Reformation Begins with Repentance

By Dave Jenkins

It is possible to celebrate the Protestant Reformation while resisting the correction of God’s Word. We can appreciate faithful preaching, defend sound doctrine, and identify error in the church while excusing sins in our own lives.

The ongoing work of reformation requires us to place ourselves under the same Scriptures we call others to believe. God’s Word addresses our doctrine, worship, relationships, speech, and conduct. Faithfulness means receiving everything God says, including the truths that expose what we would rather leave untouched.

Repentance belongs at the heart of this work. The Lord calls His people to acknowledge their sins, turn from them, and walk in obedience through the grace He supplies in Christ.

God’s Word Addresses Us Personally

In James 1:22–25, James warns against hearing the Word without doing what it says. He compares the forgetful hearer to someone who looks in a mirror and then walks away, forgetting what he saw.

The problem is not a lack of exposure to the truth. The person hears the Word but fails to respond faithfully.

That warning deserves our attention. We can listen to sermons, read theological books, and discuss the problems facing the church while remaining unwilling to obey what Scripture plainly teaches. Increased biblical knowledge should deepen our awareness of God’s holiness and our dependence on His grace. Yet knowledge can become an occasion for pride when we use it to examine everyone except ourselves.

When Scripture exposes sinful anger, we must address our anger. When it confronts dishonesty, we must stop making excuses for deception. When it commands purity, we must turn from the sins we have learned to conceal.

The Word we defend has authority over us.

Godly Grief Leads to Repentance

In 2 Corinthians 7:8–11, Paul describes the Corinthians’ response to his painful letter. Their grief led them to repentance. They became earnest about addressing the sin Paul had confronted.

Paul distinguishes godly grief from worldly grief. A person can feel sorrow because sin has damaged a reputation, disrupted a relationship, or brought painful consequences. Those consequences may be serious, but regret alone does not mean the heart has turned toward God.

Godly grief recognizes that we have sinned against the Lord. It leads us to confess our wrongdoing and take obedience seriously.

We should therefore examine how we respond when our sins become clear. Do we immediately explain why someone else is more responsible? Do we focus on how the correction was delivered while refusing to consider whether it was true? Do we want the discomfort to end more than we want the sin to end?

Repentance involves an honest acknowledgment of our guilt before God. It also bears fruit in a changed response to what He commands.

Sound Doctrine Must Shape Our Conduct

Titus 2 connects sound doctrine with the lives of God’s people. Paul addresses the conduct of older men, older women, younger women, younger men, and servants. He then explains that the grace of God trains believers to renounce ungodliness and live faithfully as they await Christ’s return.

Grace teaches us how to live.

This means our theological convictions must shape the way we treat people. A commitment to biblical authority should be evident in our homes, churches, conversations, and online interactions.

We cannot faithfully defend the dignity of people made in God’s image while treating them with contempt. We cannot uphold biblical leadership while excusing intimidation or cruelty. We cannot insist that others submit to Scripture while treating our own conduct as beyond examination.

First Timothy 3 makes character central to the qualifications for church leadership. A man’s ability to teach does not remove the requirement that he be self-controlled, respectable, gentle, and free from the love of money.

The Lord cares about both the truth we confess and the conduct that accompanies our confession. Reformation must reach both.

Repentance Bears Concrete Fruit

In Luke 3:8–14, John the Baptist calls people to bear fruit consistent with repentance. When the crowds ask what they should do, his answers address practical matters: generosity, honesty, contentment, and the abuse of power.

These actions do not purchase forgiveness. They demonstrate the reality of a changed response to God.

The same principle applies to us. If we have slandered someone, repentance includes correcting the falsehood. If we have deceived our spouse, repentance requires telling the truth. If we have used authority selfishly, repentance involves ending that conduct and receiving appropriate accountability.

A vague acknowledgment that “mistakes were made” can leave the actual sin unaddressed. Biblical confession names our wrongdoing honestly.

We should also resist demanding immediate restoration of trust. Forgiveness and trust are related, but trust may need to be rebuilt through consistent faithfulness over time. Genuine repentance accepts that others may need time to see the fruit of change.

Our concern should be to honor Christ and care for those we have harmed.

Christ Is the Hope of Repentant Sinners

Honest self-examination can be painful. As Scripture exposes our sins, we may see how often we have defended ourselves, minimized our wrongdoing, or failed people we love.

The answer is to come to Christ.

In 1 John 1:5–2:2, John calls believers to walk in the light, confess their sins, and rest in the provision God has made through His Son. He writes to discourage sin while assuring believers that Jesus Christ is their advocate with the Father.

Our hope rests in the Savior who died for sinners and rose again. His finished work provides the foundation for forgiveness. His grace enables us to bring our sins into the light.

We do not need to pretend we have no sin. We need to confess it and turn from it, trusting the sufficiency of Christ.

This also shapes how we respond to the repentance of others. We should take sin seriously, protect those who have been harmed, and pursue appropriate accountability. We should also remember that the gospel offers real forgiveness and transforming grace to sinners who come to Christ.

A Church Continually Submitted to Scripture

The ongoing work of reformation includes clear preaching, sound doctrine, faithful worship, and biblical discernment. Each of these calls us to submit more fully to God’s Word.

That submission must become personal.

We need the Lord to expose the sins we overlook in ourselves. We need His grace to receive correction, confess honestly, and obey faithfully. We need churches where biblical truth is taught clearly and where leaders and members alike live under its authority.

As we remember the Reformation, let us ask the Lord to reform our lives according to His Word. Let us turn from the sins we have excused and pursue the obedience He commands.

Christ is sufficient for our forgiveness and our growth in holiness. We can therefore face our sins honestly, repent sincerely, and continue following Him with hope.

Continue Growing in Biblical Faithfulness

Explore more articles in Always Reforming: Fidelity to God’s Word in Every Generation for biblical encouragement to grow in sound doctrine, repentance, and faithful Christian living.

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