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Repentance

Mark Dunagan
08/06/17 - Sunday Morning

Repentance

If asked the question, “What is repentance?” many people in our culture might reply something like, “Repentance is being sorry”. Genuine repentance does include sorrow for sin (2 Corinthians 7:10), but is that all repentance includes? When Paul said to Christians in Corinth, “The sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret”, this indicates that repentance is far more than just feeling sorry for the things we regret doing.

The Definition

“The Greek verb that is translated ‘repent’ is metanoeo. Literally, it means ‘after thought.’ It suggests the idea of thinking about a deed after the commission of it. In the case of a sinful action, the idea would be a retrospection of the act and a subsequent feeling of sorrow for having committed the sin. That repentance involves more than mere ‘sorrow’ for the wrong act, however, is beyond dispute. It likewise entails a resolve to cease the wrongful conduct, replacing it with godly living. J. H. Thayer commented upon the term in the following fashion, and declared that repentance is:

‘The change of mind of those who have begun to abhor their errors and misdeeds, and have determined to enter upon a better course of life, so that it embraces both a recognition of sin and sorrow for it and hearty amendment, the tokens and effects of which are good deeds’ (1958, 406).  (https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/1015-what-is-the-fruit-of-repentance).

The Change of Mind

One of the reasons we are sometimes unsuccessful in our battle against temptation is that while we might regret what we have done, we really have not used that regret as a springboard to change how we view sin. What kinds of attitudes and self-talk keep us enslaved and coming repeatedly back to the things that we know destroy our soul?

• God expects too much of me. There is no way I can resist. Why try?
• I am only human and no one can really resist this particular sin for long.
• I sin, but so does everyone else, so it isn’t that big of a deal.
• I regret that I did that, but I am probably going to do it again, and that thought no longer bothers me.
• Do not be too upset about your sins. God will always forgive us, so yielding isn’t a big deal. Grace has already covered even the sins you will commit tomorrow. Just say you are sorry and get on with your life.
• I will always have time to repent after I sin.
• Sin is a lot of fun. I resent that God tells me that I can’t do that?I like doing that.

In contrast to such attitudes how empowering the attitudes of the victorious souls in the Bible and alive today among us who rise above all the negativity and tap into the strength God supplies to overwhelmingly overcome evil with good:

• Joseph, a young, single, attractive man, had removed from his heart the desire to sin (Genesis 39:9).
• Job was very serious about avoiding sinful behavior (Job 31:21-22).
• Jesus told people to avoid sin at all cost (Matthew 5:30).

Repentance	Regret
Turns away from past sins	Feels bad about past sins
Looks to God, how one’s sins have hurt Him. Is not content with regret or sorrow (Ps. 51:4).	At best, only looks to one’s personal advantages? how one’s sins have affected one’s own life, yet blind to the ripple effects
Awareness of guilt useful as a springboard to want something better, and inspires change. Guilt is replaced with a refreshed spirit and a fresh start in life.	Content to just feel bad for awhile, have a good cry, talk about how sorry one is, look for sympathy and company for one’s misery. Yet no desire to really change. “I will probably do it again”.
Deeply desires an intimate, fulfilling, healthy relationship with the Heavenly Father.	Does not want to deal with God. Blocks out thoughts of the judgment to come and eternity.
Moves one to action and spiritual maturity.	Makes one idle and stagnant. “There’s no use trying”.
Looks to God for forgiveness and hope. Trusts Him to fill up what that empty part of one’s heart.	Wallows in self-pity. Feels and talks like a victim for having been made this way”.
Blames self, owns up.	Blames others and circumstances
Comes up with a plan to avoid sin next time. Is determined.	Assumes the attitude, “Let’s just see what happens”. “I’ll try”.

 

The Fruits of Repentance: Matthew 3:8; Acts 26:20

• A truly repentant person makes no excuses or attempts to justify their sin, but instead honestly views his or her past behavior (1 Timothy 1:13-15).
• A truly repentant person uses themselves as an example of what not to do and warns, “Don’t do what I did” (Psalm 32:9).
• A truly repentant person makes no complaints about the church or various faithful members in the attempt to minimize their sin.
• A truly repentant person does not attempt to downplay their sin (Isaiah 5:20).
• The truly repentant person does not look fondly upon his or her sinful past life, but instead acknowledges, “Many are the sorrows of the wicked” Psalm 32:10.

In other words, “fruit that is worthy of repentance” is fruit in the life of a person which reveals that they now take sin seriously, seek to avoid it, realize how destructive it is and determine for the rest of their lives to love and serve God with his or her whole heart. The person who says, “Oh well, we all sin” has not yet seen the true depth and damage caused by his or her sins.

 

The Plan

 

None of us will ever reach a point in our Christian life that we don’t have to flee temptation any longer. Timothy was a very godly man, yet even he was told to flee. In the Scriptures, I find that people who took serving God and avoiding sin seriously were the people who deeply desired to never go back into sin, and therefore were people who took great pains to resist temptation.

• One inspiring example is the Apostle Paul, who kept a close eye on his behavior and took avoiding sin as seriously as an athlete takes exercise and physical preparation for a competition (1 Corinthians 9:27).
• Christians are told to “flee” from temptation (1 Corinthians 10:14; 6:18; 2 Timothy 2:22). This obviously involves setting up an environment for success by avoiding any association with the places, circumstances and people that will pull us back in (1 Corinthians 15:33). 
• Fleeing temptation is the exact opposite of seeing how close to the line of sin one can get without sinning. We are to draw near to God, not near to sin’s edge.  
• Never coming up with an effective plan to avoid sin is the opposite of fleeing. Simply living as I have always lived and just hoping that things will somehow, and for no reason, go differently THIS time.

Romans 13:14

 

“But put on the Lord Jesus and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts”. The word “provision” here means “forethought”. The idea would include:

• Do not plan to sin and to repent later.
• Do not set yourself up to fail.
• Be honest when you are flirting with any temptation. Be honest when you are wanting to be tempted.
• Get so into Jesus that you invest your efforts and forethought in the direction of strengthening yourself and avoiding temptation rather than flirting in your mind with the things that poison your soul.

Seeing Sin for What it Really Is

 

One of the common challenges with any temptation is to remove the glitz and mask on it and see it for what it really is. The Bible says that sin usually involves pleasure (Hebrews 11:25), but quickly clarifies that whatever pleasure can be found in sin is only temporary. Here are some thoughts that have helped me as I seek to battle temptation:

• Do I really want to create an insatiable appetite for something that will not exist in eternity? (1 John 2:17).
• This temptation nailed Jesus to the cross (John 3:16).
• Many people right now are suffering in eternity because of this temptation (Jude 7).
• This temptation is ruining people, relationships, marriages, families and entire cultures.
• This temptation twists innocent children into selfish adults.
• Yielding to this temptation will twist me into someone I do not want to become.
• If I keep yielding, I will never grow and mature. I will only become weaker and more selfish.
• Yielding to this temptation is actually preventing me from finding true happiness. This sin is keeping me from authentic and eternal pleasure.

Mark Dunagan | mdunagan@frontier.net
Beaverton Church of Christ | 503-644-9017
www.beavertonchurchofchrist.net