Why we need to repent

Repentance or conversion is the beginning of the Christian life, but it is also the key in understanding how to live as a believer. It is so important for you to experience this in your own life. Without a true turning away from sin and idol worship there is no salvation!

Turn around

The Bible says that repentance is an important part of the foundation for the Christian (Heb 6:1). The Christian life is compared here with a building where the foundation upholds the entire house. In this way repentance is fundamental and vital for a Christian all his life. Without a proper foundation the building cannot stand but will fall apart. A safe foundation will always hold the building together.

To repent is to turn away from an evil and sinful life and turn to a good life with God. Repentance often means a radical change in our way of thinking and a calling of oneself to account/admission of accountability that leads to a change in behaviour and a new lifestyle. We find this in both the Old and the New Testament:

Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, all of you according to your ways, says the LORD GOD. Repent and turn from all your transgressions; otherwise iniquity will be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed against me, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, says the LORD GOD. Turn, then, and live. (Ezek 18:30-32)
For the people of those regions report about us what kind of welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, (1Thess 1:9)
but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout the countryside of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God and do deeds consistent with repentance. (Acts 26:20)

Exercise:

Write down how and when you repented

How would you explain to someone who is not a Christian what repentance is?

Why repentance is necessary

Jesus’ command to repent implies that all humanity is going in the wrong direction. We are all on our way to perdition. This is because of the first man, Adam, who sinned and disobeyed God. Through this all humanity have become partakers in his sin, and has inherited an inclination to go its own way, away from God:

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death came through sin, and so death spread to all because all have sinned - (Rom 5:12)

since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; (Rom 3:23)

Jesus did not come with a long list of sins that we should avoid. His teaching on sin shows us that sin comes primarily from man’s heart and has as much to do with thoughts and attitudes as with sinful deeds:

But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Matt 5:28)

But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.” (Matt 15:18-20)

When we summarise Jesus’ teaching about sin we can define sin as:
a. Our own will opposed to God’s will
b. Self interest before the interest of others

Sin is then, in its essence, pride and egoism. It is the belief that one knows better than God, and can therefore do as one sees fit. It is the belief that one is more important than others, and therefore one can put one’s own interest first.

The situation is then this: All people have sinned and are separated from God. Sin has created a great cleft which man cannot cross. There is nothing that we can do in our own strength to bridge the gap between God and ourselves.

To be born in a “Christian” country is not good enough. Billy Graham has said, “You may have been born in a garage, but that won’t make you a car”.

To be born of Christian parents is not good enough either. Spiritual life is not inherited (John 1:13).

Neither is being baptised and confirmed a guarantee of salvation. No religious rituals, ceremonies or keeping of laws can save (Gal 3:2-3).

Doing as well as we can, “doing the right thing” and doing good works saves no one (Eph 2:8-9).

How then can man be saved?” (Luke 18:26)

Jesus says:

“What is impossible with men is possible with God” (Luke 18:27).
“I tell you the truth, no one can see the Kingdom of God, unless he is born again” (John 3:3).

“Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying ‘You must be born again’ (John 3:6-7).

Let us summarise this: Jesus makes it quite clear that everyone is on the road of sin, which leads away from God. No person can save himself or work himself out of sin and build up for himself any sort of favour with God. The only way we can come into God’s kingdom is by being born again. But how can this happen?
Jesus himself gives us the answer:

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. (John 3:16)

We receive eternal life by believing in Jesus. We can only come into God’s kingdom if we will believe in Jesus as Saviour and Lord. We shall look more closely at this.

Exercise:

What caused you to repent?

Which things in your own life did you have to deal with when turning to Christ?

What is sin? Give a definition that someone who is not a Christian would understand.

How would you explain for a non-believer that repentance is necessary?

Learn this verse by heart:

all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23)