We wish to honor the life of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who was a drum major for peace.

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Monday, January 16, 2012

Repent: This is a word that too many ministries speak sparingly of because it carries a lot of weight and consequently makes a number of believers uncomfortable. Why? Because many of them are not ready to walk away from certain habits and lifestyles, and others may not really understand what it means and its importance. In addition, whem many believers hear the word "repent" we often have images of fire-and-brimstone sermons; we rarely think of it as being part of the loving relationship that we have with God. Moreover, "repent" brings with it the power of conviction, in that once we confess and repent of our sins (we put it before God and ourselves), we now realize that we cannot go back, although we sometimes fail and it's a daily struggle. Even if it's a struggle to walk away from that sin, it is now on our conscience and we clearly know that our behavior displeases God.

What exactly does it mean? "Repent," very simply defined, means to turn away from sin. Therefore, it is not enough just to ask for forgiveness for our sins; we must repent of our sins, i.e., turn away from them. As a result, this engenders a responsilbility, that quite frankly, many believers do not want to deal with honestly. Nevertheless, repentance is part of the growing process as a Christian; in order to become new creatures in Christ, we must acknowledge and face our sins. We cannot heal unless we reveal to the Lord (who already knows) our sins and iniquities, because if one cannot face one's sins, he or she is unlikely to tackle and overcome them. Unfortunately, many ministries that want to keep the people coming back and filling their coffers shy away from preaching about repentance; they just want to preach feel-good sermons. And, yet, repentence is an essential part of our Christian walk. As an example, when Jesus rescued the woman who was caught in adultery, and was therefore going to be stoned according to Mosaic law, He did not just save her, He told her, "Go and sin no more." (Pls. see John 8:11). It is equally important to note that both John the Baptist and Jesus Himself urged the people to repent for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.

If the word "Repent" is so important that it's mentioned in the Scriptures, most importantly, by Jesus the Christ, should not we pay more attention and adhere to the warning to repent? Repentance goes hand-in-hand with growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord. (See 2 Peter 3:18.) It is also part of the doctrine that Paul preached in that we should "....walk in the newness of life" and "....no longer be slaves of sin." (See Romans 6: 4 and 6). As you have embraced the words "forgiveness" and "grace," please also embrace the word "repent," for without it we will not walk according to the Spirit of God.

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