Importance
Repentance is not just a one-time experience that occurs when we first come to God. Repentance is a gift from God that we need to utilize every single day. Speaking of repentance as a way of dying to the natural desires of the flesh, the apostle Paul said, “I die daily.” I Corinthians 15:31
When the Holy Spirit was first poured out, Peter stumbled out of the upper room and said we are not drunk with wine, but this is what the prophet Joel prophesied saying, “I will pour out of my Spirit on all flesh.” (Acts 2) After Peter preached Jesus to them a while they were moved in their hearts and asked what they needed to do to be saved. The first thing Peter instructed them to do was to repent.
Two Part Process
If you walk away from repentance feeling sorrowful, you didn’t finish. The first part of repentance is confession and denouncing of sinful behavior. The second part is receiving forgiveness from God. The gift of forgiveness is received just like any other gift should be received, with gratitude. After confessing and denouncing your sinful behavior, spend some time thanking God for forgiving you. Thank Him for His amazing grace.
The Tabernacle Plan
To better illustrate the dual nature of repentance, consider the way sin was remitted in the old Tabernacle plan. The first thing you would have seen as you entered the courtyard of the Tabernacle would have been the Brazen Alter. This is where the animal sacrifices were made. To us today, it is a sign of repentance. We are able to kneel before God and confess our sins and have them forgiven because Jesus was our sacrificial lamb.
After the Brazen altar was the Brazen Laver. This is where the priest would wash the blood off of his hands. He had to wash in the Laver so that he could serve in the inner courts. For us, the Laver represents receiving forgiveness from God. As I mentioned before, the way to receive any gift is with gratitude.
Conclusion
Repentance is such a vital part of a Christian’s walk of faith that it should not be thought of in a negative way. It is something that should bring us joy. It is the receiving of a precious gift. It is reconciliation to God. Get in the habit of repenting on a regular basis, and remember to always end by giving thanks for forgiveness.
"Where sin abounds, grace does much more abound." Romans 5:20
So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. Hebrews 4:16
Written by Mike Verdin