Resolving Conflict By Cultivating Repentance

Repentance is not just a one-time thing, it is a way of life, essential and fundamental to biblical Christianity. This might be surprising to many who have been involved in the church for a number of years because so little is said about repentance. Teaching on repentance is missing in many churches today, even those considered to be Bible believing, because there is a deemphasis on this important subject. Repentance is pivotal to Christianity. You just think about how important the necessity of it is. Jesus began his ministry and the theme of his sermons are given to us in Matthew 4; His message was: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." He basically picked up John the Baptist's main theme. Then calling for repentance in Luke 13:5, "Repent or you will likewise perish." Revelation begins with seven letters to churches where Jesus is walking among the lampstands of his churches; what is the refrain throughout those letters? To five of those churches the command is, "Repent. Repent."

So Christ spent his ministry, his earthly ministry proclaiming that message, repent. The ascended Christ now appearing to John in Revelation continues to say that, "The message for my people is repent." So why so little about repentance? Because we're not reading our Bibles carefully. We're not seeing that this is a part of what salvation really is. Salvation, justification, our declaration that we are righteous before God happens because of what Jesus Christ has done completely. Yes, His shed blood in our place and yet the response to the Gospel is faith and repentance, to run to Christ and the evidence of a heart that has truly been changed will be repenting, turning from sin.