The English word “repent” (in some form) is found about 70 times in our Bibles, with the large majority appearing in the New Testament. Repentance was the keynote message of John the Baptist (Matt. 3:2), Jesus (Matt. 4:17), Peter (Acts 2:38), Paul (Acts 17:30), and was the Divine plea throughout the apostolic era (2 Pet. 3:9; Rev. 2:5). But repentance is hard!
Someone once observed, “The hardest thing about repentance is the repenting.” True repentance is preceded by “godly sorrow” (2 Cor. 7:9-10). There must be a deep, overwhelming grief in one’s heart for his actions, choices and way of life, which then leads him to a change of heart/mind and a determination to turn in a new (heavenly) direction. True repentance is succeeded by “works” or “fruit in keeping with repentance” (Acts 26:20; Matt. 3:8). Repentance is more than just sorrow. Sorrow leads to repentance, and then repentance leads to definite changes of life as evidence of the changed heart. One cannot continue in sin and persist in a sinful life-choice and still find “salvation” (2 Cor. 7:10). Whatever is separating one from God must be discontinued!
This is a hard teaching for some to accept. But I want you to consider it from this perspective. When it comes to the matter of sin, God says, “Don’t go over there! Don’t go over there! Don’t go over there!” God says that about fornication, adultery, homosexuality, stealing, etc., etc. He says it about all sin. But, for some reason, there are some individuals who believe that they should be able to stay where they are (where God said not to go) and God will still accept them. There are individuals who are living in a relationship that God deems as “fornication” (1 Cor. 5:1) and others living in a relationship that God deems as “adultery” (Luke 16:18), but they believe that God’s love will (or should) accept them in whatever relationship they want to remain. However, such a belief cannot be supported by the Scripture.
To state it plainly, here is what the “remain in whatever relationship you are in” doctrine must affirm. It is essentially claiming that when it comes to the matter of sin (including fornication and adultery), God says, “Don’t go over there! Don’t go over there! Don’t go over there! Oh, ok. Now that you’re over there and want to stay over there, that’s ok. You can stay and I’m ok with it.” Does that sound like what the Bible teaches? Is that in harmony with what God teaches about repentance? No, it is not, for in such a claim there is absolutely no repentance!
Repentance demands change! Repentance demands leaving sin (and sinful relationships)! It is hard! No doubt! But we know, from passages like 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, that it can (and must) be done! God help us to respect His will, not ours!