There are seven reasons why the doctrine of repentance is important.
1) John the Baptist began His public ministry by calling on men to repent. “In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, repent for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand,” Matthew 3:1-2.
2) Jesus also began His ministry by calling on men to repent. “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” Matthew 4:17.
3) Jesus commanded His disciples to preach that men must repent. “And they went out, and preached that men should repent,” Mark 6:12.
4) Before Jesus was taken up into heaven, He directed his followers to evangelize the world by preaching repentance (Luke 24:36-53). “And Jesus said unto them, thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sin should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem,” Luke 24:46-47.
5) The apostles preached repentance. “Then Peter said unto them, repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins,” Acts 2:34. Paul said: “Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ,” Acts 20:21.
6) God’s command to all men everywhere is the same. “He now commandeth all men everywhere to repent,” Acts 17:30. When mankind repents, His mercy is revealed by the fact that He is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance,” 2 Peter 3:9.
7) Failure to repent and heed Gods call to repentance can mean only one thing, eternal damnation. “There were present at that season some that told him of the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, suppose ye that those Galileans were sinners above all, because they suffered such things?
I tell you, nay but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish,” Luke 13:1-3.
Biblical Repentance is exactly what it says. Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. We must confess our sins in our own hearts, which is complete surrender to God. Repentance gives you a Godly sorrow so that you refuse to enter that state of mind or action again. When there is Godly sorrow one turns his life from a world of fallen state to the glory of God. This is a 180-degree life turn to a loving, caring, and giving savior. Have you made a change of heart and mind to where your life in 2018 is made new?
When we turn from sin our focus is not on others but on self. Knowing that: “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:23. ‘All’ includes everyone. God sees your sincere heart and your willing spirit when you focus on change and not remaining in sin. Godly sorrow causes Christians to confess their own sins to God and turn from it to Him. For when we turn, there is no more hindrance. There is but strength and power in God. Repentance does not ask what my sin would bring into my own life.
Repentance says that God has forgiven, strengthened, and filled me with His purpose. Let us, as the children of God, “lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,” Hebrews 12:1.
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