A Few Bible Thoughts For Your Day

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Date: Jun 01 2016 4:50 PM

Hey Everybody,

I hope you are having a positive week. Here are a few thoughts for your day.

Repentance: The Hardest Command?

One of the Bible's least understood teachings is our responsibility to repent. The Bible begins by declaring (1) sin is the basic reality of human existence, and (2) everyone needs to repent. That is the basic lesson Israel was to learn from Adam and Eve (Genesis 2&3). From beginning to end, in all periods of Bible history, Scripture (1) documents the need for repentance, (2) commands sinful people to repent, (3) and holds people responsible for repentance.

The Old and New Testaments powerfully affirm the effect of human repentance on God. Repentance is essential to make the forgiveness of sins reality in a person's life (Acts 2:38). If one is to have his sins wiped away and receive the Lord's times of refreshing, he must repent (Acts 3:19).

How can a person repent if he does not know what repentance is? If he does not understand what Jesus, the apostles, and the New Testament writers meant by that word, how can he repent? One must understand repentance! Faith and baptism without repentance will not produce forgiveness of sin and new life in Christ.

This is the common explanation of repentance: "Repentance is turning your life around, redirecting life away from sin and toward God." Years ago someone explained the turning, the redirecting in this manner: "Repentance is a change of mind leading to a change of heart leading to a change of action leading to a change of life." All of this is true. However, in terms of everyday reality, do you know what that means?

Jesus gave the clearest presentation of the meaning and process of repentance in the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15: 11-24). A man's young son came of age. In the arrogance and false wisdom of youth, he decided to escape the restrictions and control of his father and older brother. He demanded and received his portion of the inheritance. A few days later, the son left home.

He traveled to a distant country and spent his entire inheritance living in pleasure and ease. After he spent all his money, a severe famine struck that country. As conditions grew worse he had no food and no friends. He accepted a disgraceful job for an Israelite: feeding pigs. Still he was desperate. He was so hungry he wished he could eat the indigestible carob pods he fed the pigs.

In his dire need he recovered "right thinking." He realized that his father's servants were cared for better than he. He also realized he was fully responsible for his mistakes. At that moment he knew that he had sinned against his father and God. He resolved to take action and face his sin.

What a hard decision! He would go to his father, confess his sin, and ask to be accepted back, not as a son, but as a servant. He knew he was unworthy to be a son. He had no right to make that request. Imagine his agony as he walked that long journey home, wondering each day how his father would react. Would he be angry? Would he be ashamed of his rebellious son? Would he let him be a servant? Without regard for consequence, be returned.

That is a powerful description of repentance. It clearly portrays what repentance is. (1) He recovered his ability to "think and see correctly." He stopped deceiving himself and looked at the realities of his life and situation. (2) He saw his own sin, failure, and mistakes. (3) He acknowledged the truth: his sin occurred because of his choices and decisions. (4) He accepted full responsibility for his conduct and choices. "I have sinned against my father and my God." (5) He would acknowledge his wrongdoing to the ones he hurt - his father and his God. (6) He honestly understood his unworthiness. (7) He acted on his proper perspective, his right thinking. (8) He got out of the pig pen, he returned home, and he confessed the truth about himself.

A touching picture of our forgiving God is revealed in the father. After all that time the father still watched the road, hoping for his son's return. When that dirty, ragged, thin figure appeared in the distance, the father recognized him. He ran to his son, and in compassion hugged and kissed him. He hardly heard his confession - he knew the repentance was real! He received him as his son, restored him to the position of his son, and hosted an enormous celebration, because his dead son was now alive.

That is repentance. That is the powerful effect repentance has on God. That will occur in your life - if you repent.

Have a great rest of the week.

Mitch Robison

Enon Church of Christ

1366 Enon Rd.

Webb, AL 36376

[email protected]

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