4. Repentance requires turning away from sin

 REPENTANCE REQUIRES TURNING AWAY FROM SIN 

We must never compromise with sin nor condone sin.

ISAIAH 55:7 "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon".

We must put away wrong actions but we must also discipline our minds to reject wrong thoughts and motives.

Repentance is not just saying the right words to ask for forgiveness. It also involves personal inner house-cleaning. We must stay away from bad habits and unclean thinking. Pornography is a deadly danger to many minds today. When North Korean soldiers went to Russia to fight against Ukraine in 2024, the first thing they did when they had the freedom to search the internet was to view pornography. They wanted the freedom to sin. Such is the nature of sinful man.

We tend to focus on the troubles and problems that are the consequences of sin instead of focusing on sin itself.

There are untold problems associated with drinking alcohol: Behaviour problems and mental changes, such as inappropriate behaviour, unstable moods, impaired judgment, slurred speech, impaired attention or memory, and poor coordination.

Chronic diseases, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, liver disease, and digestive problems.

Health problems, such as cancer, mental health issues, liver problems, brain damage, and a weakened immune system.

Negative consequences, such as injuries, violence, domestic violence, chronic diseases, cancers, risky sexual behaviours, absenteeism from work or school, and adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Death on the roads caused by drunken drivers The cost to a country as it tries to cope with all these abuses is frightening.

All these issues could be resolved if people just stopped drinking.

The same applies to our personal lives.

Sin has many bad side effects. If we allow God to remove the sin from our lives, all the side effects would vanish too.

Sin is simply the number one problem on the Earth today.

The only effective antidote to sin is genuine repentance. That is the only permanent cure.

A repentance that is not completely sincere sees a person trying to serve God as well as still enjoying some sin. Christians who drink a little, smoke a little, swear a little, gamble, dirty jokes, racial hatred, inappropriate dress, drugs, etc.

A genuine repentance changes our mindset until we hate sin, but we must also learn to love the sinner. This can be difficult.

We must develop an attitude that rejects sin but tolerates the sinner.

This is a difficult balance to achieve and we must pray to God for wisdom so that we can successfully separate between the sin and the person.

Remember, God hates sin but He loves sinners.

Hitler was one of the biggest mass-murderers in history. Yet as a young boy, he fell into a canal and was drowning when a Catholic priest came to his rescue. God was giving Hitler another chance.

Hitler, as a corporal in the First World War, was sitting with two friends in an isolated little hut. Officers entered the hut for a meeting and told the corporals to move out. They moved far enough away so that they could not hear the officers talking. Twenty minutes later a big artillery shell landed and exploded. The hut and the officers were blown to pieces. The three corporals were far enough away so that they were not injured. God was giving Hitler another chance.

During the Second World War there were numerous occasions when enemies planted explosives that would detonate and kill him at a certain time in a meeting. In every case he escaped death by some strange circumstances. He sometimes left the meeting earlier than expected or the bomb failed to detonate. God was giving Hitler more chances, but sadly he sinned away the days of his life until he finally killed himself.

Thus, sinners go lost because they stupidly reject the salvation that Jesus offers them.

However badly off a sinner is and however pitiful and miserable the sinner’s circumstances, there are no preconditions for salvation other than a deep desire to repent and turn to God.

Salvation is simply God offering mercy to those who realize that they are lost and hopeless.

All sins are bad, even if some are worse than others. There are no good sins.

All sins have to be repented of, as there is no other way of getting rid of sin.

Sin is like a dark stain on a pretty dress. It simply wrecks the dress which no woman has any desire to wear.

An effective career is overshadowed by an incautious sin. Bill Clinton was a talented and effective President of America for eight years but his legacy is ruined by his relationship with Monica Lewinsky. That is the part of his presidency that most people remember best.

Our sins have a bad habit of finding us out.

Any sin is bad and causes God grief.

God’s Law is like a chain. If any link snaps, then the whole chain breaks.

JAMES 2:10 "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all".

The Covid-19 pandemic that caused so much pain and misery turned out to be a very tiny virus.

Size is not necessarily the sign that something is serious. Any sin can have bad consequences.

But humans from their hearts tend to rebel against God, especially if God has blessed them with a clever mind. Clever scientists easily become atheists to show that they do not need God.

Once the human mind decides to rebel against God, we see the wrong-doings of many religious leaders capture the headlines.

Church leaders tend to cover up many sins in order to protect their reputation and their income.

