I’ve always been a little leery of people who stand on the corner of a busy city street with a sign that says “REPENT… before it’s too late… or else… or go to Hell… etc…” Yeah. Those people. It’s always felt too harsh, too impersonal, and too direct. While I am not onboard with their ministry tactics, I don’t doubt that their intent is coming from a good place because repentance is something that God does desire from us.
Recently, I have made the discovery that God desires repentance from everyone, even Christians. It doesn’t have to be super formal or planned. It just needs to be often. I think that’s why the Catholic Church encourages people to go to confession on a regular basis. We need to confess our sins/ be aware of our sins so that we may be reminded in our hearts where God stands in our lives. I’ve been reading some old stories about the Kings of Israel during the Old Testament times and have been blown away by how God blesses the kings who come to a point of repenting of their sins. It didn’t matter how evil they were and how many temples they destroyed or how many other gods they worshiped in place of Him. All that mattered to God was if they came to a point where they would dethrone themselves to Him. He was pleased by their hearts’ deep apologies and showered grace on them when this occurred. Read 2 Chronicles 33:1-17 for an example of this.
So while I still get weird vibes from the REPENT signs, is it a good thing to remember? Yes. Is it offensive to put on billboards or signs in front of churches? Yes. But it’s only offensive because we all (no exceptions) want to sit on our own throne and play King over our lives. “Repent” reminds us that we don’t belong there. God does.
