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"Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me." Psalm 51:2-3
“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel.” Mark 1:15
Satan persistently strives to convince our souls that repentance is easy. But we must remember that it is difficult work. Sin is active and goes for the extreme in its relentless pursuit of an insatiable grave. If we’re not careful, taking every thought captive, our slow drift from God can go unnoticed (2 Cor 10:5).
On the other hand, true repentance, translated from the Hebrew verb shuv — meaning "to return" — means returning to what is right and pure; that is a mighty work. It takes on a deeper meaning than being sorry or regretful of our mistakes. Turning away from sin, denying yourself, and returning back to God takes more than courage; it takes faith.
In fact, without faith, true repentance is beyond our power. If we look to the Greek New Testament, the word used for repentance is metanoia, meaning a transformative change of heart. This will not be accomplished with outward works. Such transformation is so arduous, it’s why Luther’s first of 95 points for discussion was: “Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, in saying, ‘Repent ye,’ intended that the whole life of believers should be penitence.”
A change of heart takes faith — faith in your forgiveness, faith that your shame is removed, faith in your eternal life through Jesus. What makes us capable of repentance is our conviction that we can call out for God, we need not be afraid, and we need not hide (Gen 3:10). We can live with Him, trust Him, love Him, and glorify Him — all without shame, because of faith.
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