Articles
Why You Should Repent
Before we discuss why you should repent, let’s first briefly explain what it means for someone to repent. Repentance means “to think differently; reconsider; a reversal of one’s direction.” Repent simply means to “turn away from evil and do good” (I Peter 3:11). Now here are six good reasons why you should repent.
1) Because you have sinned. I have sinned. All have sinned against God in transgressing His law (Rom. 3:23; I John 3:4). Sin brings death (Rom. 3:23), thus our need for repentance.
2) Because of God’s goodness. “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?” (Romans 2:4) How good has God been to each one of us? “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
3) Because God commands it. “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30). We will obey God’s command to repent if we love Him (I John 5:3).
4) Because it is necessary for salvation. “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19; cf. 2:38).
5) Because of the Day of Judgment. “…but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness” by Jesus Christ (Acts 17:30-31; cf. 2 Cor. 5:10).
6) Because those who refuse to will perish. Jesus warned, “I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3, 5). The apostle Peter reminds us that, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
The command to repent is probably God’s most difficult command. Why? Because repentance requires change in a person’s life and so many refuse to change. Repentance demands that the sinner turn from his evil and then do what is good (Ezekiel 14:6; 18:30; Acts 26:18, 20).
Repentance will occur when a person humbles themselves, possesses godly sorrow, and confesses their sins to God (Ps. 51:16-17; 2 Cor. 7:10; I John 1:9). Repent to be saved, and to spend eternity in heaven!
