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Repentance

This is a Bible study on Repentance.     Click here for a printable Bible Study Guide.

 

Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;  Acts 3:19

 

 

What is repentance?

The dictionary defines repentance as the process of feeling regret, remorse and sorrow for sin and turning from sin and dedicating oneself to the amendment of one's life.

The word of God defines repentance as godly sorrow for disobedience toward God, turning to God from satan, turning to Light from darkness, turning to righteousness from sin, the repentance commanded of God is always change, and leads to salvation, conversion, and eternal life. 

Repentance is possible by the grace of God, which is given to all people who hear God, accept His truth, and believe in Him.

Wholehearted repentance, turning away from sin with godly sorrow, allows God's presence into our lives.  Godly sorrow for sinning against God, true repentance allows God to operate inside us.

Repentance is a free decision to break from sin, a change of mind and attitude toward sin that is proven by a changed lifestyle living for God, instead of living for sin and self.

The love we have toward God changes our heart to desire to be close with God.  Sin separates anyone from God.  We must repent of sin, turn away from all sin in our lives to be close to God.  The believer's heart is converted at salvation and is changed to desire the things of God, righteousness and holiness.  By the grace of God we are saved by God through faith in God.  By the grace of God we are changed into a new creature, former things are passed away.

And said, Verily I say unto you,   Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.  Matthew 18:3

Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;  Acts 3:19

True repentance is always change.

Repentance is a change of heart and a change of mind and repentance is turning away from ALL unrighteousness, by receiving the mind of Christ unto righteousness.

 

Repentance is NOT an option for salvation.  Repentance is a requirement, commanded by God for salvation.

And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:  Acts 17:30

Salvation is given by God to those who repent of their sins.  To receive the salvation of God, we must turn to God and turn away from sin.

To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.  Acts 26:18

Forgiveness of sins from God to receive the inheritance of the saints is received after repentance, repenting of sin, turning to God and away from satan, turning to the Light of God from the darkness of sin.

If we refuse to turn from sin (repent of sin), then we cannot have the salvation of God.

 

What are we to repent of?

To repent means a change of mind; a turning. 

God is our Creator, who breathed life into each of us (Genesis 2:7).  God loves us and wants the very best for us and for our lives.  God desires all of us to have an abundant life, to live in peace and joy now, and to live with Him in His eternity after we die on this earth.

We are to have a change of mind regarding sin, since God is against sin we are to be against sin also.  We are to turn from sin, because God asked us to turn from all unrighteousness (Ezekiel 18:21).  God asks us to sin no more.

Everyone receives the salvation of God the same exact way, which is from God, by going to God, looking to God, coming to God, seeking God.

Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.  Isaiah 45:22

 

Repent of sin

He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.  Proverbs 28:13

We are to repent of all unrighteousness, which is all sin.  All unrighteousness is sin (1 John 5:17).

We must confess our sins and turn away from sin to receive Christ Jesus, the salvation of God (Titus 2:11-15).

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.  1 John 1:8-10

God says that we all have sin (Romans 3:23).  The Word of God states that if we say we have not sinned, then we make God a liar.

God promises that if we confess and repent of our sins, that He is faithful and just to forgive us all our sins, and He promises to cleanse us from all sin, from all unrighteousness.

God gifts all men with the measure of Grace to confess and repent of our sins, and through faith believe in Him for the salvation of our souls.

 

Repent of self will

The plan of salvation is the perfect plan of God.  Our way is never better than God's way.  God's will for our life is always better than our will.

We must repent of our own self will, our own way, we must turn from our ways to God's ways.

We must repent of being the master of our life, and surrender our life to God. 

We must commit all our lives to God to receive His salvation.

We cannot choose how we want to be saved, we must accept and receive the perfect plan of God's salvation.

In order to receive the salvation of God, we must do what He says, not what we want to do.

There can only be one Master.  We must surrender our life to God, repent of self, to receive the salvation of God.

Many people make up their own plan for salvation, what they must do, or say, and how they can live and still be saved, but this is NOT what God says in His word.

We must come to God on His terms, not our way.  There is only one way to God, which is through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ for salvation.  This is the perfect plan from God to receive His salvation.  Any other way to God, except by faith in Jesus Christ, will not work.

No person can make up their own rules to God's salvation, as to how to receive the salvation of God, as to how to receive eternal life, as to how to live with God for eternity.

God is God.  God is greater than all things.  We are not greater than God.  Man is not greater than God.  We are created by God, God is the Creator.  The creature is not greater than the Creator.

