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Jesus said in Mark 1:15, “The time is fulfilled,
and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent
and believe in the gospel.” (cf. Matt. 3:2; 4:7;
Luke 13:3).
And Luke 13:1-3 says,
“Now there were some present at that time
who told Jesus about the Galileans whose
blood Pilate had mixed with their
sacrifices. Jesus answered, "Do you think
that these Galileans were worse sinners than
all the other Galileans because they
suffered this way? I tell you, no! But
unless you repent, you too will all perish.”
(NIV)
The
apostles preached the importance of repentance and confession
in Jesus’ name.
1 John 1:8-10 says, “If we say we have no sin, we
deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in
us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful
and just to forgive us our sins and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If
we say we have not sinned, we make him a
liar, and his word is not in us.”
And
Acts 2:38 says, “And Peter said to them, “Repent
and be baptized every one of you in the name
of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your
sins, and you will receive the gift of the
Holy Spirit.”
What is
repentance?
The word repent in
Greek is metanoó or metanoia,
which means to adjust your perspective, or
to change your mind. You were going one way
and then you turned and changed course.
Jesus came “preaching a message of
repentance (Mark 1:15). Stressing that all
men needed to repent (Luke 13:1-5), He
summoned his followers to turn and become
like children (Matt. 18:3). He defined His
ministry in terms of calling sinners to
repentance (Luke 5:32). Moreover, He
illustrated His understanding of repentance
in the parable of the prodigal who returned
to the father (Luke 15:11-32). Like John, He
insisted that the life that was changed was
obvious by the “fruit” that it bore
(Luke 6:20-45).
Jesus differed from His
predecessors in His proclamation of
repentance. He related it closely to the
arrival of the kingdom of God
and specifically associated it with one’s
acceptance of Him (Mark 1:14-15). Those who were
unrepentant were those who rejected His
message
(Luke 10:8-15; 11:30-32); those who received
Him were the truly repentant. In His name
repentance and forgiveness were to be
proclaimed to all nations (Luke 24:47).
The book of Acts testifies to how the
proclamation of repentance was made. Peter (Acts 2:38; 3:19; 5:31) and Paul
(Acts 17:30; 20:21) told Jews and Gentiles alike
“that they should repent and turn to God,
performing deeds appropriate to repentance”
(Acts 26:20). The apostolic preaching
virtually identified repentance with belief
in Christ: both resulted in the forgiveness
of sins (Acts 2:38; 10:43).
“Repentance” is infrequently found in Paul’s
writings and never in John. Both speak of
faith which entails both a rejection of sin
and a positive response to God. Other
apostolic writings also note the
relationship of faith and repentance
(Acts 20:21; Heb. 6:1). In 1 John, moreover,
confession of sins is tantamount to
repentance from sins (1 Jn. 1:9).”
[1]
According to the New Testament, when an unsaved person believes in Jesus
Christ unto salvation, that person has actually repented.
This call to repentance
“refers to a change of mind and purpose that
turns an individual from sin to God (1 Thess. 1:9).
Such change involves more than
fearing the consequences of God’s judgment.
Genuine repentance knows that the evil of
sin must be forsaken and the person and work
of Christ totally and singularly embraced.
Peter exhorted his hearers to repent,
otherwise they would not experience true
conversion (see Matt. 3:2; cf.
Acts 3:19; 5:31; 8:22; 11:18; Acts 17:30; 20:21; 26:20;
Matt. 4:17).” [2]
God’s desire is that we all
repent and come to faith in Christ.
2 Peter 3:9
says, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his
promise, as some understand slowness. He is
patient with you, not wanting anyone to
perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
(NIV)
Concerning repentance, the AMG
Concise Bible Dictionary says this:
“Repentance is a
turning from sin to God (Deut. 30:1-2; 2 Chron. 6:26-27; 7:14; Ne. 1:9; Ps 78:34;
Isa. 55:7; Jer. 8:6; 31:18-19; Ezek. 18:21;
Mal. 3:7; Matt. 11:20-21; Luke 15:7; 16:30;
Acts 3:19; 8:22; 14:15; 26:19-20; Rev. 9:20-21). The open demonstration of this
turning to God is sometimes called
conversion (Acts 15:3; cf. Acts 26:17-18; 1 Thess. 1:9-10). Jesus and the New Testament
preachers commanded people to repent,
because without repentance there can be no
salvation (Matt. 3:2; 4:17; Mark 6:12; Luke 5:32; 13:3; 24:47;
Acts 2:38; 11:18; 17:30).”
