What Does It Mean to "Repent"?

"Repent and believe." The New Testament says that it is just that simple - and it is. But what does the word "repent" actually mean?

Proverbs gives us a pretty good starting definition: "He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion." (Proverbs 28:13 NASB) We must confess and forsake our sins. Confession without forsaking is hypocritical lip service.

But let's expand on this view a bit. What does it really mean to "forsake our sins"? The New Testament is relatively silent when it comes to expounding on repentance. However, this may be because such explanation has been adequately made in the Old Testament (hereafter, OT). The theme of faith in the OT sheds much light here. Faith is expressed with several key terms in the OT, including believe, delight, trust, and commit. To trust in God is to not trust in one's self. (Proverbs 3:5) To commit carries the thought of committing to God's way and rejecting your own. (Deuteronomy 30:2; Psalm 37:5; Proverbs 12:15; 14:12; Ezekiel 18:30) This theme of the way of God and the way of man is constantly seen throughout the OT. As William Dyrness put it, "Turning from one's own way and following the Lord and His statutes implies that the past way was wrong." (Themes in OT Theology, 163) That is, the past way is the way of sin. Our thoughts, our words, our actions...if they are not God's thoughts, words, and actions...are sin. This is why people like John MacArthur can say things like, "It doesn't matter what you think, or what I think. What does scripture say about the matter?"

So then, the first act of repentance is committing to the way of God. All later acts of repentance are returning to the way of God. This is why repentance is so important - even to elder saints! Any deviation from the way God has prescribed is treason against the Lord of the universe! It must be cast off without delay!

***The Application of the Matter***

(1) So many people, including church leaders, make the mistake of seeing repentance as merely the "confession of sins." Within the New Testament understanding of confession is implied the forsaking of that sin - running away from our way and returning to God's way.

(2) So much more dangerous is this crowd that asks, "What does this verse mean to you?" As if you or I were the final authority on what scripture says! It amazes me how many "Christians" say things like, "Well, I don't think God would..." (Go to scripture and find out!) or "My god is not like that!" (You are right! But the God of the Bible IS!) Scripture is the ultimate authority on who God is and how He works. To think incorrectly about God is to create a god of your own making - that is idolatry and arrogance. This is making a god to suit our way, not following God's way!

***The Ultimate Conclusion of the Matter***

If repentance is committing your life to the way of God (desiring to think, talk, and act as He would), which is the fullest sense of the word, then many people who flood the doors of American churches on Sunday mornings (including many church leaders) are NOT repentant - and therefore should not be seen as "Christians."

Where Has "Christ" Gone in "Christian Music"?

Allow me to begin with a disclaimer: I like almost ANY style of music. Style is not even an issue. My issue is with the lyrics of what is labeled as "Christian" music today. There have been several disturbing trends that need to be halted in the "Christian music industry." (Also, I will be focusing specifically on music because, quite frankly, I do not even want to begin discussing the mess that is touted as "Christian" radio.)

1. The extreme lack of Christ-centeredness...

This doesn't just happen in contemporary Christian rock/pop either. Many later hymns (post 1800 mostly) and most of the praise & worship and choir music today is guilty of being either man-centered or not centered on anything. On this point, I want to say up front that I'm sick of hearing about strutting around heaven with my crown on and getting my keys to my mansion! WHAT ABOUT CHRIST? DO WE NOT CARE THAT HE WILL BE THERE? I wonder how many people that call themselves "Christians" would sit and sulk on the streets of gold if they actually found out that "a place" doesn't mean a town full of gold mansions with silver lining and that they would have to - as we will all do - lay their crowns at the feet of Jesus - who is the WHOLE REASON heaven is what it is!

If Christ is the focus of the Bible (both the Old and New Testaments) - and He IS - then why is our music not centered on Him? So much of Christian music has gone to lyrics about creation. If I may paraphrase Tom Clay from GraceLife Chruch in Muscle Shoals: "Anyone can sing about God's creation, but only [true] Christians can understand and sing about Christ and His work." Should we be content "worshipping" with lesser songs than those that glorify the Savior who brought us from death to eternal life?

2. The generic language in the lyrics...

Aside from a general lack of Christ-centeredness, "Christian" music has taken (I'm guessing) a universalist view of God. What I mean is, instead of actually saying "God" (much less the more specific names for God like "Elohim" or "Adonai") or "Jesus," the "Christian music industry" has begun using generic pronouns like "you" to reference God. Why is that a problem? When a song does not reference God specifically, then it becomes no better than a secular love song - depending on the point of view from which a person views the lyrics. Examples:

Choice A: "From this moment, I have been blessed; I live only for your happiness. And for your love, I'll give my last breath..."

Choice B: "I'm living for the only thing I know; I'm running and not quite sure where to go. And I don't know what I'm diving into - just hanging by a moment here with you."

Which song sounds more Christian? If you said "A"- that would actually be Shania Twain...a country singer...and the song has nothing to do with God. By the way, the other excerpt is from Lifehouse - who is, or at least at one point was calling themselves a Christian band. There are countless other examples that I just don't have time to include.

3. The muddled lines between "Christian" bands and secular bands...

What does it mean to be a Christian? The word literally means little Christ. What does that mean? It means to live like Christ and be DISTINCT from the world!!! Sadly, we live with a cultural Christianity where the distinct people are almost extinct.

Here is an example on the one hand: The first time I saw a CD by the band Evanescence, it was on the shelf of a Christian book store. That same day, I heard the clerk actually recommend the CD to a friend for their teenagers. Granted, I've heard their music and SOME of it could be mistaken for Christian. However, a few weeks later, when asked about their huge "Christian" following, one of the band members, if I may paraphrase, said, "I don't know what these ****ing Christians are thinking; our music isn't Christian."

Here is an example on the other hand:
The band Lifehouse (I don't mean to pick on them, but they are just a really good example of my point.) became incredibly popular on the secular scene, yet as soon as they mentioned that they were "Christian," the Christian bookstores were flooded with their CDs. That's not to say that their music isn't good. In fact, they have some great messages, if you look at the music from a Christian perspective. The problem is that their songs do NOT mention God, Jesus, or anything else that would single them out as Christian. Their most popular songs are a great example of the previous point: when generic words like "you" are all that are used to refer to God or Jesus, the song becomes nothing better than a secular love song, especially to a person that is not a Christian.

4. Commands without reasons...

Praise the Lord! Give glory to His name! True...we should do these things, but WHY?

So many praise choruses today give commands to worship, love, and glorify God. However, those same songs say nothing of WHY we should do so. The "why" is essential! The Bible constantly reminds us to REMEMBER what GOD HAS DONE! If we do not understand why we should worship and make the "why" a reality in our own lives, then we become no better than the Pharisees, of which Jesus said, "They honor Me with their lips, but their HEARTS are far from me."

Conclusion...

In a cultural Christianity that (sadly) listens to "Christian" music more than it reads its Bible, and as a result gets its views more from those songs than the Bible, WE NEED SOLID MUSIC THAT IS GROUNDED IN THE WORD OF GOD AND IS CENTERED ON CHRIST!!!