Repentance Can Be Costly by Dylan Stewart
In Luke 13:3,5, Jesus said, “I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” This language of this statement is direct and easy-to-understand, much like how Jesus stated in John 8:24, “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” Repentance, like faith, is instrumental to receiving salvation through the blood of Christ. That is why Paul explained in Acts 17:30, “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent.” However, repentance – turning away from the sins which separate us from God (see Acts 3:19, ESV) – is not always easy. In fact, there are many instances in which true repentance can prove to be costly.
Sexual Immorality (Cheating On a Spouse)
In Matthew 19:9, Jesus described His one singular exception to the requirement of life-long permanency for marriage: “And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.” Everyday, there are husbands and wives who sexually cheat on each other. However, it is not everyday that people get caught cheating on their spouse. A husband may cheat on his wife for years and never get caught. Then, he may wake up one day and realize the need to repent of his unfaithfulness. True repentance is going to require the husband to do something that may prove costly. First, he must terminate the sexual relationship with the person who is not his wife. Second, he must confess the sinful relationship to God AND his wife. Third, he must accept the consequences for his actions. Paul taught these truths in principle when discussing repentance in 2 Corinthians 7:11. By inspiration, the apostle wrote, “For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter.” In this case, when a husband who has cheated on his wife confesses his sin to his wife, the offended wife would have every right to divorce her cheating husband, according to Matthew 19:9. It could prove costly for the husband to repent of his sexual immorality that he committed against his wife. Yet, if the man truly desires "vindication” from his sins like 2 Corinthians 7:11 suggests, he must confess his transgressions to his wife and accept whatever earthly repercussions he may face as result of his sin.
Theft
If a person truly desires to repent of the sin of thievery, he must follow the command found in Ephesians 4:28, which reads, “Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.” When a thief has a change of heart and decides to no longer steal in order to serve Christ, the sin of thievery must be fully put in the “rear-view mirror” (see 1 Corinthians 6:9-11). However, if the man who stole another person’s belongings is still in possession of the stolen items, repentance would also demand he return the items to its rightful owner (consider again 2 Corinthians 7:11). If we sin against another person by stealing from them, we must seek to clear ourselves with the wronged person. Although we may have to face severe consequences for our sin, if we desire to repent of the sin of thievery, we should mirror the attitude of Zacchaeus when he was accused of sinning – “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold” (Luke 19:8). Repentance can be costly (both figuratively and literally) when it comes to the sin of thievery, but we ought to be willing to pay the cost in order to make things right with God and the offended person.
Jobs Where We Contribute to Sin
Several passages stress the importance of not contributing to/condoning/participating in other people’s sins. Consider the following:
“Do not lay hands on anyone hastily, nor share in other people’s sins; keep yourself pure” (1 Timothy 5:22).
“And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them” (Romans 1:28-32).
“Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds” (2 John 9-11).
“Do not let anyone deceive you with foolish words; it is because of these very things that God’s anger will come upon those who do not obey him. So have nothing at all to do with such people . . . Have nothing to do with the worthless things that people do, things that belong to the darkness. Instead, bring them out to the light” (Ephesians 5:6-7, 11, GNT).
When I was growing up, my dad drove a truck delivering beer to gas stations, bars, restaurants, etc. If a person who claimed to be a follower of Christ had that job, he would violate all of the above listed passages. Although the person would not be directly partaking in the consumption of alcohol, which in and of itself is a sin (see Ephesians 5:18; 1 Peter 4:3), he would, however, be contributing to others partaking in this sin. Similarly, if a person wants to faithfully follow God but he works as a contractor designing/creating weapons for warfare that inflict harm on other people, he would need to quit that job because of what the following passages teach:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also" (Matthew 5:38-39).
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” (Matthew 5:43-44).
“Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here’” (John 18:36).
“Love does no harm to a neighbor”(Romans 13:10a).
“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil” (1 Corinthians 13:4-6).
Like with the case of a person delivering alcohol, although the contractor is not the person actively engaging in the sinful act (in this case, harming/killing our country’s enemies), he would be guilty of contributing to, or aiding, other people who do participate in this sinful act. Most contracting jobs in this particular field are very good-paying jobs. As result, it could be quite costly for a person to repent and leave that job in order to be forgiven for contributing to the sin of causing harm to another person, but that is exactly what it would take in order to be “clear in this matter” (see again 2 Corinthians 7:11).
Unlawful Marriages
When a person desires to faithfully follow God, he must examine his personal relationships to ensure that his associations align with what God expects. This point is especially true when it comes to marriage (see Hebrews 13:4). It is very common for people who claim to be Christians to be living in unlawful marriages which clearly violate the law of Christ. The most common unlawful marriage in our society today is an adulterous marriage. Looking again at Matthew 19:9, Jesus explains, “And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.” In other words, when a divorce occurs for reasons other than sexual immorality, not only is it wrong for the one doing the divorcing to remarry, but it is also wrong for the one who was divorced to remarry. It is considered adultery and thus sinful for either party to remarry. We find the reason for this fact in the book of Romans. It is written, "For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man" (Romans 7:2-3). The reason it is wrong for unscripturally divorced people to remarry is because they are "bound" to one another for life. Although the government may say they are no longer bound to their marriage oaths, they are still bound together in the eyes of the Lord.
