Be Not Unrepentant: Part 2 – How Do I Repent?
“Holiness cannot prevail in unrepentant persons who are still full of themselves. It does not take repentance to enjoy a form of religion, but repentance is mandatory for all who would live in the power of true godliness” (Richard Owen Roberts, Repentance – The First Word of the Gospel, pg. 14).
Jesus commands us to repent (Matthew 4: 17); Paul declares that we must repent (Acts 20: 21); and Peter proclaims repentance is necessary for receiving the Holy Spirit (Acts 2: 38). Repentance is essential for our salvation and for our daily walk with Christ. Apart from repentance, believers cannot fully live in His presence, hear His voice, and appropriate His power and authority to release His Kingdom, which is our purpose in life. Godly sorrow, which is conviction, leads to repentance (2 Corinthians 7: 10), and a repentant heart is necessary if we want the fruit of the Spirit – the true expression of “Christ in us”. But Jesus did not tell us how to repent! What does repentance involve? How do I repent? Is it enough to say, “Jesus, I repent of _____?”
Repentance involves more than repeating a phrase; it is more than acknowledging that I need help, and it is more than sorrow. It is a change of mind and heart. We don’t just repent of what we have done; we repent of who we are. To confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord, we must have a change of heart. Before, I found my value in the things of the world – I was the Lord of my life (pride); now my value comes from the value of Jesus in me (humility). That is a heart issue. I cannot change my heart; I cannot resurrect myself, because that is what we are talking about – coming from darkness into light; death into life. That is what baptism symbolizes. Peter told the early church, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins” (Acts 2: 38).
Throughout Scripture, repentance is about turning away from evil, which is renouncing evil; turning toward God, which is faith; having our sins forgiven by Him, and then receiving a new heart and a new spirit from Jesus – God’s Holy Spirit living in us.
Repentance begins with the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who convicts all of us, believers and unbelievers, of the need to repent of our sins. Jesus told the disciples He will send the Holy Spirit: “When He (the Holy Spirit) comes, He will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment” (John 16: 8). Although He convicts, many people, in their pride, reject the Spirit’s call to repentance.
Repentance is about the forgiveness of sins. John the Baptist “went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Luke 3: 3 NIV). Our sins are also forgiven when we confess. John tells us, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1: 8, 9).
David wrote, “Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”, and you forgave the guilt of my sin” (Psalm 32: 5).
Our sins will also be forgiven when we forgive those who sin against us. Jesus commands us to pray, “Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us” (Luke 11: 4), and “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, you Father will not forgive your sins” (Matthew 6: 14, 15). And in my experience, don’t just forgive them, but bless them also!
Scripture tells me that my sins are forgiven when I confess my sins; and they are also forgiven when I forgive those who sin against me. Are these – repentance, confession, and forgiveness – three different ways to be set free from sin?
I think repentance is deeper than just confession, which is an acknowledgement of sin; and forgiveness, which opens the way for true repentance. True repentance produces a new life; it makes me a new creation. And only Jesus can do that. So, it is good to have my sins forgiven. But I don’t want God to stop there – I also want a new heart and a new spirit; and I need this ‘resurrection’ each day. I cannot get a new heart and a new spirit apart from forgiveness, but forgiveness alone, while necessary, is not sufficient. I need forgiveness plus the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. But until I am forgiven through God’s grace, the Holy Spirit cannot get to that place in my heart that needs restoration.
In repentance, ‘forgiveness’ includes forgiving those toward whom I have negative emotions like anger, resentment, bitterness, or hatred; forgiving those who have hurt me, asking God to forgive me, and forgiving myself.
Repentance is birthed in Holy Spirit conviction. Then, repentance involves all of the above: renunciation, confession, forgiveness, which are collectively the’ turning away’ from sin; and, because repentance involves changing my heart and my mind, ‘turning toward’ Jesus in faith. When I ‘turn toward Jesus’, the Holy Spirit brings about a supernatural transformation of my heart and mind – it is by grace through faith – a turning to Jesus – that I have been saved.
In a deeper sense I don’t just turn away and turn toward. I ‘come out of’ a spiritual and emotional ‘place’ where I have been living, perhaps for decades, behind a wall or a veil in my heart. When I repent, I intentionally and seriously renounce, or leave behind, a mindset and a set of behaviors that were the consequence of sin or Sin (pride). Almost always this sin or Sin has opened a door into my heart which allows a demonic or satanic presence into my life. As Andrew Murray points out, “Pride has its root and strength in a spiritual power . . . it is satanic in origin”. When I repent, I walk through a door from one world, the kingdom of the world and my life and behaviors in that world, and I walk into another world where Jesus is waiting for me – the Kingdom of God. In the Kingdom of God, by grace, I receive the new heart and new spirit. So, repentance is more than a turning away and a turning toward. It is leaving a place of isolation and prison, and entering into a new place of freedom. In this sense, it is being born again. Jesus says:
“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son” (John 3: 17, 18 NIV).
