Repentance Is Our Only Course Of Action

Then my people will know that I am the LORD their God, because I sent them away to exile and brought them home again. I will leave none of my people behind. [Ezekiel 39.28]

Punishment has one purpose, but serves two. This is important.

God's primary purpose for punishment is to bring about repentance. Repentance opens the door for restoration to come.

God's secondary purpose for punishment is to eliminate His opposition. Punishment seeks out pride to destroy it.

The proud man, group, or nation who shakes their fist at God in their punishment doing all they can to resist and overcome it, will ultimately succumb to dismal failure. God cannot be overcome.

The humble man, group, or nation who recognizes the error of their ways before Almighty God and sincerely repents turning away from their sin, will ultimately enjoy restoration. God will be glorified in the earth.

It is the humble man, group, or nation that genuinely knows God is sovereign, that curses are only attached to sin, and that repentance is the only response to curses.

The proud man, group, or nation that refuses to acknowledge God is sovereign, explains curses with worldly explanations, and is left to its own insufficient means to overcome curses.

Punishment needs to be understood in light of what the Bible teaches. Because the Bible lays claim to curses being the just recompense for disobedience (Deuteronomy 28 and elsewhere), it is flagrant pride against God to treat curses with any other understanding (including natural scientific explanations).

Curses require repentance every time. Curses require repentance until the offense is forgiven and the curse is removed. Forgiveness is the ONLY true means of restoration. Forgiveness is God's will and desire, but is repelled by pride (the refusal to acknowledge disobedience and subsequently repent).

A man-sized solution to a God-sized problem is futility. Sin and its curses cannot be remedied by the invention of man. Sin and its curses can only be remedied by the forgiveness of God in response to genuine repentance.

Suffice it to say here that sufficient repentance brings restoration. Man's valuation of his own repentance is invalid (and proud). God's valuation of man's repentance is manifest in restoration. Until there is restoration, repentance is not complete. Genuine repentance is measurable only in subsequent restoration.

Jesus started His earthly ministry with these words:

From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” [Matthew 4.17]

This only confirmed what John the Baptist had already begun to preach:

“Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” [Matthew 3.2]

Any Gospel message that does not begin with the instruction to repent is in danger of error.

Father, help us to understand that repentance is our only course of action as it alone accurately represents genuine humility.