If Jesus died for my sins, why do I need to repent?

Yes, Jesus died for all of humanity’s sins. 1 John 2:2 says he is the propitiation for our sins, not for ours only, but for the whole world’s sins. Propitiation is a two-part act that involves appeasing the wrath of God and being reconciled to him.

On the other hand, repentance is our expressed sorrow for our sin, and it is a requirement of God on our part, according to his Word. The spiritual and natural process of repentance is to recognize that our sin is offensive to God and seek through the power of the Holy Spirit to stop and turn from our sin and turn back to God.

The Oxford dictionary states that to repent is to feel or express sincere regret or remorse about one’s wrongdoing or sin.

A biblical definition of repent is to change our mind, heart, and action by turning away from sin, ourselves, and returning to God.

The Greek translation for the Word repent, translated as “metanoeo,” signifies the change of one’s mind and purpose as the result of after knowledge. So when Jesus came and commanded us to repent, he was speaking about a change of heart toward your sin, the world, and God, and an inner shift that would give rise to new ways of living that exalted him as Christ and gave evidence of the truth of the gospel.

The Hebrew word for repent, “teshuva,” most often translated as repentance, was first mentioned in the Old Testament in Genesis 3:19. “Teshuva” means to come back, turn back to the place you came from, or come back to your original state or your true self.

These definitions and translations give us some powerful insight into God’s heart and intentions of why true repentance is a critical prerequisite to anyone wanting to be Raptured when Christ Jesus appears in the heavens and where they will spend eternity.

I would love to know how you defined repent in your mind before your heard these different definitions or translations. Also, which of the descriptions or translations today resonated with you the most? Please leave your answers down in the comment section and let me know.

Now let’s look at just a few scriptures that pertain to true biblical repentance.

2 Peter 3:9 says the Lord is not slow to fulfill his promises as some count slowness, but he is patient towards you. Not wishing that any should perish but that all should reach repentance, Acts 3:19 says now repent of your sins and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped away. Luke 13:3 declares no, I tell you, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.

James 4:8 says, come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands. You sinners, purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. Roman 4:4 states, or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance, and patience not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance.

Proverbs 28:13 says people who conceal their sins will not prosper. But if they confess and turn from them, they were received mercy. Ezekiel 33:11 proclaims say to them, as surely as I live declares, the Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live, turn back, turn back from your evil ways. Why will you die? People of Israel?

1 John 1:7-10 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. 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 claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar, and His Word is not in us.

Lastly, Revelation 33:19 says, those whom I love I reprove and discipline. So be zealous and repent.

Hallelujah. I pray right now in the name of Jesus that God gives you ears to hear what the spirit is saying in these scriptures. You know, Romans 11:22 says consider the kindness and sternness of God. Sternness to those who fell but kindness to you provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also would be cut off.

These scriptures are a Rhema word, a now word. They help enlighten our understanding of our need to repent and God’s heart towards our repentance.

We know that sin exiles us from God, just like Adam and Eve. Jesus shed his blood on the cross as atonement for our sins. He made the ultimate sacrifice for our sin. He has done the heavy lifting for us. Praise the Lord.

True repentance is our portion, and it reflects our heart. Confessing our sins by listing them out and allowing ourselves to hear them is a potent tool. A purposeful reflection on why we allowed that sin to happen and taking responsibility and accountability will fuel a genuine change of heart.

I’m not talking about any form of guilt from our enemy Satan. I’m talking about allowing the Holy Spirit to convict us so that we can turn back to God and his ways. These active processes, directed and empowered by the Holy Spirit, include remorse, inner change, turning away, turning back. Initiate a shift of behavior. It will lead you back to who God intended you to be before the earth’s foundation and your true divine destiny.

Thank you, Jesus! See, there is a truly divine purpose for repenting from our sin. 1 John 3:9-10 says those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning because they are children of God. So now we can tell who are the children of God and who are children of the devil? Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God.

I want to show you one more aspect, of what our repentance does. Have you ever had a friend who hurt you very badly or broke your relationship?

And in their attempt to make things right with you, they merely gave you a quick, I’m sorry. No remorse. Just, Hey, I’m sorry. Forgive me. How did that make you feel? Did that non-thought-out apology indicate that the behavior would not happen again? Or that they were genuinely sorry for the pain they had caused.

Probably not, it is the same way with us when it comes to God. And we say, oh, forgive me of my sins. Never list out. Never think about what those sins have done. Never reflect. Never have remorse for those sins merely, Hey God. Forgive me of those sins. Thanks, bye. You might have heard those words from your friend.

But your heart never felt the sincerity from those words. It is similar to God when we have no genuine remorse in our hearts. Repentance is not about earning God’s love; true repentance is relational. It brings heartfelt remorse and a change of behavior. It turns us back to God, his ways and thoughts back to our original self, the way he made us before the foundations of the earth.

He truly loves us and has made the ultimate sacrifice for our actual sin. In 1 Peter 1:16, God commands us to be holy because he is holy. We are the body of Christ and should not make a practice of sin.

We have to choose to hate our sin. Habitual sin and sin that you feel you cannot stop indicates that you need healing through deliverance. In Part 2, we will talk more about habitual sin and if there is a lack of conviction from the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Sisters and brothers in Christ, we will sometimes sin, but we do not make a habit of sin. We want to repent and be made right with our Abba father quickly. God, we have a love relationship with our God.

We do not want anything hindering or hurting our relationship with God and the authority that he has given us in his spirit and through the blood and mighty name of Jesus Christ.

Members of Christ, God loves us so very much. His holy spirit is with us 24/7 to help us fulfill the will of God. His heavenly angels have been given charge over us. Let’s be sure to activate them.

Remember Philippians 4:13 says, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. Our relationship with God is a love relationship. And it takes you doing your part. He is faithful, not like a man that he should lie. He has, is, and will uphold his side of your love relationship. Will you?