Answer: Repentance unto life is a saving grace, by which a sinner, being truly aware of his sinfulness, understands the mercy of God in Christ, grieves for and hates his sins, and turns from them to God, fully intending and striving for a new obedience.
Repentance is a saving grace. It is something God gives to His people.
On our own, we would not repent of our sin.
Our hearts are sinful and they like being sinful.
Like faith in Christ, repentance is not something that we could come up with on our own.
Like faith in Christ, repentance is required by God for salvation. And like faith in Christ, repentance is a gift that God gives to those whom He has chosen to be His people.
When we repent, we are sorry, not that we have dishonored ourselves by our bad actions, but that we have dishonored God. Sometimes people realize that they have done what is wrong and their conscience makes them feel bad. Then they are sorry because they feel guilty. When we really repent, we are not sad because we have hurt our own consciences or feelings, but because what we have done has wounded Christ. When we repent, we come to hate our sins. The very things we used to enjoy doing so much, we think about now with hatred and disgust. We see ourselves as hateful and disgusting too, because we have done what God hates.
If anyone thinks that all he has to do to be forgiven is just to feel bad about sinning or to tell God “I’m sorry,” he is wrong.
Our faith must be in Christ as the One who took the punishment for our sin. That is the only way God will forgive it.
God is holy and just and never forgives sin that has not been punished.
He offers us mercy and forgiveness only because Christ has been punished for our sin.
Repentance is more than just a feeling. Judas felt bad about turning Jesus over to His enemies. He felt so badly that he killed himself. But Judas did not repent. He did not turn from his sin and turn to God.
When a person repents, he hates his sin and no longer wants to have anything to do with it.
When a person repents, he turns to God, asking for His mercy and forgiveness.
A person who truly repents wants to begin to obey.
The end of the answer to this catechism question tells us that truly repenting includes “fully intending and striving for a new obedience.” It would not be repentance if we said we were sorry but planned to go right back to our sin. A person who has been given a changed heart by God no longer wants to sin. Now he wants to obey God.
He will not be able to obey God perfectly, because he is still a sinner. But he will have God’s Holy Spirit living in him to make him want to obey and to make him able to obey. That is why we call it a “new obedience.” Before a person has the Spirit of God living in him, he cannot please God. A person who truly repents and turns to Christ in faith will want to obey God and will try hard, with the Holy Spirit’s help, to do so. Read 1 John 2: 3–6.
Starr Meade. Training hearts, teaching minds : family devotions based on the shorter catechism.
