And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” (Acts 2:38–39, ESV)
"Repent" is not a popular word. It is the dirty “R” word. We don't want to be told to repent. Never have! Never will! Pride gets in the way. The suggestion of repentance breeds offense. The person who broaches the subject of repentance is chastised as being judgmental and not Christlike. The prophets of the Old Testament, who offered calls to repentance, were killed. We don’t see repentance as a gift but as a threat.
But the message of Jesus is one of repentance. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus began his ministry saying: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; REPENT and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15, ESV) Peter echoes Jesus' words in this week's Verse of the Week.
Repentance takes courage. Repentance goes against everything in our human nature. It is not natural. Repentance is hard. I would rather deny my need for repentance and make excuses for my lack of faithfulness. But I need repentance like I need air to breath.
When true repentance happens, it opens the door for God's amazing grace to come into my life. I enter into God's forgiveness that is promised through my baptism. Repentance is embracing the claim that I am more lost than I have ever admitted. Repentance is an emptying of myself. It is an emptying of my pride, arrogance, and stubbornness. But the emptying myself of all impurity in my life allows God to fill me with all his goodness.
It is important to note repentance precedes belief. Repentance means to change direction. It is more than feeling guilty. It is more than being sorry I got caught in my misdeeds. Repentance is deep inner change within my mind and heart that leads to a transformed life. It is a reorientation of my motivations and direction in life.
2 Timothy 2:25 tells us that God grants repentance. Repentance is a gift of grace. It only happens with God. Today, we offer prayer that God would open our eyes to where we need repentance. We pray that we would willingly embrace repentance as a gift and not a threat.
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