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By the grace of God, we have been called to become the people of Zion and received redemption; our countless sins and transgressions have been forgiven. Since we have received such overwhelming grace, we should live a life of repentantance perfect enough for us to stand before God. As the day of our salvation comes closer, if we are still going against the will of God with our sinful nature, stubbornness and unrepentant hearts, the forgiveness of sins that we have received will lose its meaning.
Originally, we are sinners who committed grievous sins in heaven and were cast down to this earth. Keeping this fact in mind, we should always humble ourselves before God. We must not betray the love of God who has redeemed us from our sins through His holy sacrifice, but should give thanks in all circumstances and come to complete repentance.
God waits for a sinner to repent
2,000 years ago, when Jesus came to this earth and started His gospel ministry, His first message was “Repent!” In the Bible we can see many scenes where Jesus urged people to repent while preaching the gospel.
When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he returned to Galilee. Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali … From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”Mt 4:12-17
“I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”Lk 15:7
Remembering the voice of Christ who urged mankind to repent, let us examine ourselves if there is still anything of which we have not fully repented, and live a life worthy of being called the “righteous people” who have been redeemed through God’s sacrifice. We should not conform to the pattern of this generation that is wicked in the eyes of God, but only pay attention to the teachings of God, so that we can repay God for His grace; God has raised us who were dead in our transgressions and sins.
Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance? But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.Ro 2:4-5
It is written that people will face God’s wrath on the Day of Judgment because of their stubbornness and their unrepentant hearts. In short, it means that they will not be saved. Some people think that God does not know their faults and wrongdoings. This is a great misunderstanding. They think so because they do not completely believe in God. If they try to hide something before God, claiming to believe that God is omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent, they contradict themselves. God knows everything and tolerates it. He patiently waits for a long time until we confess our sins and repent. We should realize God’s mercy and confess every sin to God without even hiding a small one, so that we may have perfect faith.
Since we have not fully repented, God is still waiting patiently. However, the opportunity and the time granted to us will pass soon. Before it is too late, let us look back on our past lives and confess every sin and repent, not leaving out a single particle of sin, so we can all go back to the kingdom of heaven.
But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming… .2 Pe 3:8-13
God is so merciful and compassionate that He truly wants everyone to be saved without being condemned. However, evildoers do not hesitate to behave as they please, thinking that God does not know their evil deeds, even though God has been so patient with them. They stubbornly refuse to repent no matter how long God waits for them to come to repentance. That’s why God cannot help but bring judgment on them.
We, God’s heirs, should look forward to the day of God while living holy and godly lives; we should fear God who will bring every deed into judgment including everything hidden, whether it is good or evil, and obey His words.
Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.Ecc 12:13-14
Let us confess all our sins before God
In ancient Rome, there was a tribune, who was ordered to take criminals by ship to another region. As the criminals boarded the ship, the tribune, who was merciful and wise, called the criminals one after another and asked them how they came to commit crimes, and let them tell their stories. Then all of the 100 criminals began to appeal their punishment, saying they were falsely charged. They all claimed that they were innocent and arrested unreasonably. However, only one criminal confessed his sin.
“I deserve to be imprisoned. When my family ran out of food, I saw my wife and children starving and I lost all senses and stole things from others. It was all my fault and I deserve it.”
On hearing his confession, the tribune gave an order to the official beside him.
“All these people have been falsely accused and framed for the sins that others committed. Only one person, however, said he committed sin. How can we put a sinner among the righteous? Get him out of here right away, and take the rest on board!”
Thus, all the criminals who had claimed to be innocent were carried to prison, while the criminal who had confessed and acknowledged his sin was set free. As the criminal who was being released walked away, all the other criminals who denied their sins looked at him with envy.
Likewise, when we confess our sins before God, the merciful God takes pity on us and forgives our sins. However, if we do not confess our sin but hide it, even though we obviously sinned, we cannot avoid the punishment when the God of justice judges everyone according to the gravity of their sins.
Our every action is revealed before God. We cannot hide even a small misdeed. God the Almighty knows everything and even searches the heart and thoughts of a man, but He wants us to come and confess our sins before Him.
If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.1 Jn 1:6-10
Father’s forgiveness
There is an anecdote about Gandhi, the leader of the Indian nationalist movement. In his childhood, he once strayed away from the right path and stole something from his house. But soon it became a big burden on his conscience.
