“Should God then reward you on your terms, when you refuse to repent?” Job 34:33
Initially I had thought to come to the subject of repentance much later on in this study, yet the issue met with in the previous section - that of seeking for and desiring God with all our heart - surely must bring us to the subject of repentance as a matter of absolute urgency. Can I ever fail at the point of my love and desire for God and not need to repent? Can I hope that God will restore to me the joys of salvation and of His immediate closeness on my terms, when I refuse to repent?
“I do feel sorry for what I’ve done but I find it leads me no nearer to Jesus. Why is that?” Well, feeling sorry for what we’ve done is a start, but it isn’t fully repentance by itself, and it may not be repentance at all.
“I’m sorry!” is very often the anguished cry of the youngster after their crime has been found out - but are they really sorry for what they have done or merely sorry that they’ve been found out (with a possible punishment looming over them)? As a parent this can sometimes be quite easy to see (and mildly amusing as I gaze upon these mini versions of myself), but this is a trait that can still very often be found in Christians, both old and young, and then with a much greater seriousness to its consequences...
Think about how sorry we are for our sin, firstly - sin that is not hidden from the eyes of God, of course - but then also consider whether we would be feeling even more sorry for that sin, say, if it came to the knowledge of our entire church. Would we be more sorrowful, more miserable and more broken over that sin if it became public knowledge to our friends and family than we would be from just knowing that it is known by our God?
In such a manner the prophet Nathan came to David and exposed David’s sin through a parable (2 Samuel 12), which would be an action that led to the greatest recorded pouring out of repentance found in our Bibles - Psalm 51. Now imagine if someone from our church were to come up to us and list all of the sinful actions, thoughts and desires that we’ve committed, whether small or large, that have contributed to our current state of backsliding (perhaps over a long period of time). Would that have more impact upon you than if the Holy Spirit were to reveal to you those same sins through the Word of God?
Think about that for a moment. What would that reveal about our view of God if that were to be true?
One of the most shocking events that we find in our Bibles involves the prophet Hosea. God tells Hosea to take a woman named Gomer as his wife (who was potentially a prostitute by career, it would seem). After marriage Gomer then bears three daughters to Hosea but then proceeds to desert him by returning to her former lifestyle and having an adulterous affair. After some time God then calls on Hosea to find Gomer, take her back and to love her fully and unconditionally.
If you find this to be a shocking series of events... you’re supposed to! God then comes in with the knockout blow by declaring that this is how God loves the Israelites, and how the Israelites return that love with unfaithfulness (Hosea 3:1).
As children of God we are Gomer in that metaphor. We were initially unfaithful to God but, then, even after that, after having been redeemed by God’s gracious love, we often return God’s love with unfaithfulness. Can we really be Gomer and not expect to repent - and repent fully?
Have we repented at all for how we treat the God who loves us with such a powerful and freely given love - and if we have repented, has it had a real and lasting effect on our lives, or on our walk with God? Can we really expect to be Gomer and not do anything less than this in response?
God’s love is offered to us, and given to us, freely in Jesus Christ, yet it must cause in us a genuine repentance over our unfaithfulness and lack of love, or else we have simply failed to adequately grasp the amazing graciousness of God’s love and the wretched faithlessness of our own.
Upon that cross of Jesus,
Mine eyes at times can see
The very dying form of One
Who suffered there for me;
And from my stricken heart with tears,
Two wonders I confess -
The wonders of His glorious love,
And my own worthlessness.
When it comes to seeking, or re-seeking, the Lord Jesus Christ, repentance is a step that simply cannot be skipped over or missed out.
“Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. Those who go out with weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.” Psalm 126:5, 6.