Matthew 3:1-2 (NASB)
1 Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying,
2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

If we are not careful, we can make repentance something that it is not. The early Catholic Church elevated repentance to a sacrament. The idea was that repentance leads to salvation, that we have something to do with meriting our righteousness with God.

In fact, as we know from scripture, it is just the opposite. Repentance is a response to faith bestowed, which is the free gift of God.

The Puritan, Thomas Watson described gospel repentance in the book, “The Doctrine of Repentance”. He said repentance is a spiritual medicine made up of six special ingredients:

1. Sight of Sin – begins with the illumination by the Holy Spirit.
2. Sorrow for sin
3. Confession of sin
4. Shame for sin
5. Hatred for sin
6. Turning from sin

He believed that if we leave out any one of those steps, repentance loses its virtue.

Watson also said, “Christ’s blood only can merit pardon. We please God by repentance but we do not satisfy Him by it.”

As I read that list of steps, I thought about how I approached the repentance of sin in my life. Not sure I have fully made it through all of those steps without skipping over some of them.

Our tears of repentance do not wash away sin, only the blood sacrifice of Christ is able to do that. Repentance is the result of understanding the magnitude of our sin, which only comes through faith.

Father, as I repent of my many sins, help me to understand that the regret that I feel and the tears that may follow are only the result of your saving grace and not something that I can do alone. Help me to focus on the amazing sacrifice of Jesus, so that I may plead for the changes in my life that will make me more like Him.

Always praying for the glory of God,

Amen