Turning Away

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Day Four

The word “repent” can be very misunderstood sometimes. For some it means simply acknowledging the truth of sin in our lives. For others it means feeling deep regret for our sin and its consequences. And still for others it means asking for forgiveness so that we no longer carry the weight of our sin.

All of these are part of the process we go through when we repent. But even as wonderful and transformative as each of these actions can be, they are incomplete in and of themselves. There is still one more thing that is needed before we can truly call it “repentance,” something that can be summed up in a single word:

Change.

If a driver is heading the wrong way down a one-way street, it’s not enough for them to acknowledge their mistake, feel sorry for it, and ask the other drivers to forgive them. Those are good things, but when they’re all done, the truth remains that the driver still poses a serious threat to others and to themselves. They need to stop. They need to turn around.

They need to change direction.

In Acts 3 when the Apostle Peter speaks to those amazed by the healing of a lame beggar at the temple gate, he uses the opportunity to share with them the message of salvation, issuing this call:

“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.”—Acts 3:19 (NIV)

He pairs the idea of repenting with the physical act of turning: away from sin and towards the God who has power to set them free. The Greek word Luke uses here for “repent,” metanoeo, means to change one’s mind. It’s more than acknowledging our sin and being sorry for it, it’s making a conscious decision to leave it behind. It’s committing ourselves to God’s process of transformation in our lives and walking away from the things that hinder that growth.

This is a helpful image for us on our Lenten journey. The very nature of the season tells us our destination: the cross of Christ. But we are not only walking towards something, we are walking away from something as well. We are walking away from the “sin that so easily entangles” (Heb. 12:1), away from our old self and its rebellious ways. We walk away as a choice, in an act of deliberate rejection that opens us to receive what God has for us.

The call to us goes beyond acknowledging, feeling remorse, and confessing. If we want to embrace true, biblical repentance, it also means turning away.

I’m turning away from the things that I do
That I know aren’t pleasing in your sight
I’m turning away from the messed up mindset
And the things that I know aren’t right
I’m turning away from the past the hurt and shame
All the things that had me bound
I’m turning away, turning away

Read the rest of the lyrics here.


Questions for Reflection

1) One seminary professor identified four components of repentance:

-turning away from evil,
-turning toward God out of love for God,
-through faith in Jesus and his saving work
-so that one may receive the forgiveness of one’s sins.

Spend some time reading each line separately, slowly, and prayerfully. Note the movement of your heart and soul as you do so: what catches your attention? Is there one part that God is calling you to spend some time contemplating more deeply?

2) Before there is repentance, there is remorse. But remorse for our sin can lead to cycles of guilt and shame that dim our awareness of the love of God because we feel unworthy and unlovable. How might we give the Holy Spirit more freedom in our lives to do the tender work of conviction in ways that lead to spiritual health, rather than falling victim to our own self-condemnation?

3) Some are concerned about any language that suggests we “earn” our salvation, and rightly so. What is different about the choices and actions involved in repentance and “salvation by works?”

4) The song refers to the burden of “the past, the hurt, the shame, all the things that had me bound.” Are there areas of hurt and shame related to your past sin that still burden and bind you? How might God be inviting you to a deeper level of repentance and freedom in those areas?

5) Read and reflect on this verse. Let it lead you into prayerful worship and gratitude:

“…for the Lord your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn his face from you if you return to him.”—2 Chronicles 30:9b (NIV)