God is all powerful.  We depend on God.  God can live and exist without us, but we cannot live or exist without Him.  God is self-existent, and is not dependent on anyone or anything.  We are nothing without God.

Denying self enables us to follow Jesus (Matthew 16:24). 

 

Who needs to repent?

Who needs repentance? Everyone that sins must repent or die.  All of mankind everywhere must repent.

And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:  Acts 17:30

I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.  Luke 13:3

The lost and the saved need repentance from sin.

All people sin, therefore ALL people need repentance.

 

Sinners need repentance

Jesus said that people who are sick need a physician. 

Jesus said that He came to earth to call all sinners to repentance, not the righteous.

But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.  But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.  Matthew 9:12-13

When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.  Mark 2:17

And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.  Luke 5:31-32

 

All people everywhere must repent

And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:  Acts 17:30

All men everywhere, that includes all people everywhere, that includes me and you and the rest of the world.

 

Why do we need to repent?

The word of God makes it very clear that we must repent or perish.  We must repent to inherit the kingdom of heaven.

God sets before everyone life and death, and God asks us to choose life (Deuteronomy 30:19).

 

Repent or perish

I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.  Luke 13:3 and 5

 

Sins may be blotted out

Repentance is part of salvation.  When we confess our sins and repent of our sins and believe on Jesus as our personal Lord and Saviour we are saved and our sins are forgiven.  Our sins are blotted out, our sins confessed and repented of are remembered no more.

Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;  Acts 3:19

 

God will judge the world

We must all repent because God has appointed a day, in which ALL the world will be judged, and no one knows when this day is, it could be any day. 

We must all be ready to meet God at any time, because no one knows how long they will live or when the Lord will return.

And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:  Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.  Acts 17:30-31

 

To renew ourselves to God

Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;  Acts 3:19

 

Why do I need to repent TODAY?  Why can't I wait?

Why can't I repent later?  Because you may not live to see tomorrow.

 

No one is guaranteed a tomorrow. 

People of all ages die every day.  Most of us know someone around our own age that has died, and even younger.

We must repent now, today, because we do not know when Jesus will return for his people.  Jesus can return any day and we must be ready.

 

Repent now, because the kingdom of heaven is at hand, Jesus is coming soon.

And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.  Matthew 3:2

From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.  Matthew 4:17

And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.  Mark 1:15

 

Who accepts our repentance?

Who can give us remission for our sins?  Jesus.  Only God accepts our godly repentance and forgives sin that we have repented of.

Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.  Acts 5:31

When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.  Acts 11:18

Repentance, which is turning from sin to righteousness, turning from darkness to light, turning from the power of satan to God, by repentance we may receive forgiveness of sin and inheritance with the saints, and be sanctified by faith in Jesus (Acts 26:18).

 

How are we to repent?

The word of God reads that godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation.

For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.  2 Corinthians 7:10

The scriptures tell of another type of repentance that the world has that leads to death. 

The repentance of the world is not godly sorrow, and leads to eternal death.  The repentance of the world is sorrow for the wrong reasons.  Sorry you were caught, sorry things didn't work out the way you planned, not sorry that you sinned against God. 

The repentance sorrow of the world is not directed to God.  The world is not repentant to God.  The world does not seek God or pursue to get right with God.

This sorrow of the world is the sorrow that Judas had when he betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.  He repented, he was sorry that it didn't work out the way he had planned, but he did not have godly sorrow, he did not repent to God.

What is godly sorrow?  If you are a child of God, the Holy Spirit living inside of you will convict you of your sin, every time you sin.  You will be overcome with heartfelt sorrow for sinning against God.  It will break your heart that you have sinned against God and convict your spirit to get right with God and fast. 

The type of sorrow that is meet for repentance is the kind of sorrow David had in the Psalms, overwhelming sorrow, sincere and heartfelt, that made him so sorrowful he could not speak, so overwhelmed and troubled that he could not speak.

I remembered God, and was troubled: I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah.  Thou holdest mine eyes waking: I am so troubled that I cannot speak.  Psalm 77:3-4

A child of God will be compelled to confess sin to God and repent of sin, in order to have peace inside your heart and be right with God again.

The children of God cannot live with sin in their lives.  Sin is not pleasurable in the lives of the believer, it is distasteful and filthy. 

Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.  In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.  1 John 3:9-10

When you walk with Christ, you cannot live with sin in your life.  Christ does not live with sin.  As children of the Most High God, we should never make room for any sin in our lives.

