“Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one
of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the
lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his
shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and
says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the
same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents
than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” – Luke 15:4-7
NIV
Most of us believe that all of us do not
need to repent before God because they think God completely understands all of
our circumstances, due to His steadfast love. They might even believe that God
will not forgive our unrighteous deeds that we did in the past. However, the
truth is that our God is forgiving God. He completely understands all of our
circumstances but we need to repent before Him, due to the fact that all of us
are sinners. This is because the word of God states, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 3:2)
If we claim to be
without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our
sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from
all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a
liar and his word is not in us. My dear children, I write this to you so that
you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the
Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our
sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 1:8-2:2)
God wants us to repent before Him because
our aim for our lives is to be completely holy before Him, so we may enter the
kingdom of heaven at the end of the age. Because of this, we must live our
lives as temporary residents while we are on the earth (1 Peter 1:13-17) and have to go through the
narrow road, even though it is hard (Matthew 7:13-14). The main reason why we
have to be holy until the end of the age is that we actually have been created
to be the image of God (Genesis 1:27). “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the
image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and
sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also
justified; those he justified, he also glorified.” (Romans 8:29-30) These are the reasons why
God has poured His Spirit into us (John 14:15-27) after Jesus Christ’s
crucifixion and His resurrection (John 16:7-15). Although God has poured His
Spirit into us, we have to crucify ourselves to the cross as well, such as our
own desires and passions that come from the natural world (Galatians 5:24-25). This is because we are
not able to serve both God and the world at same time (Matthew 6:24), due to the fact that desires
of the Spirit and flesh are contrary to each other (Galatians 5:17).
But do not forget
this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and
a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise,
as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone
to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
But the day of the
Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the
elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it
will be laid bare.
Since everything
will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to
live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its
coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and
the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking
forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.
So then, dear
friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found
spotless, blameless and at peace with him. (2 Peter 3:8-14)
Since followers of Jesus Christ is members
of Him (1 Corinthians 12:27), it is alright to
confess our sins to each other, as the word of God declares, “Therefore confess your sins to each other
and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous
person is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16) “For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these
members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form
one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” (Romans 12:4-5)
Consequently, you
are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people
and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and
prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole
building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And
in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives
by his Spirit. (Ephesians 2:19-22)
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