In Jesus’ letters to the seven churches, there’s a recurring phrase:
2:5 – Repent, and do the works you did at first.
2:5 – I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.
2:16 – Therefore repent.
2:21 – I gave her time to repent.
2:22 – I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works.
3:3 – Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent.
3:19 – Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.
The Call to Repent is Mandatory
Every time Jesus issues the command to repent in these letters, he includes a warning of condemnation and a promise of salvation.
Churches who don’t repent will have their light removed (2:5); Jesus will “war against” those who do not repent (2:16); those who don’t repent will be thrown into tribulation and killed (2:22-23); Jesus will “come against” those who do not repent (3:3); those who fail to repent will be “spit out” of Jesus’ mouth (3:16).
But those who do repent will eat of the tree of life in paradise (2:7); those who repent will receive the “hidden manna” of heaven (2:17); those who repent will reign with Christ (2:26-28, 3:21); those who repent will be clothed permanently in Christ’s holiness (3:5); Jesus will come in and eat with those who repent (3:20).
The message is clear and it is of the highest importance: Those who do not repent have not truly believed, are not saved, and will be condemned. Those who do repent have truly believed, are saved, and will live with Christ forever in the new creation.
Defining Repentance
With the warning of eternal death and the promise of eternal life laid out for us, we each need to know the answer to this question: Have I repented and am I repenting?
Both of these questions are important, because repentance is both a decisive action and a continual process. But more on that in part 2. For now, here is a definition of repentance that will help us to answer these questions:
Repentance is a turning away from sin to God that is motivated by love for God and hatred for sin.
Have you repented?
Are you repenting?
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.