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As a child of God, do you ever ask yourself how do Christians repent for their sins? It is very prevalent that as a Christian you sometimes find yourself being confused as to whether you are still required to confess your sins or not since you are declared righteous, even though the bible states clearly in Romans 8:1 “Therefore there is now no condemnation (no guilty verdict, no punishment) for those who are in Christ Jesus (who believe in him as personal Lord and Savior).”
In the old covenant, Hebrews 9:1-21 every year the priest had to slaughter an animal in order to cover the sins of the people. Today, how lucky we are as the children of the most high as we have been sanctified with the blood of Jesus, which does not have an expiry date like the blood of animals. This means all our sins are forgiven.
How Should a Christian Repent then?
For a born again Christian, confession means presenting your weaknesses to God and allowing God to be strong where you are weak rather than condemning yourself and feeling guilty. In Hebrews 4:16, the word of God says “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” We cannot be bold and guilty at the same time. Yet we can be bold and humble. As a child of God, your confession should be based on asking for help in the areas where you need it rather than condemning yourself and feeling guilty.
In Luke 15:11 the prodigal son is a good illustration of how we can be bold and humble at the same time. He was bold enough to consider going back to his father where he belongs but he was humble enough to ask for mercy and to propose and imagine himself being a servant in his father’s house. His father did not only forgive him but he gave him what he didn’t deserve. In Luke 18:11-12 we learn about the parable of a Pharisee who was praying to God with arrogance, boasting about his own righteousness and condemning others. He was bold but not humble, he presented himself as blameless, thinking that his actions were enough to please God, and as a result he was not justified.
How To Repent Genuinely?
In order to repent genuinely, you need to come boldly to the throne of grace because you are grateful for the forgiveness of your sins through shedding of the blood of Christ. But be humble enough to present your weaknesses to God and ask for the Holy Spirit (our helper) to work on them, as the sanctification process continues in your Spirit, soul and body so that you are found blameless at the coming back of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is not that God doesn’t know where you’re lacking, but when you confess you’re acknowledging the role of the Holy Spirit in your life and allowing yourself to be led by the Holy Spirit in that area because he who dwells in us does all the work.
When we do that we don’t only receive forgiveness (mercy) but we also find the blessings that we don’t deserve (grace). Hence the bible says in Romans 5:20 “Where sin abounded grace abounded much more.” However, as Paul says, it doesn’t mean that we should sin more to obtain more grace. But we humble ourselves enough to point out our weaknesses to God who sees everything; he is faithful to show us compassion and pity.
In conclusion:
Remember that Jesus Christ died in the cross so that your sins may be forgiven once and for all. That being said, we are still in the flesh. Our sinful nature will always try to overcome us. This is the reason why Jesus said he will leave us with the Helper (Holy Spirit) who will guide us and make us remember all that Jesus taught us. What is required from us as the children of the most high is to acknowledge the role and the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives and allow him to sanctify us until the Lord comes back for us. We do that by asking for his help in all the areas where we need him.
Please share your thoughts on the comments below. You can also check on our guided meditations all about repentance and forgiveness according to the bible.
