Repentance Is Regret And Remorse

Luke 17:3: Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. 4 And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.

Repentance is rather like an apology to God or to someone else. A sincere apology will include a sincere intention not to commit the offense again. Apologizing just because we have been caught in some sin and don*t want to face the consequences is not repentance. Repentance means we feel guilt over the sin apart from the consequences to ourselves and we regret what we have done to someone else. Some examples of repentant individuals:

Psalms 51:4: Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

Luke 15:17: And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father*s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, 19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. 20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. 21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.

Repentance will lead to improved behavior and actions. At the very least it shall include the heartfelt intention to improve one*s behavior and actions.

Luke 3:8: Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 9 And now also 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. 10 And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then? 11 He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise. 12 Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do? 13 And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you. 14 And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.

Mark 1:15: And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

Acts 20:21: Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

Repentance toward God will include a willingness to have God Himself change our behavior and actions from sinful to righteous and doing what He wants us to do rather than what we want to do, from disobedience to obedience. Repentance toward God is the most important repentance. When we have repented toward Him, He will make us properly repentant toward others we have sinned against. That sort of repentance will become a way of life. We will want to do good to others rather than evil. Regret and remorse would be totally useless without a change in intentions and actions.

You may contact Ron with questions, comments or prayer requests via email at ronsbibletopics@yahoo.com.

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