Excerpt From: How To Be Alive - Repentance

There is a prevailing doctrine among Christian churches that isn't spoken but is often implied; salvation is by grace, but sanctification is done by hard work and discipline. This is just as evil as handing an empty bottle to an infant and telling it, "If you suck hard enough you will be fed." Sin is not an external act that can just be prevailed upon by will, sin is an internal, spiritual disconnect from God that serves its own desires.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus took the generally accepted definition of sin and expanded it to also include the thought of the sin, the feelings that lead to the act. The act of sin happens when we are carried away by our selfish desires. It is not I doing it; it is the sin within me having its way.

Nearly all of my poor decisions and stupid mistakes can be traced back to a selfish or prideful motive. It is impossible to serve and care for other people, and even more, it is impossible to serve God when you have a deep motivation to get the best for yourself. So should we repent for the act of sin or the thought that causes the act?

God's pursuit of us has never been for us to behave ourselves, He is not like a father who merely wants silence, it has been an all-out pursuit of our heart. He wants us to love Him with all of our heart and soul, not just our mind or strength. He is searching for the heart that belongs to Him, not the heart that is perfect and complete; He is the one who perfects, completes and strengthens what belongs to Him.

What then happens to our sin when we repent? I know a lot of people would like for the Lord to erase their failures from the face of the earth, but this is not how God works. The depth of our failure serves as an example to the height of God's grace. 

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When we let go of our pride and let God have all authority in our lives over our past, present and future, He has promised to cause all things to work together for our good and His purposes. It is only through the repentance from sin that we are made ready to be an example of the grace and goodness of God. God doesn't just clean us from all unrighteousness; He redeems our history bringing light to all of the dark places in our hearts. In this we bring glory to God, displaying His wonderful character to everyone we meet. 

When we hold on to sin and, with all our effort, try to wrestle it into submission, we may make some progress. But we are consumed by the suppression of our sin and keeping people from discovering our secrets. In this we cannot love, we cannot do what God has asked us to do. This is not repentance. Repentance not only turns from sin and the thoughts that produce sin, repentance surrenders the authority over our sin to the Lord who is alone capable of overcoming it.