The time of suffering from a guilty conscience was too long, while the moment of sin was very short. More than anything else, he was afraid and tormented as he thought of his father who would get hurt and distressed because of his misconduct.
Gandhi was in constant fear, being seized with a guilty conscience, and finally decided to confess his wrongdoing to his father and never to commit a crime again. He wrote a letter of repentance in which he confessed his every past fault, and gave it to his father.
“Father, forgive me! I made a huge mistake. I swear never to steal again.”
He handed the letter to his father in fear. However, his father did not scold him or give him a strict command even after reading it; he just shed tears, which soaked the letter. Gandhi also cried, seeing how heartbroken his father was because of his misconduct. Then he felt like his sin was washed away and his conscience was purified by his father’s tears of love.
After that, Gandhi never turned from the right path, but lived a good life since his father’s tears were engraved in his memory. As a result, he gained confidence and popularity from the people of India, and he has been remembered as a great politician and philosopher even to this very day.
God, who knows every sin we’ve committed, waits for us to confess all our sins. Confessing a sin means pledging not to commit the sin again. We are living in a world full of wicked thoughts and deeds. We should confess and repent of every sin we have committed and receive the forgiveness
of sins, so that we can be without blemish or defect before God. For this, we should reflect on ourselves and repent through prayer every day, and walk in the way of faith pleasing to Heavenly Father and Mother.
Repentance leads to salvation
Repentance means to turn from sin and not to commit sin again. Now is the time we each should repent of our own sins and then lead the whole world, full of sin, to repentance.
“If I tell the righteous man that he will surely live, but then he trusts in his righteousness and does evil, none of the righteous things he has done will be remembered; he will die for the evil he has done. And if I say to the wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ but he then turns away from his sin and does what is just and right—if he gives back what he took in pledge for a loan, returns what he has stolen, follows the decrees that give life, and does no evil, he will surely live; he will not die. None of the sins he has committed will be remembered against him. He has done what is just and right; he will surely live.”Eze 33:13-16
What if a man boasts that he has lived a righteous life and commits a sin, thinking, ‘A small sin like this shouldn’t matter’? Although he has done what is good and righteous, all his righteousness becomes nothing the moment he sins. On the contrary, although a man committed sin while wandering aimlessly without knowing God, if he turns away from his sin and pays attention to the truth of life, he will surely live and receive salvation.
We feel ashamed when we think of our sin, so it is not easy to confess it. Confession needs courage. Remembering the story of Gandhi who never committed sin again after recognizing his father’s heartbreak because of his misconduct, we should confess all our sins, big or small, before God, so we can receive the complete forgiveness of our sins.
God has repeatedly emphasized that unless we confess our sins, we are storing up God’s wrath for the day of the Last Judgment. Not only for the sins we committed before we knew God, but even a small single sin we’ve committed while waking the path of faith, we have to confess and repent. By doing that, we should live godly and gracious lives, apart from sin, according to the will of God.
yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death… .2 Co 7:9-11
Those who do not repent cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. Just as we cannot clearly see an object with smudged glasses, we cannot correctly realize the divine nature of God, nor can we clearly see the glory of the kingdom of God, with our souls stained with sins. Therefore, through our complete repentance, let us remove our dirty sins that cover up our spiritual
eyes, so that we may become righteous and obtain salvation. Actually, most of the contents written in the Bible are about the works of repentance and the words urging repentance. Baptism, the first step towards salvation, can be accomplished when it is accompanied by repentance.
If there is any sin that we have not yet confessed before God, whether it is big or small, let us take up courage and confess it and come to the grace of the forgiveness of sins. God is waiting for us, His children, to repent. In the parable of the prodigal son, when the son returned home in repentance after squandering all his wealth, his father didn’t reproach him but welcomed him with joy (Lk 15:11-24).
If we fall into the swamp of sins because of our stubbornness and unrepentant hearts, God’s wrath will fall upon us. God has forgiven our sins through His great sacrifice of atonement. We should engrave God’s forgiving grace deep within our hearts and confess all our sins, even the smallest faults, and be born again, so that we can stand before God without any blemish or defect. Heavenly Father and Mother have waited patiently for us to repent for a long time, and suffered all sorts of insults and hardships for our salvation.
Let us give thanks to Father and Mother for Their sacrifice and display the glory of God all over the world through our good and righteous acts, as children of Elohim.