What does it mean to repent?

What does it mean to

repent?

 Looking Deeper

 Looking Deeper What does it mean to repent?

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hristianity is easy,” a friend told me. “You do what you want and then remember to say sorry after.”

I’ve come across that view a few times, and not just from non-Christians. People in the church will sometimes say, and believe, that repentance is all about saying sorry to God. As long as we’re doing that, it’s all good.

God’s infinite grace, love and forgiveness are never in question; even our worst crimes and darkest secrets have been paid for in full by Jesus. He has made us brand new—now we’re children of God. But that’s the point. We’re living new lives. Paul reminds us: “You must no longer live as [you used to] . . . Darkened in [your] understanding and separated from the life of God” (Ephesians 4:17-18).

This is the point of repentance too. More than just saying sorry, or feeling bad about something or even trying to do much better, it’s a complete turnaround from doing things my way and relying on myself, to instead following His ways and relying on Him. When Jesus talked about repentance, it often went hand-inhand with the command to “believe” or have faith in God (see Matthew 21:32 and Mark 1:15). Repentance is a new way of life—with God and His ways at the very centre.

It’s what we do when we first become Christians and realise how much we need and want Jesus; and it happens every day after as we look to grow closer with Him and leave behind more and more of our selfishness. Let’s look at a couple of examples in the Bible to help us explore this some more.

[2] WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO REPENT?

Why repentance is more than being sorry

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he Bible shows that being repentant doesn’t just stop at being sorry. Paul’s letters to the church at Corinth give a helpful explanation. In his first letter to them, Paul corrected and warned them (sometimes quite harshly) about some of the things they were doing. They were divided (1 Corinthians 1:11-13), allowed sexual immorality to continue unchecked (5:1-2), abused their time of communion (11:27-29), lacked love (13:1-3) and held chaotic, disruptive meetings (14:26-40).

When Paul heard about the Corinthians’ response to his letter, he then wrote this to them: I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. —2 Corinthians 7:9-11 (emphasis added)

WHY REPENTANCE IS MORE THAN BEING SORRY [3]

When the church realised they’d messed up, they had a choice about how they would react: “worldly sorrow” or “godly sorrow”. But what’s the difference?

Alan Redpath (a former Pastoral Dean of Capernwray Bible School) explained: “How sorry do you think you have to be? What is the purpose of your sorrow for sin? It is to bring you to trust in the atoning work of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is not your sorrow that cleanses you from sin, but His blood. It is the goodness of God that leads a man to repentance.

Has your sorrow for sin led you at one time or another to fling all the burden of it at the feet of the crucified, risen Saviour? If it hasn’t, anything short of that is what Paul calls sorrow that leads to death . . . Godly sorrow that leads to repentance, therefore, is a sorrow that leads to a change of purpose, of intention and of action.”

He went on to share how “worldly sorrow” never gets beyond feeling sorry. It is like “crying by your bedside because once again you have failed,” or “wishing things had never happened, wishing you could live the moment again”. The Bible defines worldliness as being focused on here and now—and being focused on ourselves and what we can or can’t do. So this worldly-based regret never turns our eyes to God to trust in His salvation and forgiveness through Jesus’ death on the cross. To the world, that idea is just “foolishness” (see 1 Corinthians 1:18-25).

The Corinthians’ sorrow, however, led to “earnestness”, “indignation”, “alarm” and a “readiness [4] WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO REPENT?

to see justice done” (2 Corinthians 7:11). Paul even went as far as saying, “At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter” (v.11). They were innocent not because they had done nothing wrong, but because they had repented—they had turned back to God for forgiveness, to be led by Him again, to trust the consequences to Him and to rely on Him to clean them and move them forward. We also see from their “indignation” and “alarm” that they did not want to go back to living as they had Repentance is before. This was not a case of saying sorry, letting God a 180 degree clean up and then carrying turn to face on however they wanted.

They had turned back to the opposite follow and trust God alone. direction.

Repentance is a 180 degree turn to face the opposite direction. It is a spin away from my ways back to God’s way. It’s saying to God: “You are in charge. Whatever You say, goes. I will follow and rely on You, not myself. My life is Yours.”

WHY REPENTANCE IS MORE THAN BEING SORRY [5]

Worldly sorrow in action

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et’s take a look at Judas and Peter in the Bible.

One of them messed up big time when he let Jesus down and betrayed him. The other one is Judas, who led a mob to a quiet place where they could arrest Jesus in the dead of night—for thirty pieces of silver.

Judas’ story is probably more familiar as one of betrayal. But Peter also let Jesus down massively. To start with, he boasted in front of the other disciples that he would never leave Jesus, even if the others did (Matthew 26:33). But only a few hours later he denied knowing Him three times to save his own skin (vv.69-75).

Both stories give us an eye-opening view of worldly sorrow.

Judas: When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.”

“What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.”

So Judas threw the money into the temple and left.

Then he went away and hanged himself. —Matthew 27:3-5

[6] WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO REPENT?

