When Jesus began preaching He said:
Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
[Mat 4:17]
... Jesus ... saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. [Mar 2:17]
As mentioned earlier Peter concluded the preaching of the first gospel message by saying:
Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission (forgiveness) of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off. [Act 2:38-39]
To repent of our sins we need to know what sin is. In the Jewish culture, at the time when Jesus preached, most people would have had a good idea of what sin is. However, today in our corrupt and perverted secular age it is not so well understood. So what does the Bible call sin?
The apostle Paul in his great explanation of the gospel in his letter to the Romans, wrote:
... by the law is the knowledge of sin. [Rom 3:20]
Jesus taught that we should not sin and that He would empower us to overcome it.
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
[Mat 5:17]
In the Bible the first five books are referred to as The Law. Let us see what sin is by looking at a core passage of the Old Testament Law that was given to the Israelites:
And God spake all these words, saying, I am Yehovah thy God, which have brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
(1) You shall have no other gods before me.
(2a) You shall not make unto you any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
(2b) You shall not bow down yourself to them, nor serve them: for I Yehovah thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
(3) You shall not take the name of Yehovah thy God in vain; for Yehovah will not hold him guiltless that takes his name in vain.
(4) Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the Sabbath of Yehovah thy God: in it you shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor the stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days Yehovah made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day: wherefore Yehovah blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.
(5) Honour your father and your mother: that your days may be long upon the land which Yehovah your God gives you.
(6) You shall not kill.
(7) You shall not commit adultery.
(8) You shall not steal.
(9) You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.
(10) You shall not covet your neighbour's house, you shall not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is your neighbour's.
[Exo 20:1-17]
However, Jesus raised the standard even higher for His followers.
Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, You shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment:
Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, You shall not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
[Mat 5:21-22, 27-28]
Jesus made some very interesting comments when He was questioned about the law:
Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, You shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. [Mat 22:36-40] (Jesus was quoting Deut 6:5 & Lev 19:18)
Here is another quote from the Bible that helps us see what God hates.
These six things does Yehovah hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
(1) A proud look,
(2) A lying tongue,
(3) Hands that shed innocent blood (murder),
(4) A heart that devises wicked imaginations,
(5) Feet that be swift in running to mischief,
(6) A false witness that speaks lies,
(7) He that sows discord among brethren.
[Pro 6:16-19]
Throughout the four Gospel books in the Bible, especially in John’s Gospel, Jesus expands on these principles, teaching not only what acts are ungodly but what our attitudes should be.
Loving – giving and not stingy.
Joyful – not complaining full of self pity and grief.
Peaceful – not full of strife and contention.
Humble – not considering ourselves superior to others.
Honest – not deceitful or hiding behind a mask.
Forgiving – not full of bitterness and resentment.
Full of faith – not full of fear.
The famous Sermon on the Mount contains many of the core teachings of Jesus. It can be found in Matthew’s Gospel chapters 5 to 7. It can be found in the following link:
| Jesus in Matthew |
So, we can summarise what sins we may need to repent of:
Not loving God and not living to please and obey Him.
Having things in our lives more important to us than God.
Being involved in false religions, witchcraft/occult activities.
Idolising activities and celebrities of media, music, sport etc.
Not loving those we come across in our lives.
Blaspheming – Using God's name without respect.
This includes using vulgar language.
Not being peaceful but being full of strife.
Not respecting our parents.
Murder – This includes unborn babies.
Including being bitter and angry towards others.
Adultery – Including looking at someone lustfully,
which can lead to unclean and immoral sexual activity.
Stealing – Restore items to owner where possible or destroy.
Lying – Including dominating and manipulating others.
Jealousy of others and craving what others have.
In line with what Jesus taught we also need to repent of being:
Unforgiving, angry, malicious, bitter, argumentative.
Selfish, uncaring, greedy, ungiving, stingy.
Judgemental, complaining, whining, gossiping.
This will included escaping reality through:
Entertainment, TV, videos, music, internet media,
drugs, drinking, games, sports, hobbies etc.
Proud, considering ourselves superior to others. Manipulation.
Vanity, going further than just taking good care of ourselves.
| Vanity > |
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