July 30

God exalted Him to His right hand as Prince and Savior, in order to grant repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. — Acts 5:31 BSB

Jesus is exalted as “a Prince and Savior to give repentance and forgiveness of sins.” The two always go together. Whenever He gives repentance, He also gives forgiveness. Whenever He grants forgiveness, He also bestows repentance. Repentance cannot be neglected. Every child of God is brought to repentance, and by repentance, they turn away from their sins. But you may ask, “Have I truly repented? Considering the seriousness of my sins, shouldn’t I be mourning over them constantly if I were truly repentant?”

What makes you doubt? Is it because you often feel hard-hearted, dark, and cold? Here, we must distinguish between the godly sorrow for sin that is felt in the spiritual mind and the hardness and darkness of the carnal mind, which is still at enmity with God. There is no faith, love, or repentance in the carnal mind. Yet there have been times when, under a special influence from God, your heart has been softened, and you’ve truly repented. You’ve recognized how bitter and evil it is to sin against such a good and holy God. In those moments, your heart melted, your tears flowed, and you were filled with grief over your sins and the sufferings of Christ. In those moments, you could only humble yourself before His holy, all-seeing eye.