Why does the Church preach repentance so much!

Repentance is an interesting subject.  We expect people to repent immediately when they have committed a sin, but it is oftentimes not so simple.  Humans are very recalcitrant.  We get it in our heads that we are right.  The result is that in the midst of our sin we think we have done nothing wrong.  It takes a humble person to admit that what they have in fact done is very wrong.  And that is what repentance does, it humbles the proud in the imagination of their hearts that they are good people. 

It is a shame how so many can be coerced into thinking that their sin is not really sin.  When the Devil has wormed his way into the heart of a previously God-fearing man (for example a pastor or other church leader), he is easy to be believed by the common lay person, for when such a person has respect in the community, people will follow him and believe anything he says.  Such a person who opposes the Word of God, needs to only be told the law, for to tell him the Gospel would provide him only a false comfort that is not his.

Even worse is what he has done to those whom he has coerced with his false teaching.  It is these people who mourn even greater at what their sin has done as they were deceived by the lies of someone who appears God-fearing.

It is the coerced and misled who are the Christians who often feel the most condemned because their trust in the deceiver has led to the hurt of others and most especially to Christ and his bride the church.  The Jews at Pentecost had been coerced by the supposed leaders of the people, the Pharisees and Sadducees into thinking that Jesus was not the Savior.  And it was Peter who set them straight.  He preaches to them, concluding in Acts 2:36, “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

The Israelites had been duped by just a few people, who thought they knew all and who wanted things their way.  But when the truth is made known and they do not have these false pretenders breathing down their necks, they say, as in  v. 37, “When they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And the answer is simple: “Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’”

Repentance and the Gospel go hand in hand, you cannot divorce one from the other.  Just as Jesus said in Mark 1:15, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” The Gospel is for all people, but only when you realize that you need it does it do you any good.  If I believe that I have done nothing wrong, then why should I believe the Gospel.  but as soon as I am led to repentance, the gospel shines upon us as a beacon of light in the darkness of our sin.

Repentance is the joy of the Christian.  There is no doubt, in the sorrow of your sin, you have faith worked in you and you rightly believe you are forgiven.  When we sin against someone, we are to go to them and ask for forgiveness.  When we need that blessed assurance of forgiveness, when you can’t believe that your sins are truly forgivable, then you go to your pastor, and participate in private confession and absolution.  You will hear from your pastor, Do you believe that my forgiveness is God’s forgiveness? You respond, “yes.”  Then the Pastor says, “Let it be done for you as you believe.”  And he places his hand upon your head and says, “In the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ I forgive you all your sins, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” 

Yes this is as sure and certain as if it was done by God himself.  This act your pastor cherishes, he exhorts you to use, because the benefits are real, loving, and comforting.  For your pastor knows, that this forgiveness is not reliant on himself, but on the word and promise of Jesus.  He is the means by which this blessed gift is delivered, the mouthpiece of your Savior.

We are disobedient, obstinate people in need of the gift of Christ.  We need forgiveness and this is what is delivered in our repentance.  For repentance is simple: It is contrition and faith.  Contrition is the sorrow we have for our sins.  It is the realization of knowing that my sins put Jesus on the cross.  What must be added to it immediately is faith.  Now faith is not anything you do, it is created in you by the hearing of the Word.  Faith has an object, and that object is Jesus.  That is why repentance is a Christian act; it is only the believer who can truly be repentant for only the believer trusts that Jesus has saved him and redeemed him from his sins.  For this reason repentance is also not just a onetime event, it is a mark of the Christian to embrace the gift of Christ daily, as Luther points out in the first of his ninety-five theses.

When the Christian has been confronted by the fullfledged need to repent, true repentance thus becomes easier.  When we realize that we will truly be forgiven for Christ’s sake, we can go before the person we have sinned and say please forgive me.  When we realize that forgiveness is not based on the self but rather in the joy of a loving Savior, we desire to repent and ask for forgiveness all the more readily. 

Also if someone who has sinned against you asks for forgiveness, you do forgive.  Not because they have earned forgiveness, not because you are ready to forgive (which you may think you never are), but rather because you are in Christ, a repentant sinner, you forgive.   You don’t say, hey, it’s no big deal, don’t worry about it, or it’s ok.  Because it’s none of the above, sin is a big deal, and Jesus died for each and every one of your sins.  So the words you use are: I forgive you.

The one who is finally led to repentance is cause for great excitement.  As Jesus teaches in Luke 15, there is more rejoicing over the one lost person who has repented then over the 99 others who did not need to repent.  The reality being is that everyone needs to repent.  Everyone needs what their pastor’s mouth speaks. 

The next time you are called to repent by your pastor, don’t look at him like he has three eyeballs.  Don’t sneer at him  and complain how dare he tell me to repent.  Your pastor has your best interest at heart. He has your salvation in mind.  Repent and believe the Gospel.  Jesus desires to make your sins his and save you.