Repentance, What's That?

Repentance is still a Bible word, but here in 2015, it is not taught or preached about at all anymore.  Preachers have lockjaw when it comes to Repentance. The reason being is that Repentance is a divine miracle that occurs in the heart of the sinner during Regeneration and Salvation.  We must all come to Repentance, or we cannot go to Heaven when we die.  Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance.  I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.  When Jesus heard it, He saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.  Or despisest thou the riches of His goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?  For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.  In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth.  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to Repentance.

If you never come to Repentance, you will never go to God's Heaven, period.  Repentance is a Gift from God, a divine miracle from the Holy Spirit that illuminates a sinner concerning his lost and dangerous condition and persuades and points him to the person and blood of Christ Jesus, God manifest in the flesh.  But what exactly is Repentance?

True Repentance consists of four things - Illumination, Humiliation, Detestation, and Transformation.

Illumination - Every man and woman by nature is lost in sin, impenitent, and at enmity with God.  Divine illumination only comes from the Holy Spirit Himself.  Your darkness within needs divine Light. The lost sinner does not consider himself to be guilty and undone.  He does not see his sins as God sees them.  The Holy Spirit must apply eye-salve to the sinner's spiritual eyes and give him divine understanding, and then the man becomes guilty in his own sight, as he always was guilty in the sight of God.  Through the work of the Spirit you discover your sinfulness and entreat for divine Mercy down at the Cross.

Sins from the past begin to haunt his memory and conscience.  He realizes how his thoughts, desires, words and deeds are mixed with evil motives and not acceptable with God.  His eyes are opened, his heart is humbled, and his mouth shut.  He is like a man that thought he was in good health, but a short visit to the doctor, and a review of his blood work, has discovered that he is in very ill health and nigh unto death.  Horror, dismay, dread, sorrow, a longing to escape his condition, and an anxious desire to get rid of the sickness consumes him.

Has divine illumination ever occurred in your heart and mind?  Has God ever said to your dark soul, "Let there be Light."  If not, you are still trapped in your natural state of sinfulness.  Until the Holy Spirit enlightened the darkness within, you have no idea how evil you turned out to be.  The Holy Ghost will startle you when He reveals the depravity that is dwelling in your soul.  Have you ever realized that your best deeds are vile, and that your sinful acts were more wicked than you ever imagined?  A blind man cannot see how filthy his hands are.  Repentance is changing of the carnal mind into the mind of Christ, a turning from the love of sin to the love of Christ.  Repentance is a turning and trusting to the merit of Christ's Blood, the truthfulness of God's precious promises in Scripture, and the grace and favor of God in Christ.  The Spirit of God also enlightens you concerning Christ Jesus Himself - His Blood, Righteousness and Power to Save unto the uttermost.  Only the Holy Spirit can drive out your inward sins - curb your lust, subdue your will, enlighten your understanding, check your passions, quicken your despondence, help your weakness, and illuminate your darkness within.

As soon as the Holy Spirit begins His illuminating work upon your soul, you begin to perceive at once your own sinfulness, you abhor your sins, you seek to escape your sins, you cry out for a remedy, and you find the Remedy in Christ Jesus' Blood.  Then you no longer love sinning, you are led by the Spirit and not lusts of the flesh and selfishness. You begin to walk daily after the truth of God, purity, righteousness, humility and wisdom.

Humiliation - Once you see yourself as God sees you, all the vain thoughts of yourself and all your self-boasting stops, and you come as a little child and lay flat on your face at the feet of Jesus before His throne of Mercy. You no longer talk proudly of your make-believe merit.  Now you cry, "God be merciful to me a sinner for Jesus' sake."  A broken and contrite spirit is where Repentance really starts.  When you begin to despise yourself, God is close by.  As long as you esteem yourself, God despises you. Your proud heart and high look must become humbled as a little child before God.  The Holy Spirit must strip you of all your self-righteous filthy rags. You are grieved and vexed within, because you have grieved and vexed the Holy Spirit all of your life.  You confess that you deserve hell, and beg God for His Mercy.  Christ Jesus is the God of all Grace and Mercy.  You must sincerely acknowledge the guilt of your sins and the just penalty due to your sins.  Bow down now before the God of mercy and ask Him to spare your soul from everlasting damnation.

