I had breakfast with my nephew this morning so that we could explore the “R” word just a bit more. You know the “R” word—the one we don’t really like to talk about. The one that gets left out a lot because it makes people uncomfortable.
Repentance.
It seems a very fitting topic for this Good Friday morning because without repentance, the cross of Jesus Christ seems a bit pointless. If Jesus was willing to take the sins of the world upon Himself, die a humiliating and torturous death, and then provide a way for us to be redeemed from our own hopelessness and destruction—well, isn’t repentance really a small sacrifice on our part? Acknowledging our sin by confessing and repenting is the most powerful thing we can do to honor Christ today.
Yet much of the Church today leans toward downplaying the message of repentance. It doesn’t seem to attract people to the gospel message, so maybe we should tone it down a bit, seems to be the trendy Christian thought.
That’s perhaps part of why so many people are drawn to books like The Shack. It makes God a bit more comfortable, more to our liking. No mention of repentance and our need to turn from sin. No mention of judgment and eternal death. Whew…I like the God of the New Testament over the God of the Old Testament, who seemed so harsh. A new and improved version of God, many like to think.
Really?
Today my nephew and I went back to the basics of repentance. We both want to know what Scripture really says about it. Did Jesus back off on the message of repentance so that the gospel could be more comfortable to the masses?
Here are the words of Christ, just as a reminder on this Good Friday:
- Jesus’ first message after 40 days of temptation and ministry preparation: “Repent and believe.” (Mark 1:15)
- Jesus’ continuous message throughout His ministry: “From that time, Jesus began to preach and say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” (Matt. 4:17)
- Jesus’ instructions to the disciples as He prepared them for ministry: “With my authority, take this message of repentance to all the nations…” (Luke 24:47)
- The disciples’ response to Jesus’ instructions: “And they went out, telling all they met to turn from their sins.” (Mark 6:12)
- Jesus’ message to five of the seven churches in Revelation: “I have this against you...repent! (Rev. 2-3)
So let’s review. It’s the first message of Jesus, the message He passed on to the disciples, and it’s the message He continues to give for the Church today.
Please honor the Lord Jesus Christ in your life by embracing the message—and gift—of repentance. I believe as we walk out a lifestyle of repentance, we will become more and more Christ-like. That’s the kind of revolutionary life that will be used of God to bring revival to our churches and transformation to our land.
