Importance of Repentance

"You have polluted the land with your prostitution

and your wickedness.

That's why even the spring rains have failed.

For you are a brazen prostitute

and completely shameless.

Yet you say to me,

'Father, you have been my guide since my youth.

Surely you won't be angry forever!

Surely you can forget about it!'

So you talk,

but you keep on doing all the evil you can."

Jeremiah 3:2b-5 NLT

It's easy to look around at all that is wrong, yet give myself a pass.  At least I'm not as bad as some!  I think.  Or, If the country doesn't repent and turn to God, we will all feel the consequences of the rampant immorality.  What I don't realize is that I may be part of what is bringing this country down.

Name Only.  "I've accepted Jesus into my heart."  The woman proclaimed confidently.  Yet she proudly and unashamedly stood in the street kissing her lover, another woman.  Across town the college student studied in her dorm room, distracted by thoughts of the night of passion she planned to share with her boyfriend as a reward for her hard work.  Her conscience wasn't bothered in the least as she believed her sins were covered by the blood of Jesus.  In the room below, the young man scrolled through pictures of naked women as a way to help control his lust.  He thought about sex all the time, even during the Bible study he attended on campus, although he never shared his secret with any of the other men in his group.  The young man thought of himself as a Christian and had convinced himself that pornography didn't hurt anyone but was a healthy outlet for his sexual urges.

These are some examples of men and women who are Christians in name only.  I should know because I was one of them for many years.  I thought of myself as a follower of Christ, I was quick to say I was a believer, yet my lifestyle told another story.  I lived as anyone else, led by my flesh and completely convinced that there was nothing wrong with my behavior.  I sometimes felt a twinge of guilt for what I did, but it soon passed without influencing my actions in any way (2 Corinthians 7:10). I didn't know Jesus at all, and would scratch my head when someone would say they loved Him.  What does that mean?  I don't feel anything for Jesus.  Maybe they're just a little over the top; I'm sure they just choose to go a little further than I have, but I'm still a Christian, I would say to myself as a way of soothing my worries.

Many today are Christians in name only as evidenced by the fruit produced and the lack of a relationship with the One who offers salvation (Galatians 5:19-21, Matthew 7:21-23).  The answer is simple:  Repent of my sins and turn to God (Matthew 4:17, 3:8)!

Minimize Sin.  As a carnal Christian, I failed to see sin for what it is:  An affront to God.  I tended to categorize sin in order to ease my mind.  I didn't worry about the "little" ones, making accommodations for their presence in my life (Romans 13:14).  As long as I didn't kill, steal anything of great value, lie under oath, or cheat someone I personally knew I felt I was doing okay.  I was guilty of minimizing sin.

God finds all sin to be offensive to His holy character.  It is such a problem that He went to great lengths to solve it, sending Jesus as a sacrifice to atone for my sin, to make me right with Him (1 John 2:2, Romans 5:1).  With such a sacrifice made on my behalf, why would I trample upon the sacred cross of Christ by living as if sin, any sin, were not a big deal?  No, I cannot be perfect and I am not without sin, but I never want to make it my intention to sin (1 John 1:8, Romans 6:1-2).  I don't want to jump into sin, telling myself I'm only human, God understands and will give me a pass.  No!  the only pass I receive is through repentance and faith in Christ.  And if I truly understand what I've been saved from, the judgment and rightful condemnation my sin earns me, I would never again take sin lightly, instead treating it as the poison that it is.

Many today minimize sin, tolerating it as if it were a necessary evil, thus trampling on the Christ whom we've claimed as Savior (Hebrews 10:29).  The answer is simple:  I must sincerely repent of my sins, not as a show or religious rite, but earnestly in my heart as I face the reality of my own sins (Jeremiah 3:10).  Then I can turn to God.

Unfaithful.  It can be uncomfortable at times.  I'm usually in the minority.  I have to develop a backbone and get used to being on the outside if I am to follow Jesus.  If it is my goal in life to be accepted and popular, I had better choose another way of life.  It's easy to become unfaithful to God, to let the deceit cloaked as truth slide without calling attention to the pretense, or to look the other way when immoral behavior is celebrated, or to drift away from God and buy into other more widely accepted beliefs.  Before I know it, I'm cheating on God.

How do I betray Him?  By creating a new god in my own image, a god who I'm more comfortable with, a god who doesn't expect holiness or require repentance (1 Peter 1:16, Luke 24:47) .  A god who doesn't place any limits on my behavior, who will give me a pass when I face Him on judgement day, a god who is not God at all, but merely an idol I've carved to suit my own needs (1 Corinthians 6:9, Hebrews 9:27).

Many today are unfaithful to God by worshiping a false god made in their own image.  The answer is simple:  Repent of my infidelity toward God and return to Him in spirit and truth (John 4:23).

It is clear that we as modern Christians have lost our saltiness and have entered into dangerous territory (Mark 9:50).  It is not just the shocking decisions made by unbelievers that is propelling us down the wrong path as a nation, down the road that leads away from God, but it is the heart of those professing followers of Christ who may be most troubling.  It is we as believers who tend to be Christians in name only, who minimize sin, and who are unfaithful to God Himself.  What is the solution, then?  Repentance.  Let us not wait another minute to turn away from our sins and back to God; the welfare of our nation lies in our hands.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God enough to let go of my pet sins.

When do I look the other way when sin runs rampant, telling myself it's none of my concern how others live?

How do I tend to minimize the sin in my own life?