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M00050269Imagine this scenario. You are sightseeing in a European city, walking down streets looking for a national landmark. You ask someone on the street where the landmark is and find out you are going the wrong way. At this point, you have a choice to make. You can continue on your path, assuming you know better than the local. Or you can turn around and go the other direction. But that turning around involves taking steps in the new direction. It would be silly to take the advice of the local person, turn around, and then stand still. You won’t reach the landmark simply by turning. You have to take steps in the other direction.

In considering the nature of repentance, we often focus on the turning around aspect. But we mustn’t miss what comes next: taking steps of obedience as a result of true repentance, a true “turning.”

Repentance and Purposeful Obedience

We see this in the language of “turning” we find in the Old Testament. Here is a portion of Psalm 119, where the psalmist, in response to the Lord’s all-consuming worth (v. 57), requests grace form the Lord, considers his ways, and then turns his steps back to God (v. 59).

The Lord is my portion; I have promised to keep Your words. I have sought Your favor with all my heart; be gracious to me according to Your promise. I thought about my ways and turned my steps back to Your decrees. I hurried, not hesitating to keep Your commands.

The change of mind wrought by repentance (v. 59) results in taking steps back toward God. The repentant sinner now has a desire to keep God’s Word (v. 58-59). His obedience is purposeful, and there is a sense of urgency attached to it. Note how the psalmist, after “turning his steps,” now hurries without hesitation to keep God’s commands.

Repentance is not something that comes naturally. We cultivate a life of ongoing repentance on purpose. We consider our actions in light of God’s grace toward us through the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Then, we walk in a new way of life, committing daily to follow our Savior. We put to death the deeds of the flesh as we walk by the Spirit.

Repentance and God’s Mission

One of the primary ways we take steps of purposeful obedience is to join God in His mission.

I love the story of Peter’s miraculous catch of fish, which leads him to fall to his knees with repentant spirit in response to Christ’s miraculous display of power and grace (Luk2 5). He felt sorrow for his sin and he committed to following Christ. We should remember, however, how that story ended. His following Christ entailed fishing for people. He didn’t simply renounce sin; he also received an evangelistic commission.

The same held true of the Apostle Paul. When he recounted his conversion experience before King Agrippa, Paul described his repentance as an embrace of this new calling on his life: to summon others to turn from darkness to life.

The repentant person is not content to step into the light and leave everyone else in the dark. We should not be content with celebrating our freedom from Satan’s tyranny while we dismiss the countless people around us still in chains.

Repentance entails a life of mission. The purposeful obedience on display in our lives of ongoing repentance is a missional obedience. As we walk worthy of repentance, we call others to follow Jesus.

– adapted from my contribution to The Gospel Project, Winter 2015, “The God Who Saves”. To preview The Gospel Project for free, click here.

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