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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,
“At that time some of those present told
Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate
had mixed with their sacrifices. To this He
replied, “Do you think that these Galileans
were worse sinners than all the other
Galileans, because they suffered this fate?
No, I tell you. But unless you repent, you
too will all perish.”
(BSB)
The
apostles preached the importance of
confession and repentance 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.”
First, let’s
look at what
repentance is.
The word repent in
Greek is metanoó or metanoia,
which means to adjust your perspective, or
to change your mind. You were going in one
direction, then you turned and went in the
other direction.
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 the
baptist, 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). According
to Jesus, those people who were
unrepentant were those who rejected His
message
(Luke 10:8-15; 11:30-32); and those people
who received Him were the truly repentant.
Repentance and forgiveness were to be
proclaimed in Jesus’ name to all nations (Luke 24:47).
The book of Acts testifies to how the
proclamation of repentance was made. Both
Peter and Paul told Jews and Gentiles alike
“that they should repent and turn to God,
performing deeds appropriate to repentance”
(Acts 2:38; 3:19; 5:31; 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]
When an unsaved person believes in
Jesus Christ for their salvation, that
person has repented of their sins.
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, but is
patient with you, not wanting anyone to
perish but everyone to come to repentance.”
(BSB)
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]
Confession is a part of our
repentance to God, and our coming to faith
in Jesus Christ.
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.
The Apostle Paul said it this way 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
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 the Lord and
Savior of your life (Rom. 10:9-10; Phil. 2:11; 1 Tim. 6:12;
1 Jn. 4:2-3; 2 Pet. 1:11; 2:20; 3:2, 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 believers to lose their
salvation and that confession is necessary
to win it back. When sinners turn to Christ
for salvation, God declares them righteous
and free from the penalty of sin, on the
basis of what Christ has done. Failures will
spoil their fellowship with God and they
will need to confess them, but if their
faith is truly in what Christ has done for
them, their salvation is secure (1 Jn. 1:6-9; 2:1-2).
If the person’s sin
has been against another person, they should confess their sin to that person and put
right any wrong they 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 little children,
I am writing these things to you so that you
may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have
an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ
the righteous. He is the propitiation for
our sins, and not for ours only but also for
the sins of the whole world.”
“Propitiation brings about the merciful
removal of guilt through divine forgiveness.
In the Greek Old Testament (the Septuagint),
the Greek term for propitiation was used for
the sacrificial mercy seat on which the high
priest placed the blood of the Israelites’
sacrifices (see Exod. 25:17-22; 1 Chron. 28:2).
This practice indicates that God’s
righteous wrath had to be appeased somehow.
God sent His Son and satisfied His own wrath
with Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross. Our sins
made it necessary for Jesus to suffer the
agonies of the crucifixion; but God
demonstrated His love and justice by
providing His own Son. The sacrifice of
Jesus’ sinless life is so effective that it
can supply forgiveness for the whole world
(see 2 Cor. 5:14, 15, 19; Heb. 2:9).
Christ’s death is sufficient for all, but
efficient only for those who believe in
Christ. Not everyone will be saved, but
Jesus offers salvation to all (see Rev. 22:17).”
[8]
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 passages, salvation is not
described as a possibility, but as a
certainty, and a present possession. We
should have the complete assurance of our
salvation when we have truly put our faith in Jesus
Christ alone as Lord and Savior!
Once you have given your life to
Christ, God would have you know that:
1. You are justified through faith in
Jesus Christ (Gal. 2:16; Rom. 3:24, 28; Rom. 5:1, 9);
2. You have been sanctified and made holy through Christ
(John 17:17; 1 Cor. 1:2; 1 Cor. 6:11; 1 Thess. 4:3; 2 Thess. 2:13; Heb. 10:14);
3. You have been delivered from the power of sin and evil
(Gal. 1:3-4; Rom. 6:14; Rom. 7:21-25; Rom. 8:2-4; 1 Pet. 2:24; Rev. 1:5);
4. You have been redeemed and given new life (John 3:16; Eph. 1:7;
Col. 1:14; Gal. 2:20; Gal. 3:13; Titus 2:14; 1 Pet. 1:18-19);
5. You have been adopted and made a child of the living God (Eph. 1:5; Gal. 3:26; Gal. 4:4-5; 1 Jn. 3:1-2; John 1:12; Rom. 8:16);
6. You have been made the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21; Rom. 10:1-4);
7. You are loved and treasured by God (1 Peter 2:9; Titus 2:14; Col. 1:13; Eph. 5:8);
8. You are God’s new creation, made in the image of Christ
(2 Cor. 5:17; Rom. 6:4; Eph. 4:22-24; Col. 3:9-10);
9. You are no longer a slave, but an heir of God (Gal. 3:29; Gal. 4:1-7; Rom. 8:17);
10. You have God’s promise and guarantee of eternal life (John 3:15-16; 3:36; 4:36;
John 5:24, 39; 6:37, 40, 47; John 6:54, 68; 10:27-29; 12:25; 17:2-3;
Acts 16:31; Rom. 6:23; 8:1; 8:38-39; 10:13;
Eph. 1:13-14; 4:30; 1 Cor. 1:4-9; 2 Cor. 1:22;
Phil. 1:6; 1 Tim. 6:12; 2 Tim. 1:11-12; 4:18;
Heb. 10:14; 1 Jn. 1:9; 2:25; 1 Jn. 5:1; 5:11-13;
Jude 1:24-25).
You can take God at His Word and trust His promise
to you. Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will
pass away, but my words shall not pass away”
(Matt. 24:35).
Have
you given your heart to Jesus Christ alone for the
forgiveness of your sins and been born-again?
If you have, you can know for certain that
you have eternal life!
References:
1. The 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.
8. The Nelson’s
NKJV Study Bible: 1 John 2:2.
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