By Zachary Teasley
As we live on this earth as a part of humanity, and because part of our makeup is of a physical nature, it is very likely that temptation will overtake us which will result in a transgression of God’s law. ”Let no one say when he is tempted,” I am tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then when desire has conceived it gives birth to sin; and sin when it is full-grown, brings forth death.” James 1:13-15. When we transgress God’s law it is a conscience decision that we make on our own volition. As James says we are drawn away by our own desires and enticed; yes, there are outside influences (temptations) that can encourage us to act irresponsibly, but it is on the individual who decides to take the bait and fall prey to sin. We must resist and endure temptation if we are to be with God after this life, James 1:12, “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.” It is very important to establish in this article that God does not accept or tolerate sin and if we continue in a sinful state or condition this will separate us from God. 1st John 3:3-10 helps us to define sin and its origin, for it says “And every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure. Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. And ye know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen Him, neither known Him. Little children, let no man deceive you; he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil; whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.” Not only is it important to know what sin is, its origin, and the dangers of continuing in it, we must equally understand how to get rid sin if we allow it to overtake us. This is accomplished or realized when we learn how to properly repent; Jesus Christ sums it up in Luke 13:3 for He says, “I tell you Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” When we are talking about repentance, or repenting from our past sins, and humbly, any forthcoming sins that we may commit in the future, it is of the utmost importance that we understand what true repentance means and how to repent of sins we commit so we may be restored and reconciled back to Jehovah God. Repentance is an acknowledgment by the sinner that he or she has violated God’s law and is deeply regretful and penitent about the wrongdoing which prompts them to change their whole disposition or demeanor, and then inwardly as well as outwardly behave in a manner that is completely opposite of the sinful way they behaved previously in their living. This change of mindset and change of will must be clearly evident both by word and deed. A few examples of this from scripture helps us in understanding this point: We have the situation in Matthew Chapter 3, when John the Baptist was executing his ministry and was baptizing many people in the Jordan River. The Pharisees and the Sadducees, who opposed Christ and His Kingdom, went out to John and when he saw them walking towards him, he declared in verses 7-8, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance.” Therefore, when we repent we must bear fruit or actions that prove that we have truly repented. We cannot still be performing the same behavior or acts as the sin violation and believe God will accept us this way. Another example from scripture is taken from Matthew 21:28-32, where Jesus Christ explains repentance using a parable, “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, Son, go, work today in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not, but afterwards he regretted it and went. Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go sir, but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father? They said to Him, The first. Jesus said to them, Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him.” From reading this passage, it is emphasized that repentance does not mean mere lip service followed by no action as the second son stated, “I go sir” but he did not act on what he said. A critical issue unfortunately in our time that we live, is many people are willing to admit that their behavior is sinful and wrong, however, they are unwilling to undo or stop performing the sinful actions that are in direct violation of God’s law under the New Testament. In other words, we must stop doing the sinful act that we were performing before, because if we do not, then this is not repentance. Romans 6:1-2, asks two vital questions, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Many souls are consciously choosing and deciding to override God and believe that they may stay in a sinful state such as fornication, unscriptural marriages, or drunkenness, etc… and God will make an exception to His law; “Certainly not,” as He declares in Romans! We say again for emphasis, God will not under any circumstances tolerate sin even after we have obeyed the gospel and have been added to His Kingdom, we can once again separate ourselves from His grace if we continue in sin. See 2ndPeter 2:20-21. As is indicated in the subject to this article, “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.” 2 Cor 7:10. As in military drill, when the Sergeant yells out “About Face” we must do an “About Face” from sin, a 180-degree turn!