Repentance towards God

Repentance is not “penance” as some think. The “doing of penance” by the drudgery of repeated prayers or the self-infliction of wounds by carrying the kavadi, running through fire or other means, is a futile human attempt to atone for one’s own sins on the basis of one’s own merits. Just as Cain’s offering from the ground was accursed, all our good deeds are as filthy rags in the sight of God. Since the time of Adam, mankind is a fallen race and our natural hearts are deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. God who searches the heart and tries our thoughts, motives and intentions, gives to every man according to our ways (Jer17:9-10). Will He not see in our “penance” our deceitfulness in still loving our sins and intending soon afterwards to repeat the same? In contrast, our Lord Jesus once and for all made an end of sin in His finished work on the cross (Heb10:11-14). The call to repentance is the call to turn away from sin with finality.

In the New Testament, the term repent is made of two Greek words, “to change afterwards” and “to perceive, as from the mind as the seat of moral reflection.” Hence to repent is to change one’s mind or purpose with reference to sin. The term “towards God” completes the picture. Repentance is turning away from sin and turning towards God. This is well illustrated in the parable of the prodigal son who came to his senses and returned to his father saying “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in they sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son” (Luke15:21). Similarly, David’s psalm of repentance towards God, “I acknowledge my transgressions and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight” (Psalm51:3-4).

Rom2:4-5 tells us that “the goodness of God leads us to repentance, but men’s hardness and impenitent hearts resist the love of God, choosing rather to treasure and store up unto ourselves wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgement of God. May this not be for you, dear reader, but may your heart melt in gratitude when you consider the great love of God in providing all you need and furnishing you with talents and strength and showing you mercies and kindness in sparing you in accidents and illnesses. Often, it is because we have no gratitude that we are not repentant. 2Cor7:10 adds that “godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation, not to be repented of, but the sorrow of the world worketh death”. Remorse and self-pity for the evil consequences of our own sins is not repentance. A godly grief and pain of what our rebellion means to the heart of God is what will produce genuine turning away from sin leading to salvation and deliverance.

Finally, the fruits of repentance must accompany repentance. John the Baptist, forerunner of Jesus, preached the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, saying, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” To those who came, John said, “Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance” and “the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire” (Luke3:3-9).