True Repentance
Jesus said, “Not everyone who calls me Lord, Lord, will enter into the kingdom of heaven.” This is a bothersome verse for many Christians. Are they really followers of the Lord Jesus Christ? We all have a sinful nature to contend with. This is why John the Baptist preached a message of repentance. Repentance means to turn our hearts around. In order to approach God’s throne of grace, we must come to him with a broken and a contrite heart.
In Matthew 7 Jesus said, “you’ll know them by their fruit.” A bad tree cannot produce good fruit and a good tree cannot produce bad fruit. There are many things that people do that appear to be Christian-like. But God did not call us to be judges. He called us to be fruit inspectors… By their fruit shall ye know them.
According to Luke 7:36 and following, “And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to meat.
37. And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment…”
Like many of those in her community, this “woman of ill-repute” came to the Pharisee’s house to listen to the rabbi speak. She knew she was a sinner. She was convicted of her sin and sat at Jesus’ feet and wept:
38. And (she) stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.”
Jesus understood her heart of love and repentance. He also knew the heart of the Pharisee that had invited him to speak at his house. Jesus knew that Pharisees didn’t associate with people they deemed sinners and “undesirables.” Why did the Pharisee invite Jesus into his house? It may have been that he was a sympathizer of Jesus and a believer in his message. Most likely he was like many of his other self-righteous Pharisee friends who wanted to trap Jesus in his words so he could accuse him of breaking the law.
39. Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner. 40. And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on. 41. There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. 42. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?”
Jesus asked the Pharisee a question to see if he could teach him a lesson about the value of forgiveness. The Pharisee answered correctly: 43. “Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.”
Jesus and Simon the Pharisee both knew what was required in that culture to approach an honored guest whom they highly regarded. He said to the Pharisee beginning in verse 44: “Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. 45. Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. 46. My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. 47. Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. 48. And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.”
The question is, “how do you know your sins are forgiven?” Pete recalls that his wife Suzan had noticed a change in Pete’s heart when she came to visit him after college. She didn’t know what had happened to Pete but when she saw the change in his life, she liked what she saw. Suzan was a “good” girl, but she had not yet accepted Christ.
Pete shared the four spiritual laws with her and asked, “Is there anything that would keep you from accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?” She accepted Christ that day. She prayed a prayer of repentance and realized that she needed a savior and forgiveness for her sins.
Many people walk down the aisle at the invitation after a sermon. However, the question is, “have you repented.” Repentance means to change direction. It means to change Lords. I’m no longer lord of my own life… He is. Salvation is not a matter of do’s and dont’s… It’s not just forsaking sin, rather It’s committing to the Saviour from sin. According to Romans 10:9-10, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Lord means owner. Christianity is not who we are but rather whose we are.
Unrepentant Sinners become hardened to the sin in their lives. However, when they’re ready to repent God breaks their hardened heart. Those who turn from their sin approach the throne of grace with a broken and a contrite heart. When Isaiah was confronted with God’s holiness, his response was “woe is me. I’m a man of unclean lips.” When he confessed, an angel touched a coal of fire to his lips and cleansed him by God’s power and grace.
Prior to salvation, sin is a problem that no man can fix. For all men have sinned and come short of the glory of God. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our lord.
The antidote to a hard heart is to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God. The woman who anointed Jesus’ feet with expensive ointment and washed his feet with her tears offered her most precious possession as a sacrifice at the feet of her Lord. In Old Testament times, many believed that the tears they shed in service to God would be weighed to see if they would enter into heaven. According to Psalm 56:8 they saved their “tears in a bottle” as a record in God’s book of life. As the song says, “All my trophies at last I lay down.” She gave to Jesus an offering of her most precious possession when she washed Jesus’ feet with her tears.
She knew that she was a sinner and that only by God’s grace had He allowed her to enter into the presence of her Saviour and Lord. This is true repentance. As Peter said in Acts 2:38, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
May we ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael