¿How should we repent?

Is repentance a momentary and emotional decision we make just to feel good about ourselves? Or is it rather a life-long transformation process ? 

Repentance is a topic of great importance in the Bible. In fact, it is the core of many of Jesus Christ's messages. However, even though repentance concerns us all, since God "commands all men everywhere to repent" (Acts 17:30), most of the modern religious world does not understand this concept correctly.  

True repentance is much more than an ephemeral emotional reaction, it is a process that lasts a lifetime! Many people recognize that they must change certain aspects of their way of living, but what exactly should we change? What must we do to have a permanent attitude of repentance? According to the Bible, how should we repent?

Recognize the superiority of the mind of God

One of the first things to always remember is the fact that God's mind is far superior to ours. In Isaiah 55: 8-9 God tells us: "My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor your ways my ways ... As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts more than your thoughts ”.

The human mind works very differently from that of God; As the Apostle Paul explains, “Those who are of the flesh think of the things of the flesh; but those who are of the Spirit, in the things of the Spirit ”(Romans 8: 5).

In Mark 7: 20-23, Jesus tells us what happens to those who focus their minds on carnal things: “what comes out of man, that contaminates man. Because from within the hearts of men come evil thoughts, adultery, fornication, homicide, theft, greed, wickedness, deception, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, folly . All these evils from within come out and pollute man ”(emphasis added).   

In other words, our carnal mind produces thoughts and actions that are not pleasing to God. Our human nature tends towards the "works of the flesh, which are: adultery, fornication, filth, lewdness, idolatry, witchcraft, enmities, lawsuits, jealousy, anger, strife, dissent, heresy, envy, murder, drunkenness, orgies, and things similar to these; about which I admonish you, as I have told you before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God ”(Galatians 5: 19-21).

Therefore, if we want to please God, we must learn to repent and change our way of thinking; we must resist the tendency of our carnal mind towards evil, for “the designs of the flesh are enmity against God; for they are not subject to the law of God, nor can they be ”(Romans 8: 7). We must recognize the importance of ensuring that our minds are in harmony with the ways and thoughts of God.

Acknowledge our guilt

When a group of Jewish believers celebrated the Feast of Pentecost in Jerusalem, the apostle Peter gave a powerful message that shook their consciences. Thousands of them "were heartbroken, and said to Peter and the other apostles," Brothers, what shall we do? " (Acts 2:37). Recognizing their guilt, they felt the need to know how they could repent and begin to change their lives.  

Repentance goes beyond recognizing what is right or wrong; it implies accepting that we are guilty of breaking God's holy law. It is a deep sadness that comes from God and that leads us to diligently change our way of life (2 Corinthians 7: 9-10) when we realize that our lifestyle has distanced us from Him. Repentance implies understanding that our Sins have separated us from our Creator and we need the sacrifice of his Son, Jesus Christ. Our desire to be forgiven and to obey God from now on must come from the bottom of our hearts.

Living according to the Word of God

Repentance leads to conversion — a profound change in our lives. And God's law teaches us what exactly we need to change. We must take God's instructions very seriously . “Repent and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out (Acts 3:19).

Through the prophet Isaiah, God Himself tells us: "I will look to him who is poor and humble in spirit, and who trembles at my word" (Isaiah 66: 2).

Later, in Matthew 5: 17-19, we find the main message of Jesus Christ. He dogmatically stated: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have not come to abrogate, but to fulfill. For truly I tell you that until heaven and earth pass, not a jot or a tittle will pass from the law, until all is accomplished. So anyone who breaks one of these commandments ... very little will be called in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them ... will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. "

So, whoever wants to learn to repent must begin to obey God by keeping his commandments; “For this is love of God, that we keep his commandments; and his commandments are not burdensome ”(1 John 5: 3). The book of Revelation gives us more information about end-time Christians "who keep the commandments of God" (Revelation 12:17; 14:12; 22:14).

Change our thoughts and ways

In Isaiah 55: 7, the prophet Isaiah gives us the following advice: “Let the wicked leave his way, and the wicked man his thoughts, and return to the Eternal, who will have mercy on him, and to our God, who will be ample in forgiving. "

No person is immune to sin; "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us ”(1 John 1: 8, 10).

