“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.”-Acts 3:19
When you are under conviction, you realize that you are nothing more than an unworthy sinner in desperate need of a Savior. That you are lost in a wilderness of sin, wandering around doomed to destruction. The grace of God reveals this to us so that we might come to repentance, and through repentance we might be converted.
Conversion. To convert, meaning change. Convert from bad to good. From sin to righteousness. From disbelief to believing. Every sinner must first be converted if they want to be saved, because sin is an offense to God. The sinner is condemned before God, like the murder is condemned before the judge. It is not enough for the murderer to plead guilty. A guilty plea doesn’t serve justice. Justice must still be served. To the murder comes the death penalty. As a sinner, you are under the penalty of death. Pleading guilty is not enough to absolve you of your crime, because justice must be served. What can be done? How can justice be served? The prophet Micah writes: “Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” What can we do to be just before God? Repent. We cannot work enough or give enough money. Do enough “good deed”. Salvation begins with repentance. Jesus came to bear the justice of God for us, in so doing, justify those that believe in Jesus. Our plea is not only: “I am guilty.” Our plea is “I am guilty, but I believe.” “I believe Jesus died, and he died for me.” If you believe, you will seek Christ. You will turn from sin and by faith believe that Jesus has the power to forgive, cleanse, and sanctify you wholly. This is repentance. Repentance is a deep feeling of guilt, sorrow, and anguish that is accompanied by a complete turning away from sin. It is more than just feeling guilty and asking for forgiveness. It is confessing and abandoning sin. It is the desire, resolve, and subsequent action of turning away from sin to wholly follow Jesus. We must repent because we cannot continue serving sin and ever hope to serve God. We must repent because it is the only way to be forgiven, to be cleansed, to be converted, and to be sanctified.
Why does a bride put on a wedding garment? Why the white dress? It is a symbol. It is to show that she is pure, clean, and betrothed. Promised. She promised herself to the groom and the groom alone. This is repentance. This is conversion. We turn for the life of whoredom, and we are dressed in a garment of white. Promising ourselves to the groom. To Jesus Christ. Ready to be received by Him. What grace! What love! That Christ would reach so far so that we might be redeemed!
