True Repentance

Q: What does "true repentance" look like?

A: True repentance doesn't necessarily "look like" anything. The question alone leads one to believe that a certain behavior or set of behaviors is the key to a truly repentant individual. But, then we must ask ourselves "what are those behaviors?" To the average Christian they will quickly say that if a person is truly repentant they will be sinning less, going to church, etc. While that may be the case, it is not necessarily the mark of a truly repentant person. For the first 25 years of my life, I "looked like" a Christian. I didn't engage in a lot of sinful behavior. I went to church on a regular basis. I said I believed in Jesus. And most everyone that new me wouldn't have disagreed. But, I was not a born again Christian. Even after I was saved, for years I still got drunk, slept around and other stuff. Most would have thought I wasn't a Christian. But, I most definitely was. I knew this because my heart and attitude towards what I was doing had changed. For most Christians when they talk about true repentance it usually revolves around no longer engaging in a certain sin they struggled with. In other words, they will say something like, "I used to sin, but now I don't." While that is great, they can still engage in that sin again. And if and when they do they or others will ask, "Were you truly repentant?" And worse, "Are you truly a Christian?"

True repentance is turning from unbelief in Jesus Christ to belief in Jesus Christ. Mark 1:15 says, "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" When you go from being a spiritually dead unbeliever, in your sins, to a born again, forgiven, spiritually alive child of God, you have truly repented. In time your behavior will change as you begin to desire the fellowship of like-minded believers and experience a decrease in the sin in your life. Therefore, it is not what true repentance "looks like," but what true repentance "is like." Remember, "The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart (1 Sam 16:7)." Christians and unbelievers alike can mimic accepted Christian behavior. For that matter, even Satan could do that. But, true repentance is from within at the deepest levels of our heart and spirit. Initially, that is only something that the individual and the Lord are aware of. The minute we start trying to define what that looks like we get ourselves into trouble. We begin judging others and becoming "fruit inspectors" as we expect them to exhibit the behaviors we believe are the mark of a truly repentant person. That is not from the Lord. When someone knows the full Gospel, accepts Jesus Christ as their Savior and begins to understand who they are in Christ we will all see what a truly repentant person "looks like." Be blessed.