This merely proves that if there is no sincere repentance, secret sins can strike down anybody.

We have to be very careful to stay away from circumstances that can give rise to sinful conduct.

Humanity is in possession of a spiritual policeman called our conscience.

His job is to arrest any bad behaviour before it manifests itself.

The quiet voice of conscience makes one happy when you have done something good and it leaves you troubled when you have done something bad.

The voice of conscience should never be ignored, especially when it bids you to repent because you have transgressed God’s law.

Sin is simply any transgression of God’s law.

Eventually, all of our lives will be weighed up in the balances of God’s Judgements and Justice.

Babylon was the first Gentile kingdom represented by the image of a man that Nebuchadnezzar saw in a dream.

Then a mysterious hand produced the writing on the wall.

"Weighed in the balances and found wanting".

The nation of Babylon fell that night and never recovered.

We too have to give an account of our lives before the Judgement Seat of Christ.

Will He find any evidence of a sincere repentance on our side, or will we stand condemned in our own self-righteousness because we thought we were good enough.

Any single sin can condemn us because it is an abomination against the holiness of God.

Repentance must be specific and not vague.

"Forgive me for failing to keep your standards" is a good start as I then begin to name and shame my sins to my own hurt. Then I know that I am convicted of my sins.

"If I have offended someone" is a waste of time, a so-called repentance. A vague and pointless statement. It is like shadow-boxing as it does not hurt me in any way.

True repentance must cause pain and grief plus producing an energetic effort to try harder and improve. We begin to shine the harsh light of truth into our lifestyles and habits and make hard decisions to mend our ways.

PSALM 51:4 "Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight:"

David is specific. He says this evil. He precisely pin-points his sin. There is no beating around the bush. His honesty is refreshing and makes him a trustworthy witness who is worth listening to.

Remorse is not always repentance as it can fear the consequences of sin rather than the sin itself.

Remorse fears the judgement of the law. It can be a shallow form of regret that lacks the deep shame and horror of sin that true confession causes.

A true repentance makes us turn away from our sins if we are truly sorry for them.

If we really turn far away from our sins, we will find ourselves turning towards God. We find solace in prayer as we hand over our struggles to God and rely on His mercy rather than being obsessed with our own interests.

A repentance that is so superficial that it allows us to continue with our sins is rather hypocritical.

Repentance leads to a new dedication to prayer as we realize we need God’s guiding hand to steer our lives. We simply cannot control all the events that cut across our lives and thus we desperately need the guidance of God.

God has an amazing way of bringing good across our paths by "chance" meetings with people who can help us. What we tend to call "Chance" is actually God’s Grace.

Things change when we pray more and thereby give God more freedom in running our lives.

Context

Invitation to the Needy

…⁶Seek the LORD while He may be found; call on Him while He is near. ⁷Let the wicked man forsake his own way and the unrighteous man his own thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that He may have compassion, and to our God, for He will freely pardon. ⁸“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD.… Berean Standard Bible 

Let the wicked man forsake his way

Now therefore, tell the men of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem that this is what the LORD says: ‘Behold, I am planning a disaster for you and devising a plan against you. Turn now, each of you, from your evil ways, and correct your ways and deeds.’

He who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy.

Therefore, O house of Israel, I will judge you, each according to his ways, declares the Lord GOD. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, so that your iniquity will not become your downfall. / Cast away from yourselves all the transgressions you have committed, and fashion for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why should you die, O house of Israel?

and the unrighteous man his thoughts;

The LORD detests the thoughts of the wicked, but the words of the pure are pleasant to Him.

Wash the evil from your heart, O Jerusalem, so that you may be saved. How long will you harbour wicked thoughts within you?

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

let him return to the LORD,

Come, let us return to the LORD. For He has torn us to pieces, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bind up our wounds.

Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God, for you have stumbled by your iniquity. / Bring your confessions and return to the LORD. Say to Him: “Take away all our iniquity and receive us graciously, that we may present the fruit of our lips.

“Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to Me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning.” / So rend your hearts and not your garments, and return to the LORD your God. For He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion. And He relents from sending disaster.

that He may have compassion,

He will again have compassion on us; He will vanquish our iniquities. You will cast out all our sins into the depths of the sea.

Even if He causes grief, He will show compassion according to His abundant loving devotion.

As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.

and to our God,

For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, the sheep under His care. Today, if you hear His voice,

For this God is our God forever and ever; He will be our guide even till death.

To the Lord our God belong compassion and forgiveness, even though we have rebelled against Him

for He will freely pardon.

