Repentance is so much more than what you might think it is.
When we think of repentance, we remember times in our lives where we recognized we wronged someone—or God—and perhaps having felt some guilt, wanted to do something to help make us “feel” better. And what might make us feel better? Perhaps it was returning the money we took (stole) plus some more (called restitution). Maybe it was saying we were sorry. Or, maybe we asked for forgiveness expecting justice, but hoping for mercy from the person we wronged.
But repentance is so much more than that. When we’re trying to make ourselves feel better, we miss the entire point of repentance in the first place. When we repent, the focus should not be on us. If anything, repentance to make us feel better is completely transparent to those—or the God who—we have wronged. Repentance should never be focused on how we feel. Rather, our repentance should map out the road to a restored relationship with the one we have wronged.
That reality just doesn’t fit into our “thirty-second sound bite/one-page press release” culture. Repentance takes time to earn or regain trust and restore broken relationships. It isn’t just something you can do and “move on.” An ignored plant in my garden needs more than just water. Feeling bad about not watering it is a good start but committing to take more time and attention for that plant is what it really needs to produce fruit. In essence, repentance is the roadmap for restoring the gardens in our lives that we wish to produce fruit.
Arising out of my involvement in the Promise Keepers movement in the 1990s, I was convicted over how I had wrongly treated my brothers and sisters in Christ. I had ignored them when I passed them on the sidewalk. I had not greeted them or even smiled when I passed by them. Simply, I had not modeled Godly behavior to them as a fellow Christian. Was it only because they were people of color? I was stationed in the deep south at the time, and was well aware of history of that area.
There was a nearby church comprised largely of Christian black people. Take it from me, when you walk in there, you may end up on the podium. It’s OK. It’s how they roll. On my first visit to my brothers and sisters there, I knelt in front of that Church and repented of my behavior about which others might not think twice. I asked for forgiveness for not greeting them, for not making eye contact and smiling, and essentially expressed my desire to restore relationship with those the Bible says I should love as myself. The Pastor started this off, but the entire church filed past me and introduced themselves and forgave me. There is so much more to this story that I could share, but let’s remember an early point in this post—this isn’t about me.
Yes, repentance is recognizing a wrong, and in the right spirit, seeking to make right that wrong. But it is still so much more.
How do we repent for how we have wronged God? We can’t exactly make restitution for stuff we have taken. It all belongs to Him anyway. Having believed that Jesus Christ has already died on the cross for my sins—once and for all time—I need not ask Him to climb back up there. God knows the condition of my heart anyway. If I am truly repentant, this is no surprise to Him. So then why does the Bible ask me to repent?
When I have talked with young people in the classroom or away at a seminar, I have discovered that they really, really want to hear from God on the things that matter to their lives. We have talked about how to connect with Him. As I was once a pilot, I have explained that communicating with Him depends on joining with Him on the same “radio frequency.” And then I ask them, “Are we only seeking Him on frequencies of our own choosing?” Are we coming to God on our terms only?
Often the search for Him involves finding that right frequency. Do they have a daily office or quiet time? Is there a prayer closet nearby? Are they into the Word of God? Are they truly repentant for the quality of the relationship that exists between them and God? In developing this post, I have discovered a huge answer.
In serious matters of the heart, when we are seeking God for His presence in our lives and we just want to know that He’s there, repentance IS that frequency of God’s choosing.
It is in repentance for our sins and wrongs and injuries and harms to Him and others that God wants us to approach Him. God doesn’t want just our monetary restitution—though charitable giving is great and all belongs to Him anyway. God doesn’t want us to just to say we’re sorry and then move on. God created us for the pleasure of relating with us and us with Him—for the praise of His glory, the Bible says.
God spent the entire Old Testament telling us about how He restored relationship with His chosen people Israel who strayed from Him time and again. The entire New Testament is about how He sent Jesus Christ to restore relationship with all of us. The word “repent” appears more in the book of Revelation than in any other book in the Bible. As Christ has yet to return to Earth, I believe God wants us to join with Him on His frequency of repentance now more than ever. Even today, when we observe communion as Christians, we should do so reflectively, examining ourselves with respect to the relationship we truly have with God through Jesus Christ.
May I ask, what is the condition of your relationship with Almighty God? When was the last time you reflected on that relationship? When was the last time you repented of sin seeking a restored relationship with Him? Or, put another way, are you still looking for that right frequency so that you may communicate with or connect to Almighty God?
That’s why repentance matters. You don’t have to be on your knees. But it helps.
See also: Justice Matters, Sin Matters
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