Transformational Repentance

Last week we looked at a “Transformational Word.” A transformational word often results in repentance, a total change in thought, attitude and direction. Repentance is the first message Jesus preached and commanded the disciples to preach when He sent them out. On the Day of Pentecost, Peter called the multitude to repentance. The primary message to the seven churches in Revelation is repentance. Revelation 2:5 warns the church in Ephesus to “repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place.” Repentance is key to entering into the kingdom and in maintaining the presence of God in our lives.

Throughout history, personal, community and national transformation have always been preceded by repentance of sin. Part of the function of the Word and the Holy Spirit is to convict us of sin and bring us to repentance. Repentance has three major parts: “1) a genuine sorrow towards God on account of sin (2 Cor 7:9-10; Matt 5:3-4; Ps 51:1); 2) an inward repugnance to sin necessarily followed by the actual forsaking of it (Matt 3:8; Acts 26:20; Heb 6:1); and 3) humble self-surrender to the will and service of God.    (Acts 9:6)” (The New Unger's Bible Dictionary)

An example of transformational repentance is during the reign of King Josiah of Judah. The land of Judah was filled with idolatry that was even practiced in the temple of God in Jerusalem. God had sent His prophets to warn Judah of impending judgment, but no one listened. Josiah, however was a godly king in a line of ungodly kings. 2 Chronicles 34:3 says, “And he (Josiah) did what was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.”

Josiah’s first act was to cleanse the land of idolatry. 2 Chronicles 34:7 says, “He had broken down the altars and the wooden images, had beaten the carved images into powder, and cut down all the incense altars throughout all the land of Israel.” He even burned the bones of the idolatrous priests on their altars. Even though Josiah acted out of a pure heart, which brought tremendous social and religious reformation to Judah, God’s judgment was still pending because there was still no true repentance from sin.

Then in the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign, they were cleansing and restoring the temple when someone came upon the book of the law. It was brought and read to Josiah, who upon hearing God’s Word, tore his robe and commanded his servants to go to the prophet and inquire of the Lord. In a moment under the conviction of the Word and the Spirit, Josiah moved from reformation to repentance and transformation. Josiah called the nation together, and they renewed their covenant with God, and as a result of transformational repentance, God promised not to destroy Judah under Josiah’s reign.

To save our lives, the lives of our children, our community, and nation we must move from reformation to true transformational repentance, where we acknowledge our sin, become repulsed by sin and humbly surrender our will and service to God. 

Andy Clark