In Acts 2, the apostle Peter preached to Jews who were filled with guilt over what they had done to Jesus. These Jews asked the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (verse 37).
In response, “Peter said unto them, 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 Ghost” (verse 38).
In this verse, the Holy Spirit through Peter set forth commands that must be followed in order for one to become a Christian and receive forgiveness of sins. One thing commanded was “Repent.”
Later, in Acts 8, a man named Simon heard this same message, and became a Christian (verse 13). After becoming a Christian though, Simon sinned against God (verses 18-19). The inspired apostle then commanded him, “Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee” (verse 22).
Once again, “repent” was part of God’s requirement for sin to be forgiven.
The point is that in order to receive forgiveness of any sin, part of what we must do is repent (turn in the opposite direction of sin). There are a number of excuses made to avoid repentance. Consider some attitudes that hinder repentance, and the answers to these provided in the Word:
Ignoring the Seriousness of Sin:
Some fail to repent because they do not recognize how serious sin is. Romans 6:23 says “the wages of sin is death.” Sin, if continued in, leads one to eternity in “everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt. 25:41).
Some take sin lightly because they compare themselves to other people instead of comparing themselves to God’s will. The thought is, “Everybody sins and my sin is no worse than anyone else’s.”
While it is true that many people are living in sin, it is also true that “many” are following the broad path that leads to destruction (Matt. 7:13-14). If we desire to be the “few” who receive eternal life, we must measure things by God’s will. When we do so, we will realize that sin is despicable.
“Sweeping Sin Under the Rug”:
Another pitfall to avoid is the idea that if no one finds out about a sin, it is not a big deal.
After David committed adultery with Bathsheba, instead of acknowledging his sin and repenting, David tried to “sweep it under the rug.” He told lies and eventually ordered an innocent man to be put to death, all in an attempt to “cover up” sin that could never really be “covered up.”
The end of 2 Samuel 11 states “the thing that David had done displeased the Lord” (verse 27). As this verse exemplifies, there is no sin hidden from God (Heb. 4:13).
“Attacking the Messenger”:
Some fail to repent because their focus is on the faults of the messenger pointing out sin, rather than the message he proclaims. Many “attack the messenger” for speaking words that could lead them to eternal life (Gal. 4:16).
This is a surefire way to ensure that we will not allow ourselves to be helped when repentance is needed in our lives.
Fearing Rejection:
Some may fail to repent for fear of being rejected by others (cf. John 12:43).
Jesus stated “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” (Matt. 10:37), implying that being His disciple often involves making choices that anger others. We must not fail to repent for fear of what others will think.
Procrastinating:
Still others fail to repent because they do not have the sense of urgency needed to do so. The belief is that repentance is something to do “down the road.”
This attitude pretends to know more about the future than God has revealed. None of us know how many more days we have on earth, or even how much longer the earth will exist (Matt. 24:36). When sin is in our lives, may we repent, and not be hindered by these attitudes.
– Michael Hickox