Repentance is the process of realizing we have made a mistake, sincerely asking for forgiveness from God (and if possible anyone we might have hurt), and then changing our behavior so we don’t make that same mistake again.
Changing our behavior is an important part of repentance. It’s not just about feeling guilty or sorry about what we did (or that we got caught!) and then going and doing it again – we have to do our best to head in the opposite direction!
When Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden by disobeying God, he set off a chain reaction of sin that we all inherited. So, we ALL sin, but when we do, we feel further away from God. Repenting can help us get back on track and bring us closer to God!
Let’s take the example of a child named John not listening to his parents. To repent, he would first realize that this behavior was wrong – good parents make good rules, and children have a responsibility to follow them and treat their moms and dads with respect. Next, John would pray and sincerely ask God for forgiveness and apologize to his parents for his behavior. Finally, John would work at making things right, like actively looking for ways to listen to and respect his parents. Do you see the turnaround? John is doing his best to focus his behavior in a new, positive direction!
In the Bible, we learn about a Pharisee named Saul, who thought he was doing the right thing by persecuting Christians who followed Jesus. After Jesus appeared to him as a spirit being on the road to Damascus, Saul realized his terrible mistake.
Acts (9:3-6, Life Application Study Bible) says, “As he was nearing Damascus on this mission, a brilliant light from heaven suddenly beamed down upon him! He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?’ ‘Who are you, sir?’ Saul asked. And the voice replied, ‘I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you are to do.’”
After this miraculous event, Saul turned his behavior in the complete opposite direction. He later became the Apostle Paul – an incredible leader and faithful follower of Jesus!
So, what is repentance? It’s the process of realizing we have made a mistake, sincerely asking for forgiveness from God (and if possible anyone we might have hurt), and then changing our behavior so we don’t make that same mistake again. The Apostle Paul is an example of someone who repented from his wrong behavior. His zeal was then positively directed into preaching the gospel message and standing up for Jesus!
This video is from Christian Questions Podcast. For more information please go to https://christianquestions.com
