Repentance from acts that lead to death

Romans 3:23 says all have sinned and fall short of God's glory. What does it mean to repent from acts that lead to death? The Greek word for "repentance" is "metanoia." It means a change of mind as it appears to one who repents. It is a change of purpose that has been formed or a reversal of something that has been done. Acts leading to death are acts, deeds, or things done that are destitute of force or power, inactive, and inoperative. These acts that lead to death are also called "sin," which is why Romans 3:23 is at the beginning of this. Sin can mean to be without a share in something, miss the mark, err and be mistaken, miss or wander from the path of uprightness and honor, or wander or go wrong from God's law by violating it. The Bible clarifies that ALL, with Jesus Christ as the only exception, have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. Every one of us has missed perfection's mark, which is what God requires. Jesus said in Matthew 5:48, "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

So if everything God made was perfect in the beginning, how did all of this become corrupted? First, perfection does not mean what is incapable of wrong necessarily. It can also mean that one just hasn't messed up yet. When the New England Patriots were undefeated going into the Super Bowl one year, they had a perfect record. That doesn't mean that they were unable to possibly lose, as the New York Giants demonstrated in the Super Bowl that year when they defeated them to win the Lombardi trophy. Nonetheless, it would have been correct to say the Patriots had a perfect record to that point, even though they were capable of losing at any time. So just because Adam and Eve were created as perfect people, that doesn't mean sin was impossible for them, as they, too, showed. The origin of evil came from Lucifer (a.k.a. Satan). Isaiah 14:12-17 describes Satan as falling from Heaven because he said in his heart that he would ascend to the heavens and raise his throne above God's stars. Satan sought to sit enthroned on the assembly mount, climbing above the clouds' tops and making himself like the Most High. But he will be brought down to the realm of the dead, the depths of the pit. Ezekiel 28:12-17 calls Lucifer perfection's seal, who was full of wisdom and perfectly beautiful. Satan was in God's garden in Eden. Every precious stone adorned him. God had ordained Lucifer as an anointed guardian cherub. But Lucifer's heart became proud because of his beauty. He corrupted his wisdom because of his splendor. So God threw Satan to the earth. Satan is the originator of acts that lead to death.

But even though repentance from acts that lead to death is required to begin or restore a relationship with God, it is essential to remember that remorse and repentance are not the same things. When Judas betrayed Jesus to Jesus' condemnation, Judas was seized with remorse and returned his bribery money, saying that he had sinned by betraying innocent blood. But he did not repent. Instead, he went to hang himself, overwhelmed with self-pity. Likewise, when Esau wanted to inherit a blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done. He could have gotten forgiveness for it had he totally repented in his heart, but there was no going back.

Repentance is necessary for salvation. Jesus talked about the necessity of repenting and believing in Mark 1:15. Acts 20:21 says Paul preached repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. To truly repent means to confess and forsake your sins. Psalm 66:18 says if you cherish sin in your heart, the Lord will not listen to you. 2 Corinthians 7:10 says godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation, but worldly sorrow brings death. Acts 3:19 says we are to repent and turn to God so that times of refreshing may come from the Lord. 2 Timothy 2:19 says everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.

But it's not just unbelievers that need to repent. Sometimes Christians also need to repent because believers, who have freedom from sin, often still choose it. The Apostle Peter had to repent for denying Jesus three times. King David repented in Psalm 51 for his sins, which included adultery and sending the husband of the woman he committed adutery with to be killed in battle to cover up his sin. Fortunately, God still calls King David a man after his own heart because of his genuine repentance, but he still needed to repent. In Luke 19, Zaccheaus repented of his sins by paying back four times what he cheated people out of.

When a person confesses and repents of their sins, they receive justification. The best definition for justification I have heard is when someone described it this way: "Just as if I'd never sinned." Being justified is what it means to be saved. Justification is not an excuse for sin or a reason for why someone sinned. It is wiping the slate clean, paying all spiritual debt that we could never pay ourselves. To be saved is to be forgiven from all sin and the judgment associated with it. It is totally based on God's goodness, for which we should all be eternally grateful.