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Jesus Is Really Serious About Repentance
by Bryan Gibson
February 12, 2010
“Just As I Am”—most of you have either heard the hymn or even sung it. It’s a good hymn, properly understood, but it seems that some have gotten the wrong impression from it—that Jesus will accept us just the way we are, without any real repentance on our part. We can’t have our cake and eat it too—we can’t have a relationship with Him and with the world at the same time. Jesus is serious about repentance, as we can see from the following points.
His message was not, “Come as you are; you don’t have to change a thing.” Jesus preached that people should repent—“repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17); “repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15).
His message of repentance was not just directed to the crowds in general; He directed it to specific individuals. To the lame man whom He had just healed, Jesus said, “Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you” (John 5:14). To the woman caught in adultery, Jesus said, “Go and sin no more” (John 8:11). Let’s remember these words the next time we sin—“sin no more”—that’s the message from Jesus.
And this same message was not just directed to sinners, or to those who were not His people—it was also directed to saints (Revelation 2:5, 16, 21-22; 3:3, 19). Sorry, but the “once saved, always saved” doctrine just doesn’t square with Scripture. A Christian who sins needs to repent, or he’s going to be in a lot of trouble (notice the “repent...or else” warnings in the passages listed above (and consider the next point).
Jesus made it clear what would happen to people if they didn’t repent—“unless you repent you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3, 5). To those cities who did not repent at His preaching, Jesus warned of condemnation. For example, here’s what He said to Capernaum: “And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you” (Matthew 11:23-24).
But He also made it clear what would happen to people if they did repent—His Father would welcome them with open arms, the kind of reception pictured in the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). When one repents, he escapes the snare of the devil (2 Timothy 2:26), he is saved from spiritual death (James 5:19-20), and he can now be forgiven of his sins (Acts 8:22).
Jesus loves us, but He hates sins, and He hates what sin does to us. Make no mistake about it; this call to repentance is an expression of His love for us. “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent” (Revelation 3:19).