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I Sinned...Now What?
Part 2: Repentance
The theological term for the process of becoming more like Christ is called sanctification, and it is a concept that seems to be experiencing somewhat of a revival among Christians. A quick look around your local Christian bookstore or online will reveal thousands of books, sermons, and teachings that give techniques and strategies about avoiding, hating, and eliminating sin in the Christian life. I have access to plenty of information and techniques to avoid sin as I live my new life in Christ. But what if I sin anyway?
Christians have historically been very bad at answering this question. In the early church, a book called the Shepherd of Hermas heretically seems to imply that believers can only be forgiven for continued sin once after they’re baptized. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, believed that Christians could actually obtain perfection and never sin again. There is staggeringly little honest teaching throughout Christendom on the personal continual battle with indwelling sin, especially in regards to failure. However, the Bible does address this issue and it is good to sort through it and be reminded of the truth. The Apostle Peter says, “Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder” (2 Peter 1:12-13). So let us be stirred up by way of reminder to continue our fight with sin both during and following failure.
Now What?
So what is the biblical response for Christians who struggle with sin? It can be outlined as the following: feeling the conviction of the Holy Spirit, repenting, confessing, accepting forgiveness, and resolving to continue the fight. Our first blog explored the conviction of the Holy Spirit. We will now tackle repentance.
Repenting
In the last section we looked at the three different reactions we might have immediately after sinning: condemnation, passivity, or conviction. After we sinned, the Christian receives the gift of conviction brought by the Holy Spirit , which is designed to propel us to repent of the sin we’ve just committed. Repentance is turning, even right after we’ve sinned, from rebellion to Jesus Christ who is the Truth. This is important because repentance isn’t an end within itself as both our culture and Christians alike tend to mistakenly believe. The popular concept of “repentance” is based on emotional regret, where feeling really bad equals being repentant. Biblical repentance isn’t just feeling bad. The Bible has a fuller, meatier meaning to the concept of repentance that deals with our hearts, with our desires, and with our joy. When John the Baptist was preaching repentance to the religious folk in the Bible-belt of that time, he didn’t say, “Feel bad and get baptized.” Rather, he said, “Bear fruits in keeping with repentance”(Luke 3:8). It is crucial to realize that Christian repentance isn’t just a feeling or even a one-time action, but a consistent lifestyle of repenting, confessing, accepting forgiveness, and resolving to continue the fight. Martin Luther summarized this point when he nailed The Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the Wittenberg Cathedral. The very first thesis states: “Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ….willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.”
After we’ve sinned and felt convicted of our rebellious action or thought, we must repent. Practically that means we confess, accept forgiveness and resolve to continue fighting sin, which will be further detailed in upcoming blogs.
“Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.”
(Revelation 3:19)
