Repentance

How shall man be just with God?
How shall the sinner be made righteous?

It is only through Christ that we can be brought into harmony with God with holiness, but how are we to come to Christ?
Many are asking the same question as did the multitude on the day of Pentecost
When convicted of sin they cried out : What shall we do? The first word of peter’s answer was: repent and be converted that your sins may be blotted out
Acts 3:19

Repentance includes sorrow for sin and a turning away from it.
We shall not renounce sin unless we see its sinfulness;
until we turn away from it in heart, there will be no real change in the life. SC 23

There are many who fail to understand the true nature of repentance.

Multitudes sorrow that they have sinned and even make an outward reformation because they fear that their wrongdoing will bring suffering upon themselves. But this is not repentance in the Bible sense.
They lament the suffering rather than the sin.
Such was the grief of Esau when he saw that the birthright was a loss for him for ever,
Balaam terrified by the Angel standing in his path way with a drawn sword acknowledged his guilty less he lose his life but there was no genuine repentance for sin no conversion of purpose no aberrance of evil
Judas Iscariot after betraying his lord exclaimed “ i have sin and in that I have betrayed the innocent blood” Mathew 27:4

The confession was forced from his guilty soul by an awful sense of condemnation and a fearful looking for of judgment.
The consequences that were to result to him filled him with terror, but there was no deep, heartbreaking grief in his soul,
that he had betrayed the spotless Son of God and denied the Holy One of Israel.
SC 24

Pharaoh, when suffering under the judgments of God, acknowledged his sin in order to escape further punishment, but returned to his defiance of Heaven as soon as the plagues were stayed. These all lamented the results of sin, but did not sorrow for the sin itself.

But when the heart yields to the influence of the Spirit of God, the conscience will be quickened, and the sinner will discern something of the depth and sacredness of God's holy law, the foundation of His government in heaven and on earth. SC24

The "Light, which lighteth every man that corneth into the world," illumines the secret chambers of the soul, and the hidden things of darkness are made manifest. John 1:9

Conviction takes holds upon the mind and heart the sinner has a sense of the righteousness of JEHOVAH and feels the terror of how appearing in his own guilt and unclearness before the searcher of the heart
He sees the love of God, the Beauty of the holiness, the joy of purity; then he longs to be cleansed and to be restored to communion with heaven SC 14

The prayer of David after his fall, he rest with the nature of truths of sin. His repentance was sincere and deep there was no effort to palliate his guilt; no desire to escape the judgement threatened, inspired his prayer. SC24
David saw the enormity of his transgression; he saw the defilement of his soul; he loathed to his sin.
It was not for pardon only that he prayed, but for purity of heart. He longed for the joy of holiness to be restored to harmony and communion with God.
This was the language of his soul:

"Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, And in whose
spirit there is no guile."
Psalm 32:1, 2

Genuine Repentance

One of the most essential aspects of the Christian faith is true repentance. The book of Acts describes repentance as turning away from our sins and turning to God. Genuine repentance involves more than just a confession of sins. It is also a change of mind and heart that leads to transformed behavior.

The Bible teaches that true repentance always involves confession of our sins to God and seeking His forgiveness. Psalm 32:5 says, "Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.' And you forgave the guilt of my sin."

A genuine repentance also involves a turning away from sin and turning towards God with the help of the Holy Spirit. This involves making a deliberate decision to change our behavior and seek to live in obedience to God's commands. In 2 Corinthians 5:17, the apostle Paul says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!"

Finally, a truly repentant person will seek to make amends for the sins they have committed. This involves taking responsibility for our actions, seeking to right the wrongs we have done to others, and seeking to live in a way that reflects the love and grace of God towards others. As Jesus Himself teaches in Luke 19:8, "But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, ‘Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.’”

In summary, genuine repentance involves confessing our sins to God, turning away from sin towards God with the help of the Holy Spirit, and seeking to make amends for the harm we have done to others. It is a vital aspect of the Christian faith and essential for experiencing the fullness of God's grace.

In conclusion, it is only through Christ that we can be brought into harmony with God and made righteous. To come to Christ, we must repent and be converted. However, many fail to understand the true nature of repentance. Genuine repentance involves a change of mind and heart that leads to transformed behavior. It involves confessing our sins to God, turning away from sin towards God with the help of the Holy Spirit, and seeking to make amends for the harm we have done to others. May we all seek genuine repentance in our lives so that we may experience the fullness of God's grace and be restored to harmony and communion with Him.