Reading passage: Acts 20: 17-35
Testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance to God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Acts 20:21 RSV
The word ‘repentance’ carries more meaning in the Bible than it does in our regular use. In our past life, we turned our backs on God, not our faces. We believed that the world, money, health, relations, friends and family would give us all that we need. We toiled day and night to gain material things and maintain relations! We thought the world was everything, so, we gave our very lives for its passions. However, finally we realized that the direction was wrong. We were sorry for the past, futile, life. Then came the message of the Gospel.
Paul says it is repentance towards God. It is not just asking us to confess our sins, or even lamenting over it. It asks us to repent, leave our old ways, goals and likings and turn towards GOD! It is repentance from dead works (Heb 6:1-RSV) and repentance towards God! Now, our way becomes God, goal becomes God and likings become God! No more we dare look- or even think of the old ways and days, for help, guidance and control. We have a new goal, new help, and a new control station – God!
Why should we repent towards God? Because, it is from there that we fell! When we fell from God, we fell from life. Then on, all our doings were dead works. Jesus came to this world to restore us to the life we had lost, and, that we may have that life abundantly. (John 10:10 RSV)
We repent from our dead works and repent to God for life. We receive life, in the true sense of it, only in the presence of God, for He is the only source of life (John 1: 4).
Therefore, repentance is a restoration to the presence of God! If restoration doesn’t happen, repentance is of no value.
When we repent towards God, we enter in to life. Every life is to be lived, or it would be snuffed out. To live that life, we need faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, says Paul. That’s why he preached both repentance towards God and faith in Jesus Christ! That makes the Gospel whole.
Prayer: Lord, I repent from dead works and repent towards you. You are my only goal, delight and control station, AMEN
Further readings: Acts 2. 36- 41; Col 3. 5-14