Whoever believes in Jesus is the one who turns away from self-sufficiency and life in the kingdom of the world, where he will be condemned; and turns to Jesus in faith, which involves belief and trust, where he will be saved as one entering the Kingdom of God. Conviction is from Jesus. Condemnation is from satan. Life in the kingdom of the world is a life of condemnation; life in Christ is a life of ongoing repentance in the Kingdom of God.
There is no Kingdom life apart from being born again. “I tell you the truth, no one can see the Kingdom of God unless he is born again (John 3: 3 NIV). As I have written before, salvation (Sozo in Greek) is equivalent to life in the Kingdom of God, where there is healing and wholeness. Salvation depends upon repentance.
Repentance is the word that describes not only my decision to turn away from evil and turn to God; but also, a process by which I receive freedom, or liberty, from sin and the effects of sin, and I am brought into the presence of the Father. Repentance, in response to conviction, is the overall word for a process that begins with:
Confessing, which is accompanied by
Renouncing, which is followed by
Forgiving and blessing, culminating with
Choosing to give the negative emotions or sins to Jesus by telling Him: “Jesus, I choose today to give to you all the ________ I have toward _________”; or, “I choose today to give all this sin to you.”
And by grace, God removes the negative emotions or sins from my life, sets me free, and gives me a new heart and a new spirit – the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. Rid (or fling away from) yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone (e.g. 2 Peter 3: 9. “God does not want anyone to perish”), declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!” (Ezekiel 18: 30 – 32 NIV).
In response to Holy Spirit conviction, my role is to confess, renounce, and forgive (or ask forgiveness from others or God). That is what Ezekiel means by “rid yourselves of all the offenses”. Then I choose to give these offenses to Jesus, using the words above, believing and trusting that He will set me free. That is faith. And then the final part of repentance – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit take away or remove the old – releasing me from the sin or negative emotion (like anger, resentment, bitterness, hatred, etc.) – and replace the old life with a new life represented by a new heart and a new spirit.
That process is true repentance. In my ministry of emotional healing and spiritual deliverance, I have seen this process of true repentance transform lives hundreds of times. Often the transformation manifests itself in a dramatic change in the face of the person I am ministering to. A pinched, lined face, radiating sorrow becomes a brighter, more beautiful face filled with joy – a new creation.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: the old has gone, the new has come. All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation”. ‘Reconcile’ in Greek (katallasso) means “to return to favor with”, in this case, Jesus. ‘Reconciliation’ in Greek (Katallage) means “the restoration of favor of God to sinners who repent and put their trust in the exculpatory death of Christ”. The new creation Paul writes about is the man or woman who repents.
This is a description of repentance. Repentance is not just confessing; it is not just renouncing; and it is not just forgiving/blessing. Each is necessary, but individually not sufficient. It is all of them, plus Jesus. Leave any one of these steps out, and you have not truly repented. For example, I have ministered to people who say, “For most of my life I was angry with my father (this type of anger is a sin). But I have forgiven him and now we are friends.” That is powerful. But until you have brought this anger to Jesus by saying, “Lord, I choose today to give this anger to you” or words to that effect, there is a very good possibility that the door into your heart opened by the anger is still open and a demon that entered your heart through this open door is still there ‘messing you up’ in some way. That is why Paul writes, “In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry and do not give the devil a foothold” (Ephesians 4: 26, 27). (The Greek word for foothold is ‘topos’). A ‘foothold’ is a home for demons in the topography or landscape of your heart. When you repent of the anger, the door is closed. Then, when you command the demon to leave in Jesus name, which is spiritual deliverance, it must go.
These are the basic steps that most emotional healing ministries follow. Emotional or inner healing, in this general sense, is repentance. It is through repentance, aka emotional healing, that the veil around our heart, which separates us from the fullness of the presence of Jesus, is removed. Repentance is a big deal to Jesus (and to Paul and Peter). So, repentance = emotional healing = removing the veil = coming into His presence and receiving His gifts = more life, more fruit, and more effective ministry. The Christian’s life and walk with Jesus each day is summed up by this one word: repent. And repentance is the necessary precursor to spiritual deliverance.
Do you want more intimacy with Jesus and others, more of His presence and power? Are you having difficulty hearing His voice? Is there shame, sadness, or sorrow left over from your past life that just won’t go away? Do you want more fruit of the Spirit? If you are a Kingdom man or woman, it is possible that there is something between you and Jesus, blocking the gifts He has for you, and preventing you from seeing and hearing Him, including receiving His love and forgiveness. Many of us are saved and living in the Kingdom of God. But for many, our hearts are locked away behind a veil of unrepented anger and resentment, fear, sin, and participation in the occult. Get rid of that veil! Repent and live! He is ready to do it, but He won’t do it without your participation. As Augustine wrote, “Without Him, we cannot do it. But without us, He will not do it”.
What is the veil and how does Scripture describe it? And what is the difference between removing the veil through repentance and “circumcision of the heart by the Spirit”? These are the topics of the next post titled, “Be Not Unrepentant: Part 3 – The Veil Around Our Heart”.
Repentant,
John