Detestation - When Repentance begins in your heart, you will start to hate your sins.  You will not think or talk lightly of sin anymore.  A penitent soul cannot bear to even be around sinful activity and conversation.  He used to take God's name in vain all the time, but now that blasphemy burns his ears.  He used to tell people to go to Hell, but now he tells them to go to Heaven through Jesus' blood.  A sheep doesn't run with a wolf, and a dove doesn't eat with a vulture. If you love sin, you do not love God or your own soul, and have chosen your own damnation.  Any person that loves his sins loves death and is headed for a devil's hell.  The saved man sighs over his sins, and his sins trouble him every day.  When you are born again, you become allergic to sin and try to avoid sinning against God, because you realize your sins offend and hurt the God that been so good and merciful towards you.

Transformation - Genuine Repentance is hating and leaving the sins you loved before, and then by God's grace proving the sincerity of your love for Christ by doing those sins no more.  Ask the Holy Spirit to help you hate and abandon every false way.  The saved man not only does not sin as he used to do, but he does not want to sin as he used to do.  His heart is broken on account of sin, his appetites have changed inwardly; He now feeds on Christ and His Righteousness, not sin and its filth.  The saved man is tempted, but the Holy Spirit checks those temptations, and he refuses not to sin against his God.  The new man has a daily, inward conflict with sinful thoughts and impulses.  Blessed are the pure in heart:  for they shall see God. To sin against God is the greatest pain to the new man, for his inward nature has been changed by the Holy Spirit.  The tree doesn't just have new branches and leaves, but there is a new root and sap within the tree, and new fruit bearing on the tree.  He is a new creature in Christ Jesus, renewed by grace, and he wishes to be rid of all of his sins and pride.  He longs to get rid of his old self, the old man, sinful human nature, and all of its appetites and habits.

Now understand - Repentance comes only from God the Holy Spirit, not some man-made religion or denomination.  Spiritual illumination, heart conviction, regeneration of the soul, personal holiness.  A repentance that makes me abhor my past life because of the blood of Christ that has washed it all away is the right Repentance. A heart that is broken over its sins that wounded Christ is the Repentance that saves the soul.  Flee from sin as you would from a rattlesnake, and detest sin as if it were the murderer of your best friend.  Do not dally with sin; do not make excuses for sin; you need to file a divorce from your sin. You cannot continue to love and enjoy your sins and still go to Heaven.  Real repentance and faith in Jesus leads you to a hatred of the very thought of sin. Your sins put the Savior to an open shame, terrible suffering, and a bloody death.  His Blood is Precious, His Righteousness is Complete, His Merits are Perfect.

The Repentance which leads you to detest and depart from present known sins, because of the love of the Son of God who died for us is the real thing.  If you avoid sin and lead a pure life in private and public, because Christ loved you and gave Himself for you, that is work of the Spirit of God. Repentance leads me to be careful not to sin, and to resolved to live like Jesus, and not live after the lusts of the flesh.  Turn from your sins, or burn in Hell, that is the Bible's only alternative.  Sincerely ask the Holy Spirit to give you Repentance towards God, and Faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ.  Private purity and public godliness are the brothers of godly Repentance.  Repentance, true desires for purity, and pleasing God go hand in hand.  Hatred towards your sins, Love towards God, Gratitude towards Jesus, and Hope in the Cross are the first true signs of divine Repentance.  Right now is God's time - Look now to the Lamb of God, for He is the sinner's only hope, and find instant peace and free pardon through simple, childlike faith in His Precious Blood this very moment.  Worthy is the Lamb!