What Does Repentance Look Like?
There is a popular style of teaching in today’s church that is “seeker-sensitive.” This is the theme of two books, Christless Christianity by Michael Horton, and Pagan Christianity by George Barna. Seeker-sensitive preaching is careful not to offend. However, when the true gospel is preached, it’s both bad news and good news. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Before we can turn our hearts around we must first acknowledge the problem of sin. The gospel is meant to disturb and intrigue…to convict our hearts of sin so that we can approach God’s throne of grace with a broken and a contrite heart. This is what true repentance looks like. Repentance means to turn our hearts from sin and to the Saviour from sin, the Lord Jesus Christ. Not everyone in church has repented. Jesus knew that all who said, “Lord , Lord” will not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
The emphasis on “seeker sensitivity” in churches is beginning to change. Bill Hybels said, “It used to be that we preached seeker sensitive messages to fill up the pews. Today, people want you to look them in the eye and tell them the truth. Jesus said, “he who is forgiven much loves much.”
All Christians have been entrusted with the testimony of Jesus Christ. We are living epistles known and read of all men. We all have a story of deliverance. Jesus expects us to take advantage of every opportunity to witness the gospel of truth and when necessary, to use words.
In Luke 5, A publican (tax collector) named Levi forsook his job to become a follower of Jesus. He gave a party to celebrate with his fellow tax collectors. He had made a living getting rich by overtaxing his own people under the authority of the Roman government. Even though he was hated by the people for unjustly taking their money, he was comfortable with his old friends from his old profession. When Jesus went to the publican’s house, the scribes and Pharisee’s grumbled among themselves that Jesus associated with tax collectors and sinners. These religious leaders assumed that Jesus was guilty by association.
Oswald Chambers said that the purpose of church is to create an environment where the Holy Spirit is welcome to come help himself to our lives. The question is, “what is the environment of your church, your home and your work place.” Environments in homes, marketplaces, and churches are created by the leaders. The environment that the scribes and Parisees created was an environment of condemnation… of exclusion, judgement, manipulation, guilt, and shame. They believed that they were self-righteous and that everyone else was inferior. It was a works-based environment to keep their own power and subjugate the people based on fear, guilt, and condemnation.
Seeker sensitive churches are afraid that if they speak the truth in love, people will be offended and never come back. The scribes and Pharisee’s were on the other extreme. When law, performance, and works is the basis for church, then the law of sin and death will dominate. A healthy Christ-centered church environment encourages relationships and dialog from a spirit filled heart that manifests the love of God. There are always differences of opinions between people even in a healthy church. However, to reconcile our hearts together as the body of Christ, we must lovingly meet each other at the foot of the cross. Jesus Christ is the one who reconciles. There is no peace without the Holy Spirit of the Prince of Peace.
The Pharisees created over four hundred laws to keep the people guilty and shameful. Jesus said, “I have not come to heal the healthy but to heal the sick.” Godly sorrow is a prerequisite to repentance. An environment of grace allows us to approach God’s throne of grace with a broken and a contrite heart. Jesus came to minister to those who are broken and repentant.
The Holy Spirit will teach us all things. We’ll be convicted of sin so that when we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The first commandment is to love God above all. With a heart of love we’re convicted to turn our hearts away from sin and toward the Saviour from sin, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Like the Pharisees, many who have grown up in the church find it easy to look down on people who are held captive by their sin nature. If we’re not driven by God’s love and grace, we’ll call men to performance and not repentance. The key to forgiveness is to confess our sins to our Heavenly Father. Then we can lovingly reconcile with others within the body of Christ.
Luke 7:36-48 answers the question “what does true repentance look like?” Beginning in verse 36: “And one of the Pharisees desired him (Jesus) 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. Her heart was broken. 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.”
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.
Jesus knew the woman’s heart of true repentance. He also knew Simon the Pharisee’s heart of judgement, condemnation, and guilt by association.
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, Simon the Pharisee, and the “woman of ill-repute” all knew what was required in their culture to show respect, honor, and humility to a teacher 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 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 life after death. According to Psalm 56:8 they saved their priceless “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 what true repentance looks like. 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