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Producing Fruits of Repentance

 

 

What is Repentance?

 

Repentance is an honest acknowledgement and confession of one’s past wrongs, accompanied by a commitment to change to become right.

 

So, how can we determine what is right and what is wrong? In our previous blog post “Why Should Men Obey God’s Laws?”, we mentioned that God created the world to be perfect, and everything operates in the “right” way that God has designed. 

 

 

From Wrong to Right

 

Cows and sheep stay strong because they eat grass, and trees fill the earth because they produce fruits to be eaten by humans who in turn scatter their seeds. If creations refuse to follow these rules as God has designed, wouldn’t they fall sick or even become extinct?

 

Mankind is the only creation who has been given FREE WILL. However, chaos also arise because Mankind refuse God’s ways and choose their own ways. Repentance is acknowledging where they have deviated (wrong way), and consciously go back to follow God’s way (right way).

 

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him (Jesus) the iniquity of us all. ~ Isaiah 53:6

 

 

Importance of Repentance

 

Repentance is often given far too little importance in Church nowadays., but this is in fact a crucial message in both the ministries of Jesus and John the Baptist.

 

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!”

 ~ Matthew 3:1-2

 

From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” ~ Matthew 4:17

 

 

 

Continual Repentance

 

The Bible tells us that the wages of sin is death. We do not have to die only because Jesus bore our sins for us and gave us eternal life! If we do not change our sinful actions, how can we produce results other than death? If we continue to sin, can we crucify Jesus for a second time?

 

Repentance also has to be continuous and not just happen when we accept Jesus as our Savior. After living in this Fallen World for such a long time, each of us  have deviated from God’s ways in many aspects of our lives. We therefore have to constantly renew our thoughts and deeds to go back to the "right way" by developing our new nature (the "New Man"}.

 

That you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. ~ Ephesians 4:22-24

 

 

Repentance Must Produce Fruits

 

In addition, repentance must produce fruits. 

 

He (John the Baptist) then said to the crowds who came out to be baptised by him, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Therefore produce fruit consistent with repentance. ~ Luke 3:7-8

 

John the Baptist tells us that unless we produce fruits that reflect our repentance, we cannot escape the wrath of God. As the Scripture says, 

 

Faith without works is dead” ~ James 2:26 

 

It is not enough to just say we are sorry for our sins when we are converted, but we must continue to change our behaviours and actions in accordance to our confessions. Sons of Satan (vipers) produces fruits of death, but Sons of God should produce fruits of the Holy Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23). If a tree does not produce good fruit, its only destination is to be cut down and thrown into the fire.

 

Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them. ~ Matthew 7:17-19