Passages like 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 inform us that “adulterers” (among other types of sinners) “will not inherit the kingdom of God,” meaning they will not be saved. However, one can repent of adultery and be forgiven just like any other sin. But for God to forgive one who commits adultery, the adulterer must be willing to pay the cost through true repentance by turning away from the adulterous marriage. In other words, the person must end the unlawful marriage because doing so would be a proper "fruit" of repentance (Matthew 3:8). Consider three Bible parallels that prove this point to be true:
The book of Ezra describes the Israelites marrying foreign women in direct violation of Deuteronomy 7:3-4. As result of their sin, Ezra exhorted them to “separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives" (Ezra 10:11b). Though the Israelites were not under New Testament law, we can see the parallel for an unlawful marriage today. When people today violate passages like Matthew 19:9 and Romans 7:2-3, God expects them to get out of those unscriptural marriages.
Mark 6:17-18 records the following in regards to the unlawful marriage of Herod and Herodias: “For it was Herod who had sent and seized John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because he had married her. For John had been saying to Herod, ‘It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.’" The word "have" denotes possession, ownership, or continuing to undergo and experience something. In this case, based on his rebuke, it is quite obvious that John the Baptist wanted Herod to cease the unlawful marriage with Herodais.
If a person was in a homosexual marriage and wanted to become a Christian, would God accept him if he did not turn from the sin of homosexuality? If we say one in an adulterous marriage does not need to end the marriage, we must also say the homosexual can continue in his homosexual relationship even though the Bible clearly says that would be sinful (see Romans 1:26-27). If we can see why a homosexual relationship must be terminated upon repentance in order to be right with God, then we must apply the same logic to all other unlawful marriages (including adulterous ones), which, like every sin, must be forsaken.
No doubt, to repent of an unlawful marriage will prove costly, but, rest assured, it will be worth it in the end – “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled; for God will judge the immoral and adulterous” (Hebrews 13:4, RSV).
Unequal Yokings
Going along with the previous point, when a person seeking to do right before the Lord examines his personal relationships, he may find that some of his relationships violate 2 Corinthians 6:14, which reads, “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?” Merriam-Webster defines the word “yoked” as: “To become joined or linked.” Although this passage, in its context, does not specifically condemn marriages to non-Christians, it does condemn unequal yokings of any kind. It is a sin to be unequally yoked to non-believers, whether in our work relationships, personal relationships, or any other relationships we have. Therefore, marriage to non-Christians would be included in the restriction to not be unequally yoked, especially when we consider how Jesus defined marriage: “So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate” (Matthew 19:6). Unlike adulterous marriages, if a Christian marries a non-Christian, he is not required to terminate the marriage in order to repent (see 1 Corinthians 7:12-13). However, when a person repents of being in an unequally yoked marriage, there is a high probability that the spouse will be hurt by the realization that the Christian recognizes he committed sin by entering the union. If the spouse is such an unbeliever that she does not recognize the importance of the Christian properly repenting, hard feelings can fester and the marriage can crumble; the non-Christian spouse may feel so wronged that she even pursues a divorce although she has no scriptural right to do so. That is just how costly it can be for the Christian who truly repents of an unequal yoking. If this happens, the Godly person should always remember Jesus and Peter’s conversation not long after the Lord gave His law on divorce and remarriage: “Then Peter answered and said to Him, ‘See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?’ So Jesus said to them . . . ‘Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life’” (Matthew 19:27-29). It can be costly to repent of a marriage that qualifies as an unequal yoking, but inheriting eternal life certainly proves to be worth it.
Lying
The following New Testament passages show that lying is a sin which will directly lead to eternal death without proper repentance:
“But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death” (Revelation 21:8).
“Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him” (Colossians 3:9-10).
People think lying, especially “white lies,” aren’t a big deal, but these passages teach the exact opposite. If a person desires to repent of lies he has told, it can prove costly. For example, if a person gets hired for a job based on lies he included in his resume, true repentance will probably lead to that person losing that job. Another example is a person who lies on their taxes; true repentance will likely lead to fines and/or jail time.
Croft Pentz said, “A lie may take care of the present, but it has no future.” The Proverbial writer and the Psalmist repeatedly echoed Mr. Pentz’s sentiment.
“Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment” (Proverbs 12:19, ESV).
“A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will not escape . . . A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will perish” (Proverbs 19:5,9, ESV).
“The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a snare of death” (Proverbs 21:6, ESV).
“No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes” (Psalm 101:7, ESV).
“You destroy those who speak lies; the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man” (Psalm 5:6, ESV).
Whenever a person who lies repents, he must realize that although he was able to take care of whatever problems he was trying to avoid at the time when he spoke the lies, he will have to face punishment for his lies eventually. It is certainly better to receive the potential earthly consequences for repenting of lying rather than the eternal consequences of unrepented lies.
Conclusion
In Luke 14, Jesus laid out His terms for discipleship. In verse 28, He asked, “For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it?” As we have seen, repentance can be costly. Yet, as Jesus declared in Luke 14:33, “So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.” Following Christ may mean we must forsake possessions we have acquired sinfully, quit good paying jobs that cause us to contribute to sin, terminate unlawful marriages, repent of unequally yoked relationships, or face unpleasant earthly consequences for our sins. Yet, if we want to follow Christ, we must count the cost of every sin we commit and be willing to pay whatever is required (literally or figuratively) in order to repent of those sins. Remember, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). Let’s take full advantage of God’s patience and repent, when necessary.
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