They refused to listen and failed to remember the wonders You performed among them. They stiffened their necks and appointed a leader to return them to their bondage in Egypt. But You are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in loving devotion, and You did not forsake them.

Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

the wicked

Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; …

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

unrighteous man.

And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:

O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?

for

I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.

I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee.

And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, …

abundantly.

Isaiah 55

1. The prophet, with the promises of Christ, calls to faith

6. And to repentance

8. The happy success of those who believe

3. Repentance involves certain fundamental ideas

 Repentance involves certain fundamental ideas

No human likes to feel guilty. There is no more effective way of removing guilt than by making a full confession. Thus, repentance opens the door for us to have our guilt removed and that alone saves us from the condemnation of our conscience. A nagging conscience is a very uncomfortable companion.

None of us want to face our sins as we cannot bear to see them. It is natural that we turn away from that horrible mess in despair. But in turning away from sin we find ourselves facing God, and to our great surprise we find that God is keen to forgive us. God loves us despite what we have done.

God has got absolutely no reason to save me and yet He wants to save me.

That is total grace, undeserved favour.

Another fundamental rule of salvation is that God wants to save us so badly that He offers us a free salvation.

II PETER 3:9 "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance".

God then sets up the conditions in our lives that eventually drive us to want to get saved.

ROMANS 2:4 "Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?"

Even when life seems hard, God is still acting in our best interests as He uses these adverse circumstances to drive us towards Him.

Rather like the painful cuts that a surgeon makes in our bodies to remove a malignant cancer. Once the distress is over, we are grateful for the operation.

Repentance is the beginning of the Gospel.

You do not know God if you have not repented. You just know about God.

LUKE 24:47 "And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem".

Until we have repented, we are not Christians.

MARK 1:1 "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;

MARK 1:4 John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins".

Repentance is not something that Jesus introduced.

Before Jesus appeared, John had already called the Jews to repentance.

The first step on the path to getting right with God is to repent.

The Gospel of Luke tells us of the prodigal son who senselessly wasted his inheritance. He realized that he deserved no sympathy for his foolishness but decided to risk going back home. Maybe his father would employ him as a servant. To his shock, his father was overjoyed with his repentance that had been brought about by his bankrupt struggles to survive.

We dread hard times and bankruptcy but they have a good side when they drive us to repentance. Anything that makes us take Jesus more seriously is good for us.

A hardened criminal thief was crucified next to Jesus and somehow saw that Jesus was the King. He knew he had no real chance of getting into Heaven but in a desperate hope, he asked Jesus just to spare a thought for him when Jesus was in His Kingdom. To his complete shock, though he knew he was total scum, he found Jesus was more than willing to open the Door to Heaven for him.

More than that, bad though he was, Jesus would send him to Paradise to warn all the great Old Testament saints that Messiah was coming to release them from Paradise and take them to Heaven. Such is the power of repentance. Jesus saw the sincere change in his heart.

Jesus is more than willing to use bad sinners even if they only repent in the last minutes of their life.

LUKE 5:32 "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance".

Self-righteousness is a major human problem.

We see ourselves as basically good people. People often grow up in a Christian home and thus end up living a clean and decent life. There is no real bad sinful experience in their history and thus they feel that they are fine with God as they were basically born as Christians.

I JOHN 1:8 " If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us".

Every human is born a sinner and needs to repent.

JOHN 16:8 "And when he [the Holy Spirit] is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:"

Because we live in a sinful world it is easy for us to assume that our lives are fine if we live by better standards than the sinful world offers.

But we must learn to judge sin by God’s standards.

JOB 15:15 "Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight."

God is so righteous that even Heaven is not clean in His sight.

If God has no trust in His saints, then even the best of saints can mess up. How much more do the rest of us let God down when we think we are serving Him.

There is only one judgement for sin. The death of Jesus on the cross.

We only connect with Christ’s sacrifice when we repent.

Repentance, not self-righteousness, is the only way to escape the Judgement.

We must start with a conviction that sin is ugly and beg Christ to forgive us. We must desire to be free from anything that offends the holiness of God as we try ever harder to be involved with the righteousness that pleases God.

ISAIAH 55:6 "Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near"

God’s overwhelming mercy is that He is always near us and can thus hear our innermost thoughts.

But there is an important condition. We must not ignore God’s mercy for too long as there will one day be a cut-off time. We will hear the awful words, "Too late".

We must be careful not to sin away our day of grace.

