This, the month of Tishre in the Hebrew calendar, ushers in a season of repentance. Beginning with the first of Tishre, referred to as the Feast of Trumpets and Rosh Hashanah, the signal to awake and repent--the sounding of the shofar--is heard around the world. The sound is a warning that now is the time to turn back to God and to serve the King with complete obedience. Despite the gravity and somberness of this time, we are comforted by the knowledge of God's attributes of mercy, compassion and loving kindness. Just as His judgement is sure, so is His forgiveness of the repentant sinner! This year, my understanding of repentance has changed and been expanded. In the past, I equated repentance with saying sorry and asking for forgiveness, resting in the assumption that Jesus forgives all and will take care of my sins for me. Today I realize that Jesus' main message, His gospel, has largely been ignored or misapplied. He taught us to "Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand." He commanded us to repent, but what does that mean? I see repentance now not merely as saying sorry, but as a commitment to applying the "victory in Jesus power" to my life and fighting to overcome the habits of sin in my life. Repentance is more than a head and heart acknowledgement of sin, it is a hand and mouth effort to control our sinful flesh. We see this precept in action when Jesus interacts with the adulterous woman. She first acknowledges her sin, then He offers forgiveness with the command to "Go and sin no more." It is expected that if she is truly repentant, she will not commit this same sin again. I have always rested in the belief that Jesus paid it all, did it all, loves it all and forgives it all. Though there are aspects of truth to be found within these statements, the fact remains that Jesus cannot do it all for us. He cannot make repentance on our behalf. That is something only the individual can and must do if he desires right standing with God.  This was His urgent plea to people where He went and when He taught.   Paul echoes this message by declaring "throughout all the region of Judea and to the Gentiles, that the people should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance." (Acts 26:20) This is the time when "Sorry" just isn't  enough, and by itself can't make things right. The repentance is our part, the forgiveness is God's.

The great sages of Judaism (which was the religion of Jesus and the first-century believers) have many wonderful teachings about the power of repentance and the importance of turning back to the ways of God. I pray the following quote helps strengthen your commitment to overcoming sin during this season of repentance!

"Great is repentance, for it reaches to the Throne of Glory. Great is repentance, for it makes the Redemption by the Messiah to come near. Great is repentance, for it lengthens the years of a man's life." (Yoma 86a)