The second part is about repentance and forgiveness.

When we sin, we have “missed the mark,” as shown in Part 1. Missing the mark simply means that we have not been truthful or that we have done something that was not God’s will or some other offense. If we do not repent, that sin still remains. More on this later.

Repentance is the act of turning away from past behaviors that caused sin. There are 21 verses in the Old Testament and 22 verses in the New Testament dealing with “repentance.” In this article, I will cover the most commonly used words. Here are some scriptures on “repentance”:

Jer_25: 5 They said: ‘Repent now each one of your evil ways and evil deeds, and dwell in the land that the LORD has given you and your fathers forever and ever.

Jer 25: 6 Do not go after other gods to serve and worship them, nor provoke me to anger with the works of your hands; And I won’t hurt you

Here we see in Jeremiah that the prophets have told the people of Judah (in God’s name) to change their ways, that is, to repent of 1) Their wicked ways and deeds. They were also to dwell, which means to stay, in the land that God gave them. In 25: 6 we also see additional commands. He tells them not to go after other gods (i.e. idols) and to serve and worship them. He also tells them not to be angry with God and that He will not hurt them.

This is a powerful passage. God calls each of us to repentance.

Eze_14: 6 “Therefore say to the house of Israel:” Thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Repent, turn away from your idols, and turn away your face from all your abominations.

Here, God is commanding Ezekiel, the prophet, to speak to the house of Israel. As God said in the previous passage, He wants you to repent and turn away from idols. By the way, to repent is to turn away from your sin and never return to it.

Eze_18: 30 “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, each one according to his ways,” says the Lord GOD. “Repent and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity is not your ruin.”

In just four chapters, God has almost had it with Israel. He tells Ezekiel to talk to the Israelites and tell them that he will judge them individually. And in the end, it gives them one more chance! God is long-suffering, which means that He is always willing to let us out of the punishment of our sin.

Now let’s take a look at the New Testament.

Luk 13: 1 At that time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.

Luk 13: 2 And Jesus answering said to them, Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered such things?

Luke 13: 3 I tell you no; but unless they repent, all will perish equally.

Luk 13: 4 Or those eighteen on whom the tower of Siloam fell and killed them, do you think they were worse sinners than all the other men who dwelt in Jerusalem?

Luke 13: 5 I tell you no; but unless they repent, all will also perish. “

In this passage of Scripture, Jesus is speaking and there were men who were there, possibly Jews, who were telling a story of Pilate mixing the blood of the Galileans with the animal sacrifices. Jesus sets the tone and educates them about being sinners, etc. In verse 3, Jesus comes out straight and boldly proclaims, “Unless they repent, all will perish alike.” What he was saying is that repentance is required before eminent death to be saved. He repeats it again in verse 5. What Jesus is saying is that he knew of their works and that they were sinning and did not repent. A stern caveat that applies to us even today.

Turning to the book of Acts, we see the ministry of the apostles after Jesus ascended into heaven.

In Acts 2, we see the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. Peter is with the eleven and others. After the event happened and those who were baptized in the Holy Spirit, many of those who were there shouted “what then shall we do?” Peter responds like this:

Acts 2:37 When they heard this, they were contrite of heart and said to Peter and the other apostles: Men brothers, what shall we do?

Acts 2:38 Then Peter said to them: Repent, and let each one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

You see, repentance leads to salvation that leads to being filled with the Holy Spirit!

For further study, use a good match to look up these words.

I want to change gears now and finish with the final part of this speech, forgiveness. Forgiveness is the third part of the cycle:

Sin → Repentance → Forgiveness

When we sin, we must repent. When we repent, we receive forgiveness. It’s that easy.

1 John tells us this:

1Jn 1: 5 This is the message that we have heard from him and announce to you: God is light and there is no darkness in him.

1Jn 1: 6 If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

1Jn 1: 7 But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin.

1Jn 1: 8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

1Jn 1: 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1Jn 1:10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Now if you notice, the word “repent” is not used in this passage. Why? I think it is “implied”. In fact, the word “repent” is not in any of John’s three epistles, that is. 1 John-3 John.

So where are we today? Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? Jesus said that the time is coming when he will return to earth as the second coming of Christ. At that time, true Christians will be brought up to meet Jesus in the air. Non-Christians will have to go through the tribulation period and then many will die and go to hell. Don’t let that happen to you!

Pray this prayer and secure your destiny in Jesus:

Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and I ask your forgiveness. I believe you died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn away from my sins and invite you to come into my heart and my life. I want to trust and follow you as my Lord and Savior.

If you made that sentence, congratulations! Also please email me at [email protected] and tell me that you accepted the Lord as your personal savior. I will send you a Bible and a small booklet to help you begin your walk with Jesus.

Also be sure to check out my podcasts at: hdf.podbean.com

God bless each and every one of you!

JP