Power in Repentance

On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed The 95 Theses to the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. It was a list of 95 sentences that he believed.

This was the eve of All Saints Day and he knew the church would be packed full of worshippers the next day. The first declaration was, “When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, ‘Repent’ in Matthew 4:17, He willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.” At this point in history the pope was building St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome and had sent out preachers selling indulgences for sin to pay for the construction. Some Christians had come to Martin Luther and said, “We no longer need to repent for our sins. We have letters from the pope for our indulgences.” Martin Luther said, “The life of a Christian is a life of daily repentance.”

The New Testament was written in Greek. The Greek word for repentance is “metanoia.” Meta is the Greek word for change. Noia is the Greek word for mind. Metanoia is to change your mind. The Old Testament was written in Hebrew. The Hebrew word for repentance is “teshuvah” meaning to turn in the opposite direction. Repentance is both to change your mind with a decision and to change your actions by reversing direction. Jesus tells a parable of the Prodigal Son who changed his mind and returned to his father. The prodigal son repented. He had a change of mind and a change of direction—returning to his father. God is waiting for us to return to Him; to return to the Father’s love. Repentance is turning and coming home to God’s love. There is no repentance without love. Repentance without love is only regret. “We love because he first loved us.” (I John 4:19) The Prodigal Son remembered his father’s love.

There is power in repentance, because in that moment we go from being wrong to being right and righteous. From lost to found. From God’s wrath to God’s grace. From wretched to righteous. How often do we need to repent? Martin Luther believed that it should be part of our daily life as a Christian. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (I John 1:9) This Scripture is a promise of God. Jesus loves you very much. God loves you so much that He sent His only son, Jesus, to die for you so that His blood would cover all your sins. But Jesus cannot repent for you. That’s a choice only you have. Jesus is not a self-help program. We cannot reform ourselves. We need a Savior who has paid the price; someone who loves us. Repentance is the key which enables us to receive the freedom and joy that Jesus wants to give us as He releases His forgiveness upon us.

You are powerless because you are unrepentant. Satan, the accuser, has you chained—reminding you daily of your sin and failures. Only when we confess our sins to Christ and receive His grace are we free. “From that time on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.’” (Matthew 4:17) Jesus is calling us to teshuvah—to turn and return to Him. ~George DeTellis, Jr.