January 1, 2020, True Repentance
All my life I’ve heard various teachings about repentance according to the Bible. The Bible says we must repent to be saved. Other religions and philosophies also call for some form of repentance. For several decades I’ve been asking myself, “What is true repentance?” I understand that it’s turning from bad to good, but what exactly is the bad we are turning from, and what is the good we should be turning to? I’ve focused on two primary ways to look at repentance, both consistent with scripture.
Turning from selfish living to serving others in love
Turning from selfish living to serving God, our Creator, in love.
I believe true, perfect, complete repentance satisfies both of these conditions and more. Perfect repentance comes from a sincere, heart, with pure motivation to be righteous. When our repentance is motivated by fear of punishment or the promise of some heavenly reward, that’s a self-serving motivation. Also, if our repentance leads to self-loathing or results in complete self-denial, we’re missing the point of true repentance.
True repentance leads us to loving God and other people. We can love and serve others while still loving ourselves, enjoying some of the good things God provides for us in life and experiencing joy in our spirits. Love drives us to find joy with others and avoid robbing anyone of their joy.
In all my searching, I’ve fallen short of complete, perfect repentance and I haven’t found it in anyone else. We all seem to struggle with selfishness at some level. But I have experienced a measure of true repentance and have seen repentance surface in many forms among my friends. Now I’ve begun asking another question. How much does true repentance count? For a person to be “saved” (spiritually alive, connected to their creator, with the promise of eternity in heaven) what level of repentance to they need?
Pure Repentance. Clearly the sincere repentance where a person loves God and all humanity (living to make the world a better place and please the creator) qualifies. But this level of repentance is rare. I’m not able to stay in that heart condition all the time.
Selfish Repentance. Does it count if someone changes their behavior out of fear of punishment or in anticipation of some reward? This seems contradictory because true repentance is turning from selfishness, but scripture seems tolerant of this kind of repentance and even encourages it. No one completely overcomes their selfish nature either, so I’m inclined to think selfish repentance counts.
Backsliders. What if someone repents, but then backslides? They turned from their selfish life of sin with a sincere heart and every intention of pleasing God for the rest of their lives, but they fell for temptation, couldn’t break an addiction, or just burned out and quit trying. Are such people still saved? I’d like to think they are. Perhaps they’re living with their salvation at risk. If they keep struggling and failing, I’m inclined to think their souls are saved, but if someone’s heart hardens to the point where they live selfishly and don’t even care anymore, then their soul is surely in danger.
Confused. What if someone has a repentant heart, but they’re confused about who God is or what God wants? I’ve known people who believe in false religions but their hearts are repentant. They’ve turned from selfishness and strive to make the world a better place—they just don’t understand the gospel message about saving grace. I’ve known such people who are agnostic—they think God might exist, but they haven’t been convinced that any particular religion truly represents God. I’ve even known atheists who live altruistically for others. There are also many Christians who know the gospel message of salvation, but they’re confused about what God requires in our behavior. Do any of these states of repentance with confused understandings of the truth count for salvation? I’d like to think they all do, because God judges the heart. If our hearts are in the place of repentance and love the he desires, won’t he grant salvation to those who are confused in their minds? Aren’t we all really confused in our minds? Doesn’t God extend grace to all who earnestly and sincerely seek to understand and do his will?
Scripture seems to back this concept up, but it’s not completely clear. (Deuteronomy 4:29; Psalm 51:17; Isaiah 30:15; 59:20; Jeremiah 11:20; 29:13; Ezekiel 18:30-32; Matthew 25:31-46; John 10:16; 1 Corinthians 4:5; 1 Timothy 1:5; Hebrews 4:12; 1 Peter 1:22) Some scriptures seem contrary to this idea. (Matthew 7:13-14; Mark 16:16; John 14:6)
I think it all counts. Repentance in any form pleases our creator. Does it lead to salvation for our souls? Only God knows and only God can judge. We should certainly be striving for the purest form of repentance we’re capable of. Perfection is the target. Effort and sincerity count.