Welcome to another topic that is pivotal in the Christian’s life- Repentance. Repentance means a complete turn from sin and whole submission to God. It means abandoning the sinful works we have been engaged with in our life and submission of total self unto God. The Bible says: ‘Repent! Change your heart and turn to God. He will wash your sins away and refresh you in the Spirit of the Lord’. (Acts 3:18 smf). It is our action to turn away from sin and seeking the face of the Lord that will help in connecting us with God. Sin is a stumbling block in between us and God. The author of sin is satan hinself. Satan always wants us disconnected from God so that we no longer enjoy God’s favour and grace. The kingdom satan has set himself for is in great contrast with the kingdom of righteousness God has created for His children. True repentance of sin brings us to a new level in life- Communion with Christ! (Acts 16:31). Once we accept Christ as our Lord and Saviour, the Spirit of life will indwell us (Romans 8:16, 1 John 4:13). Just like we celebrate the birth of a child in our homes, so too when we are reborn in God’s family and we are called God’s children! (John 1:12, Romans 8:15, Galatians 3:26-27, 1 Corinthians 12:13). Our rebirth through total submission unto God brings about total dependance on God for fruitfulness (John 15:5, Galatians 5:22-23).
For us to commune with God we need to take that bold decision: LEAVE SIN! We should be the first to make a step forward towards changing our behaviour. What is your action towards repentance? It is all about your decision to follow Christ (Romans 6:4-5).
Sin is something that we should not be associated with. It causes us to rebel against God, separated from His love. Here is a list of some of the consequences of sin in our lives:
1. Separation from God (Genesis 3:23, Isaiah 58:1-2)
2. Curse (Genesis 3:16-19, Job 14:1)
3. Bondage (Romans 8:21-22)
4. Punishment (Isaiah 13:11, Romans 2:8-9, Jeremiah 5:25)
5. God’s anger (Proverbs 6:16-19)
6. Death (Romans 3:23) etc.
The good news is that God sent Christ to die for us on the Cross to bear our punishment. His death qualified us into God’s Kingdom as His children set apart by the blood of His Son (John 3:16). He made sin powerless through Christ’s sacrifice so that we should no longer be slaves to sin. It’s about time we got back on our knees before God and ask for forgiveness.
CHRIST GATE 