This morning I want to talk about a couple of definitions. I’ve written several times before about a statement that the late, great Rev. Dr. Charles Stanley preached about regarding obedience. He stated that the definition of ‘partial obedience’ was–disobedience. For example, if God asked you to witness to three people, and you only talked to one or two, you were, in point of fact, disobedient to God’s command.
But the real definition I want to explore today is the definition of repentance. What does it mean to repent of a sin? So many people have told me that they don’t agree with my definition that I’m beginning to think that I’m wrong! You can decide. Some think that one can repent from a sin over and over again. If you repent, and then 3 days or 3 years later you repeat the sin, you can repent again. But I say that true repentance is a one-time action. That is, if one truly and completely repents, that one has forever forsworn the sin. Repeated repentance, like partial obedience, is not a thing. As always, your opinions welcome.
The Bible teaches that repentance results in additional gifts:
“Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’ [Acts 2:38]
“Repent, then, and turn to God. so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord” [Acts 3:19]
Paul explains the importance of true repentance pretty clearly:
“It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.” [Hebrews 6:4-6]
It is my opinion that truly repenting of something is arguably one of the most difficult assignments we have in our Christian walk. We need the Lord’s help:
“O LORD my God, I called to you for help and you healed me.” [Psalm 30:2]
Blessings,
Keith