Note what Peter, at Pentecost, said would be the results of repentance: the forgiveness of your sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Repentance is the doorway to fantastic gifts from God.
Forgiveness is a huge relief. In Pilgrim’s Progress the main character, Christian, carries a huge weight around on his back until he comes to the Cross of Jesus. With forgiveness, that load falls from his back and he is free from it. That is an apt picture of the impact of forgiveness. Guilt is a heavy load to carry. Knowing we are disobeying God is a weighty awareness that we can never escape – except through repentance. There can be only joy when a person confesses sin and turns from it, desiring to live a different life
Psalm 32:1-2
Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven,
Whose sins are covered.
Blessed are those whose sins the Lord does not count again them
And in whose spirit is no deceit.
It is worth reading the whole psalm to get a picture of the change that occurred in David’s life when he eventually confessed His sin.
The reception of the Holy Spirit means that the Christian no longer lives dependent only on his/her natural abilities and resources. Instead, he/she is empowered with supernatural resources.
If there is doubt about one’s ability to live the new life, it is freeing to remember that we are not required to do that by ourselves. We have all of the resources of God to help us. The Holy Spirit is the teacher, the comforter (literally, the strengthener), the counsellor, the equipper and empowerer.
Psalm 32:8, although it doesn’t refer explicitly to the Holy Spirit, might be seen as saying this same thing.
Psalm 32:8
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my loving eye upon you.
But both the forgiveness and the gift of the Holy Spirit are dependent on the repentance. It is when we choose to live Jesus’ way that we receive the gifts promised by God.
Some in the Church in Corinth had been practicing homosexuals but that had changed. Paul doesn’t use the word “repent” but it is clearly implied. Paul’s emphasis though is on the results and the saving work of God.
1 Corinthians 6:11
And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
The good news for homosexual people is that God loves you, wants you to repent and will forgive you and give you His Holy Spirit when you do.
The Gospel For A Gay Friend - Garrett Kell (9Marks)