Our Dear Friend Repentance

     For today’s blog entry, I want to talk about repentance.  One of the most important fruits of faith is repentance.  When people think of repentance, they often consider it a deplorable word that means they have been bad and have to make amends for it.  This isn’t the way we should be thinking of this wonderful gift given to us by Jehovah.

     I want you to think of repentance in a different light.  Consider the state of your soul without this wonderful gift.  You left the presence of God in order to come to this earth and prove yourself worthy of becoming like God.  You would be able to gain eternal (God-like) glory with the ability to have spirit children yourself.  You would have the ability to create your own worlds.  Your creations could become innumerable just as the sands of the sea, just like God’s are.  You would have perfect knowledge and perfect wisdom.  All that was required was that you prove yourself God-like in nature.

     The problem with this is that God is perfect and you are flawed.  How are you ever going to prove yourself God-like if you can’t be perfect?  The answer came through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  He offered Himself as the one and only sinless and perfect being to live in the mortal condition on this earth.  He gave up His blood, His body, His will, and His life for a sacrifice to atone for our sins.  And this made it possible for us to prove ourselves God-like in spite of imperfections. 

     And how are we to prove ourselves God-like in spite of our imperfections?  There is only one way, and you’ve probably guessed it.  It is repentance.  There is no way to prove ourselves God-like in nature and worthy of becoming like God without repentance.  This is because we don’t start out as perfect beings with God-like natures, but through repentance we develop ourselves into God-like beings with perfect natures.

     What is repentance that it should be able to do this?  Repentance can be thought of as the process of forsaking the natural inclinations of an imperfect body in order to pursue the higher inclinations of a perfect and God-like being.  In other words it is giving up our natural desires to follow the perfect path of God.  It takes time.  It takes effort and persistence.  And it takes the support and assistance of Jesus the Perfector. But as we call upon the name of Jehovah and persist in pursuing the paths of righteousness, we will find ourselves aligning our will to the perfect will of God.  And we will find ourselves becoming perfect beings.

     So repentance is not a loathsome process we must do in order to be forgiven.  It is in fact a wonderful process that helps us eliminate our imperfect selves.  It is a precious gift that helps us develop our perfect natures.  It is a dear friend that assists us in becoming like God.  And we should be thanking Jehovah the Precious One for granting us such a priceless gift through His great sacrifice.

     Now the truth is that repentance would mean nothing unless we had the promise it would mean something.  And before I end this blog entry, I want to make sure you know you have that promise.  There are many places in the scriptures where this promise is given.  One of these can be found in Isaiah chapter 55 (found in the Old Testament section of the King James Version of the Holy Bible).  For the sake of space and time, I won’t quote it.  But I recommend you read it.  It’s a short section of scripture, being only thirteen verses long.

     In these verses the Lord implores us to repent quickly (verse 6).  He promises us prosperity and glory if we repent (verses 12 and 13).  He promises we will find the Bread of Life and the Everlasting Water, even Jesus Christ, if we repent (verses 1, 2, and 4).  He promises us mercy and life if we repent (verses 3 and 7).  And these verses even carry the promise that, when He gives a promise, it carries substance that we can rely on (verse 11).  His promises are kept.

     I promise you that repentance is not a deplorable necessity that we have to do.  It is a precious gift and a dear friend.  Through repentance we have the ability to become perfect beings capable of being like God.  Cherish this precious gift.  Thank your dearest Friend Jesus for this wonderful gift.  And use it daily in your life.