Acceptance and Repentance

Repentance defies one of the most common beliefs that people have about themselves:

“People don’t change.”

For the great majority, this is true. But this is a matter of choice, not destiny or genetics.

Throughout Acts, there is a call (or challenge) to repent. It’s more than hope. It’s an expectation. God designed us with the ability to change.

Repentance is key to salvation (Acts 2:38). It is part of the “appeal to God for a good conscience” (I Peter 1:21). This is part of what makes baptism more than just an encounter with water. Before and after baptism, repentance brings authenticity.

The concept of repentance is closely associated with the idea of turning around. It’s a matter of turning away from the choices that are in opposition to God. We can’t just turn. The decision is mapped out in relation to bad choices.

The coordinates are also plotted by turning toward God. To simply turn without a goal leaves you without direction. Repentance is when we “turn from darkness to light” (Acts 26:18). This movement in our mentality is crucial.

One of the most popular religious trends today is the idea that God will accept you as you are. It is true that He will work with anyone, but only under the condition they are willing to change. To approach God and then expect to always remain the same is a drastic misunderstanding of how Christianity works.

People can change. God designed us that way.

- Bret