A Few Comments About Sin & Repentance

Sin includes more than just doing bad things. It includes not only our actions, but also our thoughts, attitudes and motives. It includes not only the bad things we do, but also the good things we fail to do, or that we do for the wrong reasons.

All people have sinned. None are without sin.

Repentance involves a change, a turning around. When a person repents, he changes his thoughts, attitudes and motives. These, in turn, result in a change in his actions. The bad things he once enjoyed doing, he now hates to do. The good things he once did not want to do (or did for the wrong reasons) he now wants to do (and for the right reasons). Whereas he once did things his way, he now wants to do them God's way.

Repentance is a life-long process. The more we understand ourselves, the more we discover the presence of sin that was previously hidden from our sight. We learn that sin is deep-rooted within our very natures. As we struggle along with these issues, we have an increasing awareness that we, in our own power, are unable to remove this deep-rooted enemy that seeks to destroy us.

We learn that we need Jesus, who has conquered sin and death, to change us from within.

Dennis Hinks © 1999
041110