Repentance in the Life of the Believer*
A view of repenting as a follower of Christ
Luke records this jarring assertion at the end of chapter 9 of his Gospel: “Jesus said to him, ‘No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’” What a powerful and captivating declaration. Jesus is poignantly declaring to his listeners the cost of discipleship. That a person who turns to follow Christ may not turn back from following him, or they are not a genuine disciple is a proclamation simultaneously understandable and frightening. “What does a ‘no turning back’ repentance look like in the life of a Christ follower?”
A Present Repentance
The contemporary use of the word repentance is often limited to conversion, the event of regeneration, when an unbeliever turns and becomes a believer, a Christ follower. Yet, recall that repentance is not just regretful remorse, but “a total about-turn in one’s thoughts, aims, and acts, so that one leaves the paths of self-willed disobedience to serve God in faith and faithfulness.”(1) Of course, a person does not follow the path of obedience and faithfulness in full measure for the rest of their lives. However, striving to stay on the path of godliness is evidence that you have been placed on that path in the first place. The Christian life is one of repeated reorientations. As J. I. Packer explains in his book Growing in Christ, “What is crucial, however, is that the marks of conversion—faith and repentance as principles of daily living— should be found in us; the converted lifestyle is more significant than any conversion experience.” (2) The remarkable evidence of authentic repentance is that a person keeps on repenting.
“The Christian life is one of repeated reorientations.”
Root to Fruit
Now, we return to Luke, who echoes the truth of repentance in his Gospel and offers an insightful perspective on grasping the evidence of authentic repentance. Recall in Luke chapter 3, John the Baptist, the herald of Christ, is preaching to the crowd and charging those who came to him not to trust their cultural or religious heritage but to make a personal response to God. Specifically, see the first half of verse 8: “Bear fruits in keeping with repentance.” This phrase is crucial for understanding the effects of authentic repentance. Think about it—fruit originates from something. It is the effect or result of something else. Repentance is an internal change of heart and mind that reorients a person’s way of living, inevitably resulting in godly obedience.
Stating it more bluntly, David Wells asserts, “The only real proof of our conversion is an obedient and fruitful life.” (3) The apostle Paul, while witnessing to King Agrippa, describes his preaching the gospel, in part, by saying “that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance” (Acts 26:20). By his testimony, Paul is confirming that the logical progression of hearing and believing the gospel is to turn to God in repentance, and then live in such a way that your habits, your deeds, the bent of your life is in alignment with one who has repented. Conversely, the one who claims repentance and yet does not perform deeds in keeping with their repentance may have not repented in the first place.
“Paul is confirming that the logical progression of hearing and believing the gospel is to turn to God in repentance, and then live in such a way that your habits, your deeds, the bent of your life is in alignment with one who has repented. ”
A Progressive Path of Repentance
Again, this phrase from Luke, “bear fruits in keeping with repentance,” evokes burning questions such as: What are the fruits of repentance? What are the practices and the disciplines by which a repentant believer lives? If this command comes to all who repent, how does that look in the life of a disciple of Christ? Throughout the New Testament, the term fruit or fruits is most often used metaphorically to indicate the visible expression or evidence of what has occurred internally and invisibly in the life of a follower of Jesus. The word fruit in Scripture often means the practices or characteristics displayed while living the Christian life. Using the term practice as a synonym for fruit, future posts will present five practices effectuated in the life of a believer who has genuinely repented. In the coming weeks, as you work through each of these practices, note that they are logically and progressively linked, and work cyclically throughout the Christian life. The end of repentance in the life of a believer is a sanctified life, such that when we see Christ face to face, we will recognize Him.
*This is the first in a series of blogs taken from the book The Power of Repentance by Barry Gibson
Packer, Growing in Christ, 124.
Packer, Growing in Christ, 124.
Wells, Turning to God, 40.
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