Do you know what Jesus’ first sermon was about?
Repentance.
Yes. You read that right.
The first recorded words of Jesus in the Gospels are these: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17).
Repentance isn’t something we talk about a lot today, but it was obviously a top priority for Jesus. Why was it so important to Him? To find out why, let’s look at what repentance means.
What is repentance?
The word “repent” comes from the Greek word metanoeo¯, which means to “think differently” or “reconsider.” It is often used with a call to “turn away” from sin. Like here: “Thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Repent, turn away from your idols, and turn your faces away from all your abominations’” (Ezekiel 14:6).
Have you ever been heading somewhere you really wanted to go and suddenly realized you were on the wrong road, heading in exactly the wrong direction? What did you do? After you had a brief panic attack, you probably looked up the correct directions on your map app, made a U-turn, and got back on the right road.
You repented!
According to the Bible, repentance is what happens inside of us when we see how much God loves us and realize that we aren’t heading toward Him but are actually on the road to destruction and misery. We turn away from our sins (the things that are pulling us away from God) and turn toward God.
Repentance is a spiritual U-turn.
Why does repentance matter?
There’s one really big reason: Sin ruins people.
Sin is not a fluffy kitten that might scratch you if it gets annoyed with you. Sin is like an adorable tiger cub. When you first meet it, its big blue eyes and soft fur make it absolutely huggable, but when it grows up, it could kill you in an instant.
That’s what the Bible means when it says: “Sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death” (James 1:15).
God loves you with an unbreaking, never-stopping love. The last thing He wants is to see you destroyed by sin and its consequences. That’s why He says, “‘Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,’ says the Lord GOD. ‘Therefore turn and live!’” (Ezekiel 18:30–32).
Do you hear God’s love for you in that verse? He’s desperate for you to turn away from your favorite pet sins because He wants the very best for you!
How do I repent?
You can’t.
You can’t truly repent any more than you can get your car to turn around by holding a map in front of the headlights.
You need heart change, and only God can do that in you. But the incredible thing is that our God offers to GIVE you that gift of repentance. That’s why Jesus came: “to give repentance” and “forgiveness of sins” (Acts 5:31).
Repentance is a gift you can ask for. And a gift you accept by faith. It is a blessing from God given to you because He loves you!
“God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities” (Acts 3:26).
When you give God permission to give you true repentance, He will start to work on you from the inside out. He’ll actually start to change the way you think and give you new desires. You’ll find that the sin isn’t so enjoyable anymore. If you keep surrendering that sin to God, pretty soon you’ll find that you really don’t want anything to do with it anymore.
It’s like programming the destination into a self-driving car’s GPS so that it automatically makes the right turns.
How do I know if I’ve truly repented?
Madison used to spend an hour or two looking at porn every day. She knew it was wrong, and she hated herself for doing it, but it was also exciting and pleasurable. It was also a really good way to escape when life felt too hard.
A couple of years ago, Madison gave her life to God again and started praying every day with a friend. She started reading the Bible and asking God to set her free from her pornography addiction. Even though it was hard, she chose to do other things instead of looking at porn when life became too much. Eventually, the temptation diminished and almost disappeared.
Recently though, Madison had an especially tough day, and Satan tempted her to look at porn again. She did, but only for a couple of minutes. “It was gross!” she said. “I couldn’t believe I ever looked at that stuff!”
Had Madison truly repented? Yes! She had allowed God to change her thoughts and desires, then chose to obey Him by repeatedly turning away from porn when she was tempted. The fact that she no longer likes it is evidence that God had truly changed her internal map and put her on the road to heaven.
It’s time to repent!
Do you have a favorite sin? One that you know is wrong but makes you feel better every time you do it or think about it? Yes, that one—the one you’d like to keep, just in case you need to feel better sometime.
God invites you to bring Him THAT sin. You can tell Him you like it and really don’t want to give it up, but you know it is wrong and are willing to have new thoughts about it. Ask Him to help you repent—from the heart. That is a prayer He will always answer!
“All that My Father gives Me will come to Me; and the one who comes to Me I will most certainly not cast out [I will never, never reject anyone who follows Me]” (John 6:37, Amplified Version).