The True Repentance for Sin
The True Repentance for Sin
A Sunday School teacher once asked a class what was meant by the word "repentance." A little boy put up his hand and said, "It is being sorry for your sins." A little girl also raised her hand and said, "Please, it is being sorry enough to quit."
There is, indeed, a vast difference between the two. That is why the Lord said through Joel, "Rend your hearts and not your garments" (Joel 2:13). In the Orient, the tearing of clothes and the wearing of tattered garments was a sign of mourning. The people of Judah had gone far from the will of the Lord, and He had sent a plague of locusts upon the land to devour the crops. Following this, a drought had come and the fields had been burned brick-dry. Joel preached to the people, telling them that they deserved all that the Lord had sent upon them, and that they should repent. But he also warned them that they were to repent from the heart, and not with mere outward show. It is not enough for stubborn men to go on inwardly in their sins, with a sanctimonious show of mourning on the outside. "Rend your hearts and not your garments."
It is so easy to put responsibility off on someone else - even on God. I once saw a cartoon which showed a little boy down on his knees saying his prayers. The caption read: "Please, God, try hard to make me a good boy." There is no doubt that the Lord is more than willing to cooperate with us, but He will not force His way within and mesh the gears of righteousness for us. There are things which we must do ourselves. We have to be willing, and if we find ourselves unwilling, we must pray, "Lord make me willing to be made willing." In all cases, there must be a persistent, intellectual affirmation of our own guilt and our own need. Then we must look at the cross of Jesus Christ until the need and the provision come into the same focus. The sorrow for sin will get out of our heads and into our hearts, and we will not only be sorry for sin, but sorry enough to quit. It is the cross and the realization of the love that was manifested there which will ultimately bring the sorrow, the victory, and the blessing.
1. What is the difference between these two definitions of repentance according to the Sunday school students? Where did they go wrong? What was good about their answers?
2. Why types of responsibilities is every Christian given that will assist them in the sanctification process? What responsibilities has the Lord given you, and how are you being a good steward?