[3]
Repentance is a part of our coming to faith in Christ, and
part of repentance is our confession to God.
The Apostle John said in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins,
he is faithful and just to forgive us our
sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.”
John is not talking
about confessing our sins every time we sin
in thought, or in deed in 1 John 1:9. He was
speaking about our coming to faith in Christ
and the need to acknowledge and confess to
God that we are sinners because of Adam’s
sin, as well as to receive the total
forgiveness for all our sins through Jesus’
finished work for us on the cross.
To
confess means to, “agree with,” “see our
actions the way God sees them,” “feel about
them the way God feels about them.” So
confessing is not something we do to stay
saved, it is simply agreeing with God that
this was an unworthy thing for me to do, and
I’m sorry for it, and I turn away from it.
So, to confess our sins is to say the
same things about our sins as God does: that
we have sinned, and that our sins have been
forgiven and washed away by the blood of
Christ (Rev. 1:5). True confession is
agreeing with God’s Word and expressing our
gratitude to Him for the reality of our
forgiveness in Christ.
And the Apostle Paul said in Romans 10:9-10, “That if you
confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,”
and believe in your heart that God raised
him from the dead, you will be saved. For it
is with your heart that you believe and are
justified, and it is with your mouth that
you confess and are saved.” (NIV)
“If you confess with
your mouth does not mean that a spoken
affirmation of one’s faith is a “work” that
merits justification, but such confession
does give outward evidence of inward faith,
and often confirms that faith to the speaker
himself.” [4]
The MacArthur Study Bible says
this about our confession of Jesus as Lord
and Savior.
“This is the
deep personal conviction, without
reservation, that Jesus is that person’s own
master or sovereign. This phrase includes
repenting from sin, trusting in Jesus for
salvation, and submitting to Him as Lord.
This is the volitional element of faith (see
Rom. 1:16).” [5]
James
also admonished
his readers to pray for one another and to confess their sins to one another.
James 5:16 says, “Therefore, confess
your sins to one another and pray for one
another, that you may be healed. The prayer
of a righteous person has great power as it
is working.”
Christians can support
one another in their spiritual battles by
being open, honest, and expressing their
needs with one another. And in many cases,
confession in the community is necessary
prior to healing because sin may be the
underlying cause of an illness (Matt. 18:15-17;
Col. 3:13; 1 Thess. 4:6; 1 Cor. 11:29-30).
Confession is
twofold.
Confession is
admitting our sinfulness to God (Ps. 32:5;
Prov. 28:13; James 5:16; 1 Jn. 1:9), and
admitting that Jesus Christ is Lord and
Savior (Rom. 10:9-10; Phil. 2:11; 1 Tim. 6:12;
1 Jn. 4:2-3; 2 Pet. 1:11; 2:20; 3:2; 3:18).
The Hebrew word for confession
is from the word, yadâ. It is used in the Old
Testament in the sense of acknowledging
one’s sin (Lev. 5:5; Job 40:14; Ps. 32:5).
“The Greek word rendered “confession” is
homologeo. It literally means, to “say the same
thing,” i.e., not to deny and so to admit, or
declare one’s self guilty of what he is
accused. It is also used in the sense of a
profession, implying the yielding or change
of one’s conviction (John 12:42; Rom. 10:9-10;
1 Tim. 6:13; etc.).”
[6]
The New Testament speaks about personal
confession in three ways. The confession
of sins (Matt. 3:6; Mark 1:5), the
confession of deeds (Acts 19:18),
and the confession of faults (James 5:16).
This is how the AMG Concise
Bible Dictionary defines “confession.”
Confession “is a word with a range of
meanings. In the Bible’s usage of the word,
these meanings fall into two groups, those
concerned with confession of sins, and those
concerned with confession of faith.