Now daily feed your spirit with the Word of God by speaking and meditating on the written scripture as follows.

Context

The Day of the Lord

…⁸Beloved, do not let this one thing escape your notice: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. ⁹The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance. ¹⁰But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar, the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and its works will be laid bare.…Berean Standard Bible 

The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise

For, “In just a little while, He who is coming will come and will not delay.

Let us hold resolutely to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.

God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?

as some understand slowness,

But suppose that servant is wicked and says in his heart, ‘My master will be away a long time.’

But suppose that servant says in his heart, ‘My master will be a long time in coming,’ and he begins to beat the menservants and maidservants, and to eat and drink and get drunk.

but is patient with you,

Or do you disregard the riches of His kindness, tolerance, and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you to repentance?

Then the LORD passed in front of Moses and called out: “The LORD, the LORD God, is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness,

The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion.

not wanting anyone to perish

In the same way, your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. / For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.

Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Lord GOD. Wouldn’t I prefer that he turn from his ways and live?

but everyone to come to repentance.

Although God overlooked the ignorance of earlier times, He now commands all people everywhere to repent.

I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

He must gently reprove those who oppose him, in the hope that God may grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth.

Say to them: ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked should turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’

who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

is not.

I bring near my righteousness; it shall not be far off, and my salvation shall not tarry: and I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory.

For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.

And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? …

but is.

And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;

And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,

But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.

not willing.

If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shall also go to their place in peace.

Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.

And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.

but that.

Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not

2. Faith that saves produces a Godly sorrow for sin

 Faith that saves produces a Godly sorrow for sin

The Holy Spirit will always hate sin and grieve when we fall back into sin. Then the Spirit convicts us to repent so that we can start again to develop a deeper obedience towards God and a greater love for His Word. Only that path seems secure.

Faith is the basis for our relationship with God. We have to believe that God is Almighty and that we can only approach Him if we believe in Him. If we confess our sins then He is faithful to forgive us our sins.

Repentance clears the heart and allows us to genuinely approach God for a new start.

Saving faith produces sorrow for sin because faith has a strong desire for holiness.

In a hospital surgical theatre, everything must be sterilized and germs are an enemy that must be eliminated. Equally, people desiring holiness do not fool around with sin.

Repentance cleans the heart and allows us to see God more clearly. This clearer vision of God increases our faith in Him.

Thus, repentance and faith walk hand-in-hand to help us draw closer to Jesus.

II CORINTHIANS 7:10 "For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death".

Unsaved people are only sorry for their sins if they are caught out and have to be punished. They are sorry for the punishment, not for the sin. If they get away with the sin then they think that they are very clever.

But godly sorrow, inspired by Christ’s Spirit within us, makes us feel very bad about our sins. Condemned by my conscience, my only escape is to repent and make right where possible.

I do not need other people to tell me of my sins, my own conscience convicts me.

The repentance that drove me to ask Christ for His salvation is something that will never be regretted.

II CORINTHIANS 7:11 "For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter".

Amplified Bible : For [you can look back and] see what an earnestness and authentic concern this godly sorrow has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves [against charges that you tolerate sin], what indignation [at sin], what fear [of offending God], what longing [for righteousness and justice], what passion [to do what is right], what readiness to punish [those who sin and those who tolerate sin]! At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in the matter.

When I genuinely repent of my sins then Christ gives me godly sorrow.

This is not just an emotional response. It is a response that transforms me as it leads to spiritual growth.

Earnest and eager to please God I become very indignant about my failures as I have let God down. I reject any behaviour or attitude that is contrary to sound faith. The fear of God motivates action on my part, it does not paralyze me. This is similar to a person who is scared of losing their job. Fear of being unemployed makes them try harder in order to keep their job.

Forgiven of sin and offered Heaven in the place of Hell gives the repentant heart a zeal to do something for God in return. Wanting to be careful to choose God’s Will and not my own.

Let's sums this up very well.

"The happy fruits of true repentance are mentioned. Where the heart is changed, the life and actions will be changed. It wrought indignation at sin, at themselves, at the tempter and his instruments. It wrought a fear of watchfulness, and a cautious fear of sin. It wrought desire to be reconciled with God. It wrought zeal for duty, and against sin. It wrought revenge against sin and their own folly, by endeavours to make satisfaction for injuries done thereby. Deep humility before God, hatred of all sin, with faith in Christ, a new heart and a new life, make repentance unto salvation. May the Lord bestow it on every one of us."