Repentence: The Foundation of Spiritual Growth

by Pastor Mitch Horton | October 2001

We’re living in the days that no doubt could be the days just prior to the rapture of the church. With world events changing rapidly, we Christians should be actively seeking God for a great move of the Spirit that will bring many to salvation.

Historically, before any great move of the Spirit of God, there has always been an attitude of repentance among the people of God. I believe that in our day the Lord wants to bring the message of repentance to the forefront once again.

Repentance is not a subject that we have heard much about in recent years. But I believe that we are living in the day that God is bringing this truth back to the body of Christ. When you talk about repentance, most people don’t have a clue as to what you’re talking about, because we ministers haven’t said much about it. To some degree, we’ve minimized its importance and it has cost us spiritual growth!

Hebrews 6:1 reveals repentance as one of the foundational principles in our walk with God: "Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God." Repentance is necessary if we want God’s power to transform our lives and work through us! Repentance is to the Christian life what a foundation is to a house. Without a proper foundation, the house could tumble into ruins due to the stress of the environment. It could be that in our day, so many believers fall during difficult times because they have lacked the foundation of repentance that brings freedom from the slavery of sin!

Webster’s dictionary gives "to repent" the following definition: to turn from sin out of penitence for past wrong doings. To abandon sinful or unworthy purposes or values, and dedicate oneself to the amendment of one’s life."

Webster also defines repentance as "contrition for one’s sin together with the dedication of one’s self to the abandonment of unworthy purposes and values and to the amendment of one’s life."

Repentance is necessary before we as sinners can come to Jesus and be born again. As we read in Hebrews 6, repentance from dead works is necessary before we can have "faith toward God." Without repentance, there is no fresh work of the Holy Spirit in the life of a non-Christian to bring about spiritual change! The Greek word for repentance means to think differently. When the Holy Spirit comes to reveal Jesus to us as sinners, He also "convicts us of sin" (John 16:8). He begins to woo us to think differently about the way we have lived our lives.

We’ve not preached repentance to sinners in recent years as strongly as I believe the Bible teaches, and our lack has produced some believers who have the "form" of Christianity without the "power" of a changed life to prove to others what they really believe (see 2 Timothy 3:5)! And the result has been shallow living that doesn’t draw the world to the Light of the gospel!

Notice the emphasis on repentance in the gospels and the book of Acts. "In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" (Matthew 3:1-2). "Then He [Jesus] said to them, ‘Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem" (Luke 24:46-47). "…But now commands all men everywhere to repent…" (Acts 17:30). "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord" (Acts 3:19).

Paul and Peter mentioned the importance of repentance in their Epistles. "…The goodness of God leads you to repentance" (Romans 2:5). "For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation…" (2 Corinthians 7:9). "The Lord is…longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9).

But understand that repentance is not just for sinners. It’s also for us "church" folks, too! Jesus told the church in Ephesus to "repent and do the first works," because they had left their first love (Revelation 2:5). He told the churches in Pergamos (Revelation 2:16), Thyatira (Revelation 2:21-22), and Sardis (Revelation 3:3-4), to repent. Jesus told the lukewarm church in Laodecia that He rebuked and chastened those whom He loved, and told them to "be zealous and repent (Revelation 3:20).

The Lord Jesus is still speaking to His church today. Those who are hearing His voice are hearing Him say again that it is time for us to "repent" and come back to our first love with Him, to repent from the lukewarmness that saps our spiritual strength and witness from us. He is calling us again today to put away our idols, those things that keep us from giving Him our fullest attention. It may be a hobby, our job, sports, relationships, or a thousand and one things that keep us from fully devoting ourselves to Him.

Our times are demanding change from us. It’s time to "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness!" The Holy Spirit is calling us back to a daily walk of repentance and faith. When we walk in repentance, we change our minds as to how we live each day, and we decide to let Jesus rule our thoughts, our actions, our motives, and our emotions. I urge you to get somewhere by yourself, and allow the Holy Spirit to lead you to the cool, refreshing waters of repentance, and present yourself to God again as a living sacrifice available for the Master’s use.

Next month, we will continue this subject.