Repentance (1)

Repentance (1) Reader: Louise Macmillan Date: 7th March 2022 Passage: Acts 3:19 ------------------- Repentance is not a popular word and it is something we find hard to do . However, it is a very important subject in the Bible for several reasons. Reason one is that we are all accountable to God for the lives we live. God is the Judge of all of us.(Hebrews 9:27). Reason two is that God is a holy Judge who hates sin in all its forms — he has a holy anger against sin. Reason three is that the Bible tells us plainly that we have all sinned against God and now fall under his holy judgement and his anger at our sin. Reason four tells us that while this is true, God calls on us to repent of our sin and he will have mercy upon us. See the text at the top of this page. So what does repentance involve? First of all it means we have to be truly sorry for our sin against God (See Psalm 51:4). Repentance also means a really deep change — change of mind about God and our relationship with him; change of attitude to our own behaviour — there needs to be a change in our thinking and our doing. All of this can only come about with God's help — we have to trust the Lord Jesus Christ. It is through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus that God's mercy and forgiveness are available for unworthy and undeserving sinners like us so that our sins may be blotted out. Prayer Lord, grant me the spirit of true repentance and true trust in Jesus Christ for my salvation. Amen.