As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:  Colossians 2:6

He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.  1 John 2:6

If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.  1 John 2:29

And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.   Luke 1:6

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?  Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?  Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.  For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:  Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.  Romans 6:1-6

 

The children of God are freed from sin and therefore do not purposefully sin.  As believers, we live for Christ, we do not live for sin.  As Christ died to sin, so have we who believe in Him, we have died to sin and we are freed from sin by Christ who abides in us.

For he that is dead is freed from sin.  Romans 6:7

By faith in Christ Jesus we are children of God (Galatians 3:26), joint-heirs with Christ Jesus to inherit the kingdom of God, we will live with Christ for eternity, we have died to sin, sin has NO dominion over the children of God.

We who are the children of God will live unto God.

Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:  Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.  For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.  Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Romans 6:8-11

 

Sin no longer controls our thoughts and our lives.  As children of God we are NOT to let sin reign in our bodies, we are NOT to obey sin, WE OBEY GOD.

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.  Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.  For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.  Romans 6:12-14

When we ask Jesus Christ into our hearts to be our Lord and Saviour of our lives, we are giving ALL of our life to Him. 

We give up ourselves, we give up the sinful ways of our life, we deny ourselves, we deny sin, take up our own cross, and follow Jesus Christ for ALL the days of our lives.

Salvation is not temporary.  Salvation is eternal.  Salvation is denying self, giving up our self, for Christ Jesus. 

We cannot just give Jesus part of our lives, true salvation is giving Christ Jesus ALL of our life, in exchange for life eternal.  I surrender all to Jesus.

No one can receive partial salvation.  No one is partly saved.  No one is halfway saved.  God does not hand out temporary salvation.  It is either ALL or nothing.  You either have received the salvation of God, or you haven't.  You either possess eternal life or you don't.

God's gift of salvation is whole and complete, given to us by the grace of God, through whole and complete belief in His Son to salvation, when we wholly and completely give all of our life to His Son, Jesus Christ.

If you hold back any part of your life from God, He will NOT give you salvation.  Holding back part of your life is NOT believing in God.  You cannot inherit the kingdom of God with unbelief.  No one is saved by partial believing in God.  Partial belief is still unbelief.

Salvation is given to those people who give total submission to God.

Unbelief separates people from God.  The sin of unbelief separates anyone from God. 

Anyone who doesn't believe in God, in all God says that He is in His word, is living in unbelief.  The unbelieving are not saved and will never see God.

Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.  Hebrews 3:12

Just like the Israelites in the wilderness, that could not enter into the promised land, the people that came out of Egypt with Moses, the same will be people today who do not believe and who will not enter heaven.

So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.  Hebrews 3:19

Without total and complete faith in Jesus Christ to salvation, without believing no one can enter heaven.

Those people who did not escape the wilderness because of unbelief are set as an example for us today.

Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.  Hebrews 4:11

Those who do not believe, the unbelieving will be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, and will be eternally separated from God.

But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.  Revelation 21:8

There is either complete faith, believing in Jesus to salvation, or no faith, no belief, unbelieving.

There is not a middle or just enough faith, it is either belief or unbelief.

ALL people who do NOT believe will die, spend eternity in hell, separated from God for eternity.

I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.  John 8:24

The devil blinds the hearts of those who believe NOT.

In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.  2 Corinthians 4:4

Unbelief is denying God, denying Christ.  Those who deny Christ will not see God, will NOT inherit the kingdom of God, will not spend eternity with God.

But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.  Matthew 10:33

If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:  2 Timothy 2:12

 

How do we deny God?  By not obeying God we deny Him.

Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.  They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.  Titus 1:15-16

 

Have you been denying God?  Do you obey God?

God must know you personally, in order for you to enter His kingdom. 

We know God by obeying God.

And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.  1 John 2:3

People who do NOT obey God, do NOT know God.

He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.  1 John 2:4

Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.  1 John 3:6

Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.  Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.  In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.  1 John 3:7-10

No one can fool God.  God knows if your heart is righteous or unrighteous, God knows what is in the depths of your heart and soul.

Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,  Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:  Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.  Romans 1:29-32

 

Remission of sins

For this is the blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.  Matthew 26:28

To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission off their sins,  Luke 1:77

 

Repentance

I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.  Luke 15:7

Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.  Luke 15:10

 

What happens in Heaven when we repent?

Did you know there is joy in heaven when a sinner repents?  This is what is written in the word of God.

I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.  Luke 15:7

Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.  Luke 15:10

God cares about you and me and all of the world. 

God sees all the billions of people in the world.  He knows everyone of them, over 7 billion people are in the world today. The population of the world increases every second.

The word of God reads there is rejoicing in heaven when one sinner repents.

 

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