was simple and straightforward: (Matthew 3:1-2) says “In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand".  People came from everywhere to hear John preach. And he told them in no uncertain terms: "The messiah is soon to appear — so; you'd better get ready to meet him! You may feel excited that he's coming. But I'm telling you, your hearts are not prepared — because you're still holding onto your sins!  So, repent, turn from your sin -- and live in a way that reflects genuine change!"

What gospel did Peter preach to the masses on the day of Pentecost when 3000 were saved, let me think…REPENT! The Bible tells us that when the people heard Peter say, "...they were pricked in their heart, and said...Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one 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).  Peter didn't tell these people just to "believe and be saved." He didn't ask them to merely make a decision for Jesus.  No -- he told them to repent quickly, and then be baptized in obedience to Christ! Realizing this and accepting the fact that one is a sinner and needs God's forgiveness is only the first step toward salvation. What message did Paul preach to the pagans and later to King Agrippa?  REPENT!  That’s right, so do you see where I’m going with this? Paul told them very directly, REPENT!"...God...now commandeth all men every where to repent" (Acts 17:30) and “that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance" (Acts 26:19-20).  Paul is saying, "Everywhere I've been, I've preached repentance. And genuine repentance proves itself by its actions!"  And these actions are manifest in the Fruits of Repentance.  Anybody can say they are repentant for a while, but keep watching and whatever program they think they are on, their true fruits will show through to the outside world.   These passages make clear to us that the church preached unabashedly the same gospel John and Jesus preached: "Repent for the remission of your sins!"  What Does It Mean To Repent? The most common definition of repentance is to stop what you are doing and go in the opposite direction. In other words turn around.  Metamellomia” –This means regret.  We see this in Matthew 27:3 “When Judas, who had betrayed him, realized that Jesus had been condemned to die, he was filled with remorse. So he took the thirty pieces of silver back to the leading priests and other leaders. “I have sinned,” he declared, “for I have betrayed an innocent man.”  This is the Recognition of sin.  This is when we begin to realize that we are sinners. We feel the guilt of sin, but do nothing about it. We feel regret, but continue to live in sin.  Then we have “Metanoeo” – This is to think differently.  This is the confession of sin.  We begin to change our thinking about ourselves and about our sinful life. We begin to understand that we are not as good as we thought we were. We begin to want to change our behavior.  This is a stress-filled way to live because our actions do not match our beliefs.  And finally “Metanoia” – Which means reversal.  This is true repentance. Here is a sample of John’s preaching to the crowds that came for baptism: (Luke 3:7-9), “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee God’s coming judgment?  Prove by the way you live (that’s the fruits) that you have really turned from your sins and turned to God [metanoia]. The full, literal meaning of the word "repent" in the New Testament is "to feel remorse and self-reproach for one's sins against God; to be contrite, sorry; to want to change direction." The difference in meanings here rests on the word "Want." True repentance includes a desire to change! If there is no change of heart or mind - there is no saving faith and no salvation. Biblical repentance means one has a change of mind that comes by faith in accepting Jesus Christ. Godly sorrow produces repentance which forsakes sin and turns from it.  Just being sorry doesn't constitute repentance. Rather, true sorrow leads to repentance. Paul states, "For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death" (2 Corinthians 7:10).  Paul is speaking here of a sorrow that's without regrets -- one that's genuine, that "sticks" in the life of the repentant person. This kind of godly sorrow naturally produces a repentance that includes a hatred for sin, a righteous fear of God and a desire to right all wrongs. If the believer does not in repentance confess their sin, they will not turn from sin, and thus they reaped the fruit of sin which is unrest and no peace in one's heart.

Do people have a genuine conviction for sin? Are people being offered salvation who haven't actually repented -- who haven't sorrowed over their trespasses, who haven't seen the exceeding sinfulness of their sins, who have sought faith so they could merely be seen as doing the right thing? Appearing outwardly moral - yet be living in sin. Those people never experience the deep work of the Holy Spirit. As a result, they never repent, never sorrow over their sins -- and never truly believe. Tragically, they are looking for something Jesus himself never offered -- salvation without repentance! After salvation a believer can still be tempted to sin but he does not want to sin. He knows it is wrong and destructive and is repulsed by it. Even a true Christian can enjoy sin for a moment; however, it will not be the same as before. When he sins, there is conviction for his sin.  We cannot take the feeling out of conviction. Think about it -- you hardly ever see tears on the cheeks of those who are being saved anymore. Of course, tears don't save anyone. But God made us all human, with very real feelings. And any sinner who has been moved upon by the Holy Spirit naturally feels a profound sorrow over the ways he or she has grieved the Lord. Sin bothers a true believer...but it does not bother the lost. The Christian knows sin as the destructive thing it is. He knows it will destroy his life and his testimony before others and bring shame on the Lord Jesus. Repenting is like looking in God's mirror, revealing every hidden, secret thing. You see, repentance isn't a one-time experience. It's not some hurricane that strikes once and then is gone forever. Nor do we experience repentance only in a moment of crisis, and then merely talk about it the rest of our lives. No -- sorrow for sin should be our constant teacher!  When was the last time you were moved to repent and got down on your face to cry out to God for forgiveness?

Repentance – vital change, as Spurgeon calls it, is a requirement for salvation.  "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:8-9). Jesus says to us,"…To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God" (Revelation 2:7).  Jesus promises that your godly sorrow, your repentant heart and your renewed love for him will lead you to everlasting life. Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God, over one sinner that repenteth.  So, pray to him right now: "Lord, give me a truly repentant heart. Take me back to who I was when I was first in love with you. Yet, this time take me farther, deeper in you, than I've ever been before!"  As you repent, God's Spirit will begin to produce in you a new revelation of the glory of Christ. And he'll make it known to everyone around you, again, this is the fruits!  Every blessing comes through repentance and remember repentance is the funnel through which all grace flows.   Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me, I once was lost but now am found was blind but now I see.