Judas gives us a harrowing picture of being sorry for sin, but not repenting. Judas’ sorrow was all about himself: “I have betrayed innocent blood”. And he seemed to take the chief priests’ words to heart: “That’s your responsibility.” Judas did not give the responsibility of becoming clean to God, but tried to deal with it himself.

In a way Judas tried to pay for his crime himself through his misery, his self-hate, the return of the money and then his suicide. His sorrow couldn’t get past regret and guilt, because he was never truly made clean by anything he did.

Could Jesus’ death on the cross have paid for Judas’ betrayal? Absolutely. Even Judas could have had a place in heaven, because “the death [Jesus] died, he died to sin once for all” (Romans 6:10). “All” may only have three letters, but it’s one of the biggest words in the Bible—it means there are no barriers for anyone (absolutely anyone) to come to God. Jesus died to pay for all sin so that all people can be saved if they trust Him—even the worst, even Judas.

But Judas didn’t turn to Jesus and put everything on the cross for Him to pay for. And Judas didn’t give his life for Jesus to change and lead. Judas shouldered his guilt and mess himself, and his worldly sorrow really did lead to quite literal death.

Peter: It could have been the same story for Peter.

Just like Judas, he wallowed in his guilt: “He went outside and wept bitterly” (Matthew 26:75). If Peter’s story had ended there, it would have been just another example of worldly sorrow: a man so caught up in his shame and guilt that he couldn’t see a way out. But that’s not the end of his story . . .

WORLDLY SORROW IN ACTION [7]

Repentance in action

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ven after Jesus came back from the dead, Peter was still struggling with his guilt and trying to move forward on his own. Jesus being alive was the most amazing thing that had ever happened! The disciples were overjoyed—He really was who He said He was! The angel at the tomb had told the women: “[Jesus] has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter” (Mark 16:6-7). The specific mention of Peter suggests this was Jesus calling His friend back to Himself—Peter just needed to come to Him . . .

But Peter felt like a total failure. And so he went back to the only place life made sense—his old fishing boat: “‘I’m going out to fish,’ Simon Peter told [some of the other disciples], and they said ‘We’ll go with you’” (John 21:3). Peter was sorry He’d let Jesus down, but he hadn’t yet turned to God; he’d hidden in his old way of life from before he knew Jesus (Luke 5:1-11).

Here’s how the story unfolds in John 21: Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realise that it was Jesus.

He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”

“No,” they answered.

[8] WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO REPENT?

He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.

Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment round him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. —John 21:4-7 It seems like one moment Peter was hiding in his fishing boat; the next he dived in the water because he couldn’t get to Jesus quick enough! What changed?

Peter repented.

When Peter realised it was Jesus on the shore, I can imagine two things ran through his mind: 1) He knew his guilt had made him hide in the wrong place— somewhere he had left to follow Jesus. And 2) Jesus had come to find him even there.

When Jesus died on the cross, He removed all barriers. So even when we go to the wrong places and do the wrong things, Jesus is right there. He is on the shore for all of us, as it were, ready and waiting for us to turn around and dive towards Him instead.

How amazing for Peter to realise His God and Saviour, who he had betrayed, had come to personally find him so he could turn back! I think that is what made the difference for him. Peter realised he didn’t want to be hiding from Jesus, but in Jesus, even with his baggage and guilt (see Psalm 32:7). That gives us a

REPENTANCE IN ACTION [9]

powerful picture of repentance to think about. It’s about coming to Jesus, as we are, and saying “I need You. I don’t want to go anywhere else.”

As Peter dashed to Jesus, it seems like he How amazing for showed the same new purpose as the Corinthian Peter to realise church: “eagerness to His God and clear [himself], what Saviour, who he indignation, what alarm, what longing, had betrayed, what concern, what had come to readiness to see justice done. At every point [he] personally find proved [himself] to be him so he could innocent in this matter” (2 Corinthians 7:11). turn back!

[10] WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO REPENT?

Coming back to God

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henever we come to God to admit something we’ve done wrong, we often use phrases like: “I promise I’ll never do it again . . .” or “I’ll make up for it by. . .” or “Please, please forgive me because I’m really sorry . . .”

Coming back to God isn’t only about how sorry we are or what we’re going to do to make up for anything.

It is firstly about Him and what He has done!

We can’t know whether Peter was swimming to shore with a planned “I’m sorry” speech. Whatever Peter wanted to say when he got to shore, Jesus slowed him right down. On the beach was a fire “with fish on it, and some bread” (John 21:9)—and Jesus saying to Peter and the others, “Come and have breakfast” (v.12). What an incredible welcome for Peter the betrayer. Peter didn’t have to beg—Jesus had already made breakfast so they could simply sit together.

Jesus wasn’t ignoring everything that had happened (there was a conversation to come), but neither was He making repentance and reconciliation hard for Peter. In fact, as soon as Peter decided to come back to Jesus, Jesus Himself seemed to take the lead again.

It wasn’t on Peter to make this work, but Jesus (check out another example of this in Luke 15:11-32, where the lost son returns to his father with a planned “I’m

COMING BACK TO GOD [11]

sorry” speech, only for the Father to cut him off with: “Let’s have a feast and celebrate”).

