“The kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15).
Sin is more than just a problem in our lives. Many of our troubles are the consequences of sin. Sin always carries a consequence. Some of us may be suffering consequences for many years. Aren’t you tired of living with these consequences? God has a cure—repentance.
Repentance is God’s way of restoring harmony and removing the impregnable wall that goes up when we’ve lost our close fellowship with Him. Repentance is the decision to turn from sin in order for God to bring an end to the judgment He has wrought on us. Repentance repairs relationships.
The Greek word metanoia means a change of mind. It is often translated as repentance. It involves a change of heart, a new way of looking at life. Only one aspect of metanoia is repentance. It is much more like a rebirth. Metanoia involves a realization or new way of looking at ourselves. Like David who said: “I have sinned against the Lord” (2 Samuel 12:13), we need to wake up to the fact that we have sinned against God and God alone. We have offended God.
True repentance involves regret. We should feel sorrow over our sin, not just sorrow over the fact that we got caught. “Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom” (James 4:8-9). We need to be broken-hearted before God about our sins.
