Repentance is simply a change of mind, a complete turning away from sin characterized by stopping from sinning and changing the way we think about our sin: we loved it before repenting of it, but now that we've repented of it and renounced it, we now abhor it.
How do we get to the point of hating our sin? Is it even possible for me to hate the sin that I used to love?
Repentance is basically a change of heart towards sin. While many of us might think that it's impossible to change our hearts towards sin, it's actually possible to do that. In this article we'll talk about how it can happen to us, with God's grace, of course.
A true change of heart
The Bible tells us that before we submitted to Christ, we were by nature "children of wrath" (see Ephesians 2:3). We were naturally predisposed to committing sin, simply because we have a fallen nature. Romans 3:23 tells us,
"...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God..."
Psalm 53:2-3 expounds on it further,
"God looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God. Every one of them has turned aside; They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, no, not one."
By these verses we understand that no person on earth hated sin. We all loved sin, but manifested this liking for it in different ways. We've all enjoyed doing wrong things, whether we consider these sins "small" or "big," though there is no difference:
"For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all." (James 2:10)
God's grace, however, is more powerful than sin. His grace is so powerful that He doesn't only erase our sins when we confess them and repent of them and believe in the finished work of Christ; He actually cuts the power of sin over us:
"And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it." (Colossians 2:13-15)
Not only did He give us the way to be forgiven and freed from the grip of sin, He made sure to give us the grace to totally dislike sin. How? By giving us a new life, a new heart, and a new Spirit in Christ!
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17)
"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them." (Ezekiel 36:26-27)
How do we hate our sins, then?
And so, dear friends, by now we understand that God didn't just change our hearts; He made us totally new. We are not the same person we were before we came to Christ in repentance; we are a totally new creation able to love God and hate the things He hates.
Knowing that Christ died for us to be forgiven and freed from our sins, why should we want them ever again? Why should we love the things that Christ died to defeat? Why should we long to do the same things that separate us from God?
It's time we realize that we're not under sin anymore. We are now under the grace of God in Christ.
