Repentance is a part of God’s plan of salvation.  On the day of Pentecost, a group of people asked Peter and the rest of the apostles what to do to be saved (Acts 2:37).  He told them to “repent and be baptized…” (ver. 38).  About three thousand souls obeyed the gospel on that day, repenting of their sins and being baptized, and the church was established (Acts 2:41, 47).

About five years later, Stephen became the first martyr for Christ, triggering great persecution against the church (Acts 6:8—8:3).  This persecution led to the scattering of disciples (ver. 4), leading Philip, one of the seven chosen to serve (Acts 6:1-7), to go down to Samaria and preach the gospel.

A man by the name of Simon, a magician who had previously amazed the people with his magic (ver. 11), obeyed the gospel.  His faithfulness was short-lived, and he fell from grace due to his greedy desire to possess the same power as the apostles (vers. 13, 18-21).  Peter admonished him, telling him to repent (ver. 22).  We see by this that repentance is both a part of obeying the gospel and being restored if we fall; therefore, the part repentance plays in our salvation cannot be overlooked.

When we openly sin against God, it becomes obvious to all, even to ourselves, that we must repent.  Paul spoke of some at Corinth who “have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness, and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed” (2 Corinthians 12:21).  These saints decided to continue in their sins.

There are other times when saints sin and because of ignorance or self-delusion, they do not realize that they are in sin.  The Hebrews writer refers to this as being “hardened by the deceitfulness of sin” (Hebrews 3:13).  How can this be avoided?  One way is to examine ourselves regularly.

Paul said, “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith” (2 Corinthians 13:5).   He was not telling them to determine if they had properly obeyed the gospel, but rather if they were continuing to be faithful.  Some begin to live a life that is not pleasing to God without realizing it.  To get back on track, they must repent, but to do that they must first recognize their wayward condition by an examination of self.

The parable of the prodigal son is a good example of this.  After he prematurely received his inheritance, he squandered it by living riotously.  He ended up hitting rock bottom when he found himself so hungry that he desired to eat the food that pigs ate.  Then Jesus said he “came to himself.”  That’s self-examination.  The young man said, “I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.”  His self-examination led to repentance.

Any of us can get off track.  The safeguard is self-examination.  Let us make a habit of examining ourselves so that if we need to, we will repent and do better.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.