What Does It Mean to Repent?
Last Sunday we began a brand new sermon series on the Gospel of Mark. Mark is one of those writers that gets right to the point. I love the simplicity of how he presents John the Baptist and Jesus. John the Baptist came with a powerful message of repentance. The common people, mostly Jews from the surrounding areas, were very receptive to what John was preaching. Hundreds and thousands of people were coming out to hear John. After listening to John’s fiery messages, many of them made a decision to be baptized.
When Jesus began his public ministry, he immediately began proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. Jesus also taught that repentance was necessary for salvation. Many of the Old Testament prophets put a heavy emphasis on repentance. The New Testament writers, including Paul, Peter, James, and John, talked about repentance. Since we know repentance is important and necessary, the question is: what does it mean to repent? Let’s look to the Bible for some answers.
When John the Baptist preached that people should repent, there were questions. Luke 3:10–14 (NLT): The crowds asked, “What should we do?” John replied, “If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.” Even corrupt tax collectors came to be baptized and asked, “Teacher, what should we do?” He replied, “Collect no more taxes than the government requires.” “What should we do?” asked some soldiers. John replied, “Don’t extort money or make false accusations. And be content with your pay.”
This is a clear picture of what repentance looks like. It’s not just feeling sorry or having feelings of regret—it’s about changing your mind about your sin and changing your behavior by doing what you know is right.
In James 4:17 it says, “Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.” John chapter 8 records the famous story of the woman caught in adultery. Jesus doesn’t condemn her, but says in John 8:11b (NKJV), “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” Jesus didn’t expect that this woman would never sin again, but he was saying leave your life of adultery.
Deciding to follow Jesus means repenting over and over throughout our lifetime. When I committed my life to Jesus at 19 years old, I knew I would have to stop some things and begin doing some things. I stopped getting drunk, taking drugs, and sleeping with my girlfriend. I started going to church and reading my Bible, and I developed a prayer life. At the time I thought, “Okay, I’ve repented and it will be smooth sailing from here on.” I was wrong. As the years rolled on, the Holy Spirit continued to show me other areas of my life that needed to be changed. I had to get over my anger issues. Pride kept popping up in my life.
God doesn’t fix us all at once. The Holy Spirit gently brings things to our attention. As we grow in our relationship with Jesus, we become more aware of our sinful patterns. This requires us to address the sin and repent—meaning change our mind and our behavior.
1 John 1:8 says, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” Here is the beautiful follow-up verse to 1 John 1:8: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (v9) True repentance requires getting honest with ourselves and honest with God.
Is there an area of your life that you need to repent of? If so, I encourage you to follow through with true repentance. God will bless your obedience in ways you can’t imagine.
Stay close to Jesus,
Steve