Luke 24.47 commands repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His Name to all nations.

It would appear that the Church has half-listened to the final command of the Lord Jesus – we do a great job proclaiming the forgiveness of sins through Jesus the Savior.

The other half of His command and the part we don’t do well is the proclamation of the command to repent before receiving forgiveness.

Like the salesman who only talks about benefits but not costs has the church become in its proclamation of forgiveness without repentance.

The Lord Jesus always talked about cost to follow Him not appearing to care that many left Him as a result of His insistence on Him first and Him foremost (John 6.66).

Lest we offend people we only let people know God loves them and will forgive them for everything they have ever done against Him. While certainly true it is not complete.

To receive this forgiveness not only must we ask but we must commit, with God’s help, to no longer live in those things from which we are repenting.

The result of our failure to preach repentance is a church full of people whose lives are hardly different from when they began attending church.

Repentance means we stop doing those things for which Christ was punished for our doing: lying, stealing, cheating, hating, sexual immorality, drunkenness, lust, covetousness, greed, idolatry and so on. The Apostle Paul writes in all of his letters that these former behaviors are to die when we receive new life in Christ.

The true Christian has not added Jesus to their life but replaced their life with the life of Jesus by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit.

God longs to forgive all those who repent and seek Jesus as their Lord and Savior.