Repentance
by Ralph L. Byron, Jr., M.D., Chairman, Department of Oncologic and General Surgery City of Hope Medical Center, Duarte, California
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ARE LIVING in a day when sin is laughed at, " winked at and condoned. We are told to bring it ■ K to consciousness; realize that it isn’t too bad after all; q I and accept it without a sense of guilt. How different M B this is from the Biblical picture where we learn that I God is absolutely holy, absolutely righteous, absolutely 1 just. God hates sin but loves the sinner. How absolute are His standards. “Whosoever keeps the whole law I yet offendeth in one point is guilty of all.” The consequences of sin are by no means minor. H H The soul that sinneth, it shall die. Your iniquity has ¡2 separated between you and your God and your sin has ■ H hid His face from you that He will not hear. Sin sep- £ arates us from the great Creator. How tragic it is to v ■ ke separated from God. t Now God has revealed Himself in His Son, Jesus H H j Christ and dealt with sin. What man could never do, 29K& the Son of God did in going to the Cross, shedding His ■H B blood, bearing our sins in His own body on the tree. The result is a blotting out of our sins; they are remem- bered no longer forever; they are buried in the deepest sea. Our sins are dealt with as we repent of our sins and invite Jesus Christ to come into our hearts as our Saviour and Lord. God furnishes the power and we are u born again, new creations in Christ. ¡5 I What is repentance? It is more than admission of q j sin. It is admitting sin; genuine sorrow for sin, a desire to make it right; making it right insofar as pos- I sible, turning from it and resolving by God’s grace not I to repeat the sin, asking God’s forgiveness and accept- I ing God’s forgiveness, thanking Him for His forgive- I ness. Many of us fall down at the point of accepting God’s ■ forgiveness. Day after day we come to the Lord asking 1 His forgiveness. Somehow we fail to realize that He has I forgiven us the first time we came. We should be prais- 0 | ing Him and thanking Him for what He has done for us. I We might illustrate this on a human level. Suppose that I I struck you in the face without cause or reason. This 1 would be my fault, my sin toward you. I might feel | bad enough about this to come to you and ask your for I giveness. You being a wonderful person would say, “ l H H j ■gf
forgive you.” Now if I again come to you the next day and ask your forgiveness, you would look at me in sur prise and say, “ I forgave you already.” If this were repeated day after day, you would be disgusted with me for I neither accepted nor thanked you for your for giveness. Confessing sin is a significant part of repentance. Secret sins should be confessed to God only. Sins be tween two individuals should be confessed to God and to the involved person. Sins involving an individual in a group and the group need to be confessed to God, to the individual, and to the group. Not only is repentance a significant factor in our salvation, but it plays a major part in revival. I know of no revival where there has not been a mighty con viction of sin, a true repentance, and a turning to Christ as Lord and Master. Some years ago, at a college conference, there was a time of sharing and testimony. A number of the group included in their testimony the confession of a sin such as— “ I stole a ruler when I was eight years old, I want to confess it.” After a time there stood to his feet a handsome lad with tears in his eyes. In a falter ing voice he told how for three years he had been living a lie. He came to the group, posed as a flier with many missions over Berlin because he felt it would make him a hero in this group. He said, “ I didn’t fly missions over Berlin; I’m not even a pilot; I was rolled out of flight school and never even got overseas. I served as a mechanic in the States. For three years I’ve been living a lie. Although I know what it will mean, I want to confess this and get right with God.” God met this young man in a real way. Here was true repentance. God looks not just on the outward appearance but on the heart. Not only what we do but what we think. As we come into the presence of the King, our own righteousness becomes as filthy rags. If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Peter’s admoni tion to Simon who thought he could buy the gift of the Holy Spirit might well be to us. “ Repent therefore of this thy wickedness and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.”
SEPTEMBER, 1964
21
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