The Holy Bible says, "But now God commandeth all men every where to repent." *Acts 17:30* Repentance that doesn't get you to Jesus Christ is not true repentance. True Repentance is being sorry for what you ARE, not just being sorry for what you've done or getting caught. That's Repentance in a nutshell. Repentance will not just bring you to confession, and sorrow, and guilt; Repentance will also take you to the right source - and the right source is the The Blood of Jesus Christ. Your repentance must be "toward God", for the actual wrongs you have committed are all toward God. *Acts 20:21*
Acknowledge your sins to God, and be penitentially humbled for sinning against God. A broken and contrite heart God will not despise. If you are really penitent, you won't find fault with others. Repentance is honestly pleading guilty to God. Be sorry for what you ARE - a sinner. Sin hurts God and grieves the Holy Spirit. Unsaved men don't understand that their sin hurts God and murdered Jesus Christ. It is the mark of grace and that God is dealing with a soul when the man quits his sinning and fault-finding. Turn from yourself, and trust Jesus Christ. Quit forever putting confidence in yourself. God have mercy upon me a miserable sinner, for Jesus' sake. The main object of a truly penitent soul is to get away from the slavery of evil habits and corrupt desires.
Biblical Repentance is not just being sorry for what you've done, it's being sorry for what you ARE, and who you ARE. When a man receives Jesus Christ, he has to confess that he is no good, and that he can't make it by his own righteousness, and then trusts Christ's Righteousness instead of his own. That's Repentance. I'm no good, I've never have been any good, and I'll never will be any good. I need Someone's else's Goodness, for I have none. Go in your bathroom, and look yourself in the mirror, put your finger right in the mirror, and say, "You're no good, you've never been any good, you're no good right now, and you're never going to be any good. You need Jesus Christ to save a rascal like you." Saving Repentance is when you want to be saved from sinning against the goodness of God.
You have sinned against Heaven. *Luke 15:21; Psalm 51:4* When men sin against Alabama or Wisconsin or California, they break a state law, and they have to go to jail. But when a man sins against Heaven, he has to go to Hell. When you reject Christ, you sin against Heaven. All your sins are staring you right in the face. Every sin you've ever committed is against Heaven's Law, and you are headed straight for Hell. Men today want to find out who they are, and they want to discover themselves, and if they ever do, they will discover a sinful devil. There is no good thing in any man without Jesus Christ, and the only good thing in a saved man is Jesus Christ. *Philippians 3:3; Romans 7:18*
Man by nature is impenitent, and doesn't know himself to be guilty in the sight of God. He doesn't perceive the enormity and evil of his sin nature within. But when the Holy Ghost moves and illuminates the natural man's darkness, he begins to feel his guilt and his need of a Savior, he discovers his evil motives and vile thoughts. He begins to detect the sin of his daily life (thoughts, words, and deeds). He used to boast of his merit and self-righteousness, but now his haughtiness and proud look begin to be humbled. Now he begins to fear and hate and abandon his sin, to hate the very shadow of it, he doesn't speak lightly of sin anymore, he doesn't revel in sin any longer. The awakened sinner begins to be in a wretched condition, because he now feel sin's heavy load on his soul.
Repentance unto life is when a sinner through the work of the Holy Spirit senses the danger, filthiness, and ugliness of his sins. Your sins are contrary to the holy nature of God. Heavenly repentance causes us to grieve for and hate our sins, and leads us to turn and depart from them unto God. When God gives your His repentance, you'll no longer want to live for sin, and love sin, and enjoy your secret lust. Saving repentance is a divine gift from God (II Timothy 2:25; II Peter 3:9). The Holy Ghost pricks your heart and causes you to feel the manifold evil of your secret and public sins. You will begin to detest your sin and abhor self, and you will be given a new desire to walk with and please God in our private and public life. Repentance is hating sin enough to forsake it.
Real repentance sighs over sin, feels sin to be heavy within, and confesses and forsakes the evil thoughts and actions. True repentance is the gift of God and wrought in the sinner by the work of the Sprit. Genuine repentance is sorrow for sin in the presence of the Crucified and Living Savior. Repentance is departing from evil and hating sin, because your sin made Jesus Christ suffer and bleed and die on Calvary's Cross. Godly Repentance brings purity of life both privately and publicly, in thought and action. Only the goodness of God can lead you to repentance.
Conversion is repentance (turning from the love of sin, self-righteousness, and unbelief) and faith (trust in Christ Himself alone for free salvation without human merit). Faith and repentance are the two sides of the same Gospel coin. Turn from the rejection of Christ, go straight away to Jesus and His blood and promises. Before conversion you are walking hand in hand with sin loving and enjoying it, through the help and conviction of the Holy Ghost, you begin to sense your sinful evil self, the wrath of God that abides on you, and God's anger toward you, and choose to turn to the Savior from sin and self-righteousness. Humble yourself, really call upon the Savior in truth. You will still sin, but now you hate your sin, you don't enjoy your lusts any more. The Holy Spirit opens your nostrils and you begin to sense your sinful stench. Faith and Repentance, are like Siamese twins joined together at birth. Faith and Repentance are like two spokes in the same wheel, two handles on the same plow.
Repentance is not rededication or a commitment to try harder; the only proper response to disobedience to God's will is brokenness and repentance for rejecting and disobeying God's word. Simply surrender to God's word and will, don't try harder in your own strength. Repent before a Holy God, beg God for His divine mercy through the Blood of His only Begotten Son.
A changed heart, life, and desire is the essence of Repentance. A faith-look at Christ Jesus breaks the heart for sin and from sin - a self-abhorrence, a hearty resolve to conquer sin, a struggling against you depravity, a penitent-contrite looking to the Crucified Savior, a pressing on after holiness and purity, a continual wrestling with your ingrained evil, vile corruptions, old habits, and besetting sins. The Savior freely gives the penitent and trusting sinner repentance and redemption. Only trust in the blood of Jesus - it is the great sin killer. The evil force of sin within you can only be conquered through faith in the blood of the Lamb of God. The Lord Jesus Christ knoweth them that are His. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
