We don’t hear much about repentance from the pulpit nowadays. Preachers seldom mention anything about it. Instead they simply tell people to repeat a prayer after them and ZAP! … they are supposedly saved. Then that person leaves and goes on with their lives with nothing having changed any whatsoever. They and several others think that they are ok … that they are saved because they said a prayer. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Sorry but it doesn’t work that way. When a person truly gets saved there is a big change in them and it is apparent to everybody.

Repentance is very much required by God. Repentance simply means that we are going along in one direction (away from God) and stop and turn around going the other direction (toward God). It involves a desire within us to stop doing anything in our lives that displease God and to start doing those things which please God. We need to be broken over sin in our lives … to be sorrowful. That comes with understanding the seriousness of sin and the price God paid willingly to provide salvation for us.

Yes, without repentance we need not apply. Anyone who leaves repentance out is only fooling themselves and misleading others. They will have a high price to pay.

Sin must be dealt with. God requires it. Many people believe that they are basically a pretty good person and they are hopeful that God will see that their good outweighs their bad. But that is not the measure God uses. He uses His own holiness and tells us that all have sinned and fall short of His glory.

I like to use this illustration to convince people of their sinfulness. We tend to consider a new born baby as possibly the most innocent thing in all of creation. But I am here to tell you that a newborn baby is guilty of sin as they are born with a sin nature. Take two newborn babies and lay them side by side. Give one of them a rattle or a pacifier. What happens? We have all seen it. These sweet innocent little babies start squabbling as the one without that object will try to take it from the other one who has it. That is sin.  It is called covetousness and is the tenth commandment of the 10 Commanments God gave. We are not to desire what someone else has.

Let’s move along forward a few years. These babies are growing. Now they are talking and getting around on their own just fine. It is nearing meal time and their mother tells them to stay out of the cookie jar as she doesn’t want them to spoil their appetite. She leaves them and gets back to work preparing the meal. Meanwhile these young children get into the cookie jar. The evidence is all over their hands and face. Mom hears them and suspects they are up to something. When she sees them the evidence is quite convicting. She ask them if they got into the cookie jar after she told them not to. They answer back, No, mommy, I didn’t have any cookies. They are obviously lying thru their teeth. Who taught them to lie? Did their mom teach then? No, it comes quite natural to them as they are born with a sin nature.

The sin nature presents a huge problem for us. It must be addressed. God requires it. He loves us and desired a relationship with us, but our sin separates us from Him. Because of sin in our lives we are actually His enemy … at war with Him. But He made a way where there was no way … a way for us to correct all of this and be forgiven and cleansed from our unrighteousness. We can become His friend instead of being His enemy. Repent and call on His holy Name.