When they did talk (John 21:15-19), their conversation teaches us some key things about coming back to God: Jesus leads: It’s so important for us to understand that Jesus is the centre of our repentance. He is the reason why we could come to God in the first place, and He is now our confidence every time we mess up. We do not repent looking at what we have done, but at what He has done to complete the work of salvation for us.

And so in this conversation with Peter, Jesus sets the tone and asks the questions. He models what it is for us to be God’s children. Do children set the agenda for their discipline? No! Parents do! Parents will stop their children when they are doing something naughty, help them understand what they did wrong, teach them a better way to handle similar situations and give any consequences. It is not the child who sets the pace of these things, but the parent—because they know better. Similarly, when we come to God in repentance, we do so with our eyes on Him to lead us. “We have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live!” (Hebrews 12:9).

It’s all about our relationship: Jesus did not ask Peter, “What did you think you were doing?” He went with: “Do you love me?” (John 21:15,16,17). Jesus took Peter right to the core of the issue—their relationship.

It’s not just that Peter had boasted and then lied to get [12] WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO REPENT?

out of trouble, the real problem was that Peter had let his pride and fear get in the way of his love for Jesus.

Jesus first asked the question as: “Do you love me more than these?” (v.15). We can’t be entirely sure what Jesus meant by “these”, but many Bible teachers think he meant the other disciples. Jesus was reminding Peter of his public boast that he would stick with Jesus even if the others fell away. And so He asked him, “Do you really love me more than the others do?”

And here we see how Jesus’ question starts to work a powerful change in Peter. Instead of continuing to compare himself to the others, he simply talks about himself and Jesus: “You know that I love you” (v.15).

In his repentance, Peter is simply looking at Jesus now, not how well he compares. Peter is realising, and reaffirming, that at the very core of his being, he chooses and wants Jesus above anything or anyone else. This is the heart of coming back to God. It can hurt: Jesus asks Peter three times whether he loves Him (presumably to mirror the three denials).

By the third question we’re told Peter was “hurt” (v.17). This is probably not only at being asked about his love three times, but because the other disciples were there too. Perhaps he felt embarrassed by being watched by them. But the situation had to be dealt with. Jesus doesn’t brush things under the carpet.

If we are to follow him, we must humbly admit our struggles and let him lead us through them, even if it’s painful and costly.

COMING BACK TO GOD [13]

Peter was going to be one of the key leaders of the early church. But he wouldn’t be effective in this role if he was focused on how he compared to the other church leaders, or if he was too frightened of the persecution. By bringing Peter’s focus back to Him, Jesus may have hurt Peter’s pride. But He was also helping Peter to keep his eyes and his love where it needed to be. With Jesus at the centre of his life, Peter would be able to teach the church to do the same.

It happens a lot: As soon as their conversation had ended, Peter got things wrong again! He looked at John and said, “What about him?” (v.21). Peter was instantly distracted by comparing his life (vv.18-19) to John’s. Jesus reminded him, “What is that to you? You must follow me” (v.22).

We’re forever turning to God, admitting our sin, coming close to Him, getting distracted, being prompted by Him, turning to God, admitting our sin, coming close to Him, getting distracted . . .

Repentance is not a one-time event when we first trust Jesus. It becomes a way of life as we battle constantly the distractions around us and the selfish instincts within us.

Let’s also be clear that we don’t keep repenting because our salvation is in danger (we are safe in God’s hands as Jesus says in John 10:29). We continually repent to keep our relationship with God on track, sticking close to Him and following Him down the paths He wants us to walk.

[14] WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO REPENT?

Moving forward

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epentance means prioritising our relationship with Jesus—again and again. And Paul tells us that this Jesus-centred attitude results in a totally different life. Throughout his ministry, he preached to everyone “that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds” (Acts 26:20, emphasis added).

As we admit to God where we’re going wrong (1 John 1:9), and rest in His love and forgiveness, we will see a transformation in how we live. As we love Jesus, it will start to show in what we think about, what we want and what we do. This is also kind of what Paul meant when he signed off his letter to the Corinthians (who he had made sorrowful): “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in As we love Jesus, the faith; test yourselves.

Do you not realise that it will start to Christ Jesus is in you . . . ?” show in what we (2 Corinthians 13:5).

The purpose of think about, what examining ourselves is not we want and for us to feel like we’ve failed. It is so we can, once what we do. again, repent! God’s grace

MOVING FORWARD [15]

and forgiveness are never in question. They are ours, won by Jesus on the cross so we can “approach God’s throne of grace with confidence” (Hebrews 4:16).

So why not ask yourself these things: • Are there things I know are wrong that I don’t want to stop doing?

• Am I hiding things from God? Am I hiding from Him? • Do I love Jesus? Do I want Him in control of my whole life?

• What is my first reaction to messing up? Do I hide or do I run to God? As we reflect on these things, and perhaps realise ways that we are not living for God, let’s turn back to Him, come close and let Him lead us again. That’s what He asks of us—not that we would simply feel guilty, but that we would repent and let our lives be all about Him!

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