The result of sin, as the apostle Paul says, is eternal death: "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). On one occasion Jesus Christ said "if you do not repent, you will all perish equally" (Luke 13: 3, 5), but God does not want us to pay such a price. Rather, He wants each of us to learn to repent so that our sins are forgiven and we are absolved from the death penalty. "The Lord does not delay his promise, as some consider it to be late, but he is patient with us, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance" (2 Peter 3: 9; emphasis added).  

Repenting means leaving behind our sins — be they actions or thoughts — and beginning to obey God. For this, we must confess our sins to him and stop sinning. If our desire to please God is sincere, this process will last a lifetime.

Ask God for the attitude of repentance

None of us can understand the importance of repentance for himself; our carnal mind refuses to repent. Only God can give us the attitude of true repentance and help us understand how important it is to repent. This is why in Romans 2: 4 the apostle Paul writes: "Or do you despise the riches of his kindness ... ignoring that his kindness leads you to repentance?"

With God's help, we must come to recognize that our thoughts and ways are unacceptable to Him and that we need to make a change. It is interesting to note that Paul instructs Timothy "to meekly correct those who oppose, in case God may grant them to repent to know the truth" (2 Timothy 2:25).

God also provides us with the determination and strength necessary to face and overcome our sins. Our human determination is not enough to succeed in this spiritual battle; God must be involved in this process no matter how long it takes us to overcome sin. It is He who gives us the strength both for “willing and doing, by his good will” (Philippians 2:13).

Repentance is with God

In 1 John 3: 4 we read: “Everyone who commits sin also breaks the law; for sin is a violation of the law. ” To repent is to leave behind any action or thought that breaks the law — which is sin — and to begin to think and live according to the will of God, which are his commandments. Repentance is much more than feeling guilty for our sins; it must be a “repentance towards God” (Acts 20:21), who has given us his laws. Every time we sin we are breaking God's "holy ... righteous ... good ... spiritual" law (Romans 7:12, 14, 16) and therefore repentance is the process of correcting our conduct so that it is in accordance with this law.

When King David was carried away by his carnal mind, he did not justify his sins; instead, when confronted he immediately recognized that he had sinned "against the Eternal" and that he had deeply offended him (2 Samuel 12:13; Psalms 51: 4). David understood what Isaiah wrote later in Isaiah 59: 2: "your iniquities have divided between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so as not to hear." He was aware of the seriousness of his sins and feared destroying his relationship with God, so he bitterly repented "towards" Him.

Have faith in Jesus Christ

In addition to preaching on "repentance toward God," the apostle Paul taught about "faith in our Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 20:21). When we repent and confess our sins to God, He forgives us because of what Jesus Christ has done and continues to do for us.

Jesus Christ is our Savior. His death paid the penalty we deserved for our sins; As we read in Romans 5: 8, "God shows his love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Our faith towards Him and what He has done for us must continue throughout our lives. Every time we sin we must ask God for forgiveness, which is possible only through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Every time we repent we must have faith that the sacrifice of Christ will be applied to us.

Furthermore, Christ also fulfills the role of High Priest and is at the right hand of God in heaven: “therefore, having a great high priest who has passed through heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us retain our profession” (Hebrews 4:14 ). This implies that, in addition to being our Savior, Jesus Christ is the intermediary between God and humanity.

Our sins are forgiven by the death of Christ and thus we are reconciled to God. Our faith in Jesus Christ must be constant, since it is He who guides us towards salvation. As Romans 5:10 says, "We will be saved by his life."

Repentance must be a permanent attitude

Our human nature tends to be guided by carnal desires and always will; we will have to fight these impulses for the rest of our lives. Sometimes we will overcome them and sometimes we will not, but, as long as God sees that we sincerely desire to stop sinning, that we hate sin and that we fight to obey His laws, He will have mercy on us!

“For as the height of the heavens above the earth, he magnified his mercy over those who fear him. As far as the east is from the west, it has driven our rebellions away from us. As the father has compassion on the

 children, the Eternal has compassion on those who fear him ”(Psalms 103: 11-13). God understands that we are human and is ready to forgive us when we genuinely repent.

In 1 John 1: 7-9, the apostle John explains how we should repent and what will be God's merciful response to our repentance: "The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin ... If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and cleanse us from all evil ”(see also Psalms 51: 2, 7).