Throw In The Towel

"Therefore repent and turn back, that your sins may be wiped out so that seasons of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord"  (Acts 3:19, HCSB).

Some people need to have a mental collapse like King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel who became like a beast eating grass before he repented and came to his right mind after acknowledging God's sovereignty.  Sometimes we do need to come to an end of ourselves and be humbled by God before we are willing to eat our humble pie.  But repentance is more than being sorry, it is settling the score and making amends or wrongs right.  "Godly sorrow leads to repentance without regret," according to 2 Cor. 7:1.  Repentance is merely doing a 180 or an about-face.  Some see it as a U-turn.  Repentance involves turning from sin toward God, and it must be validated by fruit.  Acts 26:20 says to bring forth fruit worthy of repentance.

Salvation itself is seen as repentance or faith, depending on the angle you see.  Actually, it is through penitent faith or believing repentance.  They go hand in hand and are complementary; you can distinguish but not separate them.  We all must come clean in God's eyes and not try to justify ourselves or hide our sins.  We call a spade a spade and that means confessing them as God calls the shots.  In the process, we own up to our wrongdoing and throw ourselves on the mercy of God as a prerequisite to salvation.

 In the Old Testament, the world was often substituted with the word "return."  Job repented upon seeing God in Job 42:6, saying:  "I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes."  True repentance only comes from genuine saving faith, and genuine faith comes only with true repentance.  True repentance is a change from the inside out and is a radicalized shift of heart, mind, and will modification.

Repentance is a mandate or imperative and God commands all men everywhere to repent (cf. Acts 17:30) as a progressive or ongoing activity, as well as a one-time turning from sin to Christ.  We must renounce or repudiate sin in our lives and decide to follow Jesus and commit our lives to Him.  We cannot do it halfway but must be sincere in faith.  We don't just change our opinions, but the entire direction of our life.   Repentance is not "fire insurance" or a ticket out of hell, but complimentary to saving, genuine faith in Christ as Lord and Savior.  When we prove it by our subsequent deeds we are finally good to go!   Soli Deo Gloria!