Confession of sins: God is willing to forgive
people’s sins, but he requires on their part
repentance and faith; that is, he requires
that they see their sin as rebellion against
God, that they confess it to God as
deserving his punishment, that they turn
from it decisively, and that they trust in
God’s mercy to forgive them (Ezra 10:10-11;
Ps. 32:5; 51:3-4; Matt. 3:6; 6:12; Luke 18:13;
1 Jn. 1:5-10).
There is no
suggestion that sin causes the believer to
lose his salvation and that confession is
necessary to win it back. When a person
turns to Christ for salvation, God declares
him righteous and free from the penalty of
sin, on the basis of what Christ has done.
Failures will spoil a person’s fellowship
with God and he will need to confess them,
but if his faith is truly in what Christ has
done for him, his salvation is secure
(1 Jn. 1:6-9; 2:1-2).
If the person’s sin
has been against another person, he must
also confess his sin to that person and put
right any wrong he may have done (Num. 5:6-8;
Matt. 5:23-24; James 5:16). Such
confession is usually a private matter, but
there may be cases where the person needs to
make a public confession (Acts 19:18).
Confession of sin is a necessary part of
prayer, and a lack of confession could be
one reason why prayers are not answered (1 Kings 8:33-36;
Ezra 9:6-7; Ne. 1:4-11; Ps. 66:18; Dan. 9:4-9; Matt. 6:12; Luke 18:13).”
[7]
Our repentance and confession must be sincere.
To accept Jesus as your
Lord and Savior means to acknowledge Him as
the leader of your life and trust in Him
alone for your redemption. Simply saying
“Jesus is Lord” and proclaiming that Jesus
rose from the dead cannot earn our
salvation. There are many people
who say Jesus Christ is their Lord and
Savior but are not His true followers
(James 2:19; Matt. 7:21-23).
What matters is our heartfelt confession of
Jesus as Lord and Savior and a lifelong
commitment to let Him live out His life
through us (Rom. 8:1-11; 10:13). The Apostle
Paul said, “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to
salvation without regret, whereas worldly
grief produces death.” (2 Cor. 7:10)
God says that we are all sinners
in need of forgiveness.
To
confess is to agree with God, and to admit
that we are sinners in need of His mercy. If
a believer repents and confesses their sins
to God, they can know that they have His
forgiveness and cleansing because God is
faithful to His Word. Jesus Christ died in
our place so that we could have the
forgiveness of sins and new life in him.
1 John 2:1-2 says, “My dear
children, I write this to you so that you
will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we
have one who speaks to the Father in our
defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He
is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and
not only for ours but also for the sins of
the whole world.” (NIV)
When we truly give our hearts to Christ, we
can know we have eternal life!
When we come to Christ we are
spiritually reborn into the family of God.
The Bible says to Christ’s followers, “For
you have been born again, not of perishable
seed, but of imperishable, through the
living and enduring word of God.” (1 Pet. 1:23 NIV).
In the following verses salvation is not
described as a possibility, but as a
certainty, and a present possession. We
should have complete assurance in our
salvation when we truly put faith in Jesus
Christ as our Lord and Savior!
Justification is a present possession (Rom. 5:9).
Peace with God is a present
possession (Rom. 5:1).
Reconciliation is
a present possession (Rom. 5:10).
Atonement is a present possession (Rom. 5:11).
Eternal life is a present
possession (1 Jn. 5:11-13).
Being a child
of God is a present possession (Eph. 1:6).
Being accepted in Christ is a present
possession (Eph. 1:6).
Forgiveness of sin
is a present possession (Eph. 1:7).
Eternal life is guaranteed and a present
possession (Eph. 1:13-14).
Being made
alive in Christ is a present possession
(Eph. 2:1).
Being made fit for heaven is
a present possession (Col. 1:12).
Being
delivered from the power of darkness is a
present possession (Col. 1:13).
Having
been translated into Jesus’ kingdom is a
present possession (Col. 1:13).
Mercy is
a present possession (1 Pet. 2:10).
Healing of sin is a present possession (1 Pet. 2:24).
Have
you given your heart to Jesus Christ for the
forgiveness of your sins and been born from
above yet?
References:
1. Holman Bible
Dictionary: Repentance.
2. The MacArthur
Study Bible: Acts 2:38.
3. The AMG
Concise Bible Dictionary: Repentance.
4.
The ESV Study Bible: Romans 10:9.
5. The
MacArthur Study Bible: Romans 10:9.
6.
The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary:
Confession.
7. The AMG Concise Bible
Dictionary: Confession.
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