What Repent is...and is not
When we as a people hear "Repent" we don't hear the truth of repentance, but the way it has been portrayed as brutal and never...I mean NEVER being able to measure up. A couple of things as I ponder on the question why, when John the Immerser and Jesus and the disciples/apostles preached repentance, people came to them (except the religious "thinkers" and scribes) and today we become offended or despise that call, that message that...grace...of God...even the kindness's of God that leads us not to salvation but to repentance. We've come to use different terms to "change" the impact and depth to words such as "oneness", "grace", "mercy" and yet it is those very things that are kindness's of God that should LEAD us to...repentance. We feel "accused" or even "condemned" but the message of repentance is far from that. God would not LEAD us to those things but away and that is what the message is...a call away.
As I pondered on these different things again and that John the Immerser was a man esteemed by God and spoken of by Jesus Christ there are a couple of things I believe the Holy Spirit (Ruach Hakodesh) gave me.
1. Repentance has nothing to do with "STOP SINNING!!!!!!" but rather as the definition reads, "to make a willing purpose to amend and turn from sin". We may surmise that we may live "sinless" from reading certain parts of scripture, but it is not about us living "sinless" but trusting the One who is sinless...Jesus Christ. He lived a perfect life of repentance. He made himself a "willing purpose to amend' (for our sin) 'and turn from sin" because "He was tempted in every way as we are".
2. Repentance has nothing to do with accusations, but with acknowledgement. In Hosea 5:15 we see God leaving "till they acknowledge their offense". In 2Chronicles 7:14 we see God stating the stipulation of restoration..."If MY people, who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face AND TURN/REPENT FROM THEIR WICKED WAYS...THEN...I will hear..." (...added) The wickedness may not be adultery or murder or fornication or masturbation or anything but one thing. The wickedness may be that they did not think they needed to repent and therefore were not even "willing".
3. Repentance has nothing to do with condemnation but alot to do with confrontation. While it does say in Proverbs that it is God's glory to overlook an offense and a kings glory to search it out that one verse does not assume 0 responsibility on us, as can be evidenced throughout the Word of God. Holy Spirit WILL confront our sin as we are able to see it...even AFTER being saved. i.e. King David, Peter, Paul (not yet having attained "it"), the church'es of Revelation, and last but not least Job.
Those two things is what we mostly fear when it comes to calling out repent. The truth is WE/I/YOU cannot measure up to God, not even Jesus "assumed" a goodness in "measuring up", because he was in the flesh and therefore was subject to the temptations of it. He could FEEL sin enough to Turn Away from it. However, God is not tempted by evil and He tempts no one. Our "measuring up" was/is found in Jesus Christ and HIS righteousness that we may be clothed in after saying yes to repentance to Him and His sacrifice on the cross but it is still HIS righteousness/HIS clothes. They were however made for us AS we "become" (which is the continual part of repentance). Our identity and call to the earth is found in the turning/repentance, becoming to BEing and out of that...the doing. NOT the other way around.
We should however to not sin but not count our sinlessness as the justification before God, just as Jesus did not count his sinlessness as a place to make himself "equal" with God. In comparison we must "confront" ourselves as not being God and "acknowledge" the ability to become like Satan, who said, "I will ascend the throne and become like the Most High". Repentance is what the kindness of God leads us to, so why are we so afraid of it? Why do we run from it or even the mention of it and replace it with cute, feel good phrases? Repent is God saying, Get Up Again, Come on, you can do it! Ringing the dinner bell (in the presence of our enemies) and our response is or should be...to come, to get up again, to continue, to taste of the Lord for He is good and to be nourished. There is more to repentance than even this, but recognize, repentance is NOT about getting right enough. It is simply a response to the dinner bell, or to the call to Get Up...Again, to Turn around and come back into MY arms says the Lord. It is the time of refreshing we desire. Will you? Are you "willing"? Come unto me all you who labor and are heavy laden said Jesus. In other words...Repent.
