“I’m (truly) sorry”

Repentance in the early church

We look to the church, beginning in Acts 2, to see how early followers of Jesus understood repentance, and as we do, we can more clearly recognize it today. 

Repentance Indicating Salvation

Acts 19:18-20: “Also many of those who were now believers came confessing and divulging their practices. And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.” 

Repentance willingly admits and exposes sin, turning from what was once considered god, to God alone through Christ. Repentance causes an outward shift in what we prioritize, worship, serve, or arrange our lives around, even at great cost.  Lives that are transformed like this have the power to amplify the Gospel’s message. 

Acts 20:21: “I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.” 

Acts 26:20: “...I preached that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds.”

1 Thessalonians 1:9: “...you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.”

Repentance results in Jesus taking center stage in faith and life, rather than what had previously been central (self, finances, fame, religion, sex, comfort, etc). Outward behavior does not merit salvation, but genuine repentance will be noticeable in outward actions.

Lack of Repentance

Hebrews 12:16-17: “...see that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.”

Emotions and tears do not always indicate a change of heart; sometimes grief results from being caught in sin or facing consequences for sin instead of from sorrow over the sin itself.

Revelation 9:20,21: “The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.”

Revelation 16:9,11: “...and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him…and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done.”

Blaming God for sin’s painful consequences, yet continuing to live in sin, indicates an unrepentant heart. 

Praying for Repentance

How do we even find the words to pray for an unrepentant heart? Paul, Peter, and John wrote to the early church, describing various pathways that lead to repentance, and the Spirit’s words through these authors offer us a roadmap for our prayers:

Romans 2:4: “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?”

*Pray that God’s kindness will lead to repentance.

2 Corinthians 7:9: “...yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance.”

*Pray that sorrow over sin will lead to repentance.

2 Peter 3:9: “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”  

*Pray that God’s delayed judgment will lead to repentance. 

Revelation 2:5a: “Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.”

*Pray that remembering past history with the Lord will lead to repentance.

Revelation 3:19: “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.”

*Pray that God’s loving discipline will lead to repentance.

It’s likely that God led you down one of these pathways toward your own repentance, and maybe that’s the very one He’ll use in someone else’s life as you pray for it.