The Nature, Necessity and Character of True Repentance

Book excerpt: When you finish reading this practical work by Zachary Crofton on biblical repentance, you might say to yourself, “I’ve never repented.” That’s the kind of impact he is going to have on you if you read this work even in a cursory manner. In order to have a deeper walk with Christ, repentance is at the heart and life of the sinner who walks comfortably with God. However, repenting, reordering and realigning your fallen mind to sit in connection with God’s will, is not as simple as praying a prayer, as some would have you believe. Crofton says that repentance is a “sense of, and sorrow for sin, as committed against God.” The sinner must spread himself before the Law of God to survey the entire course of his own life. He needs to weigh himself in the balance of God’s perfection. The Gospel-sinner knows he is imperfect, and in view of God’s Law, which shows him his sin, he comes away not just lacking in some spiritual and moral goodness, but sees the utter viciousness of his nature against God’s prescription for holiness. He then sentences himself as accursed of God, agreeing that the Law is right and good, and he knows that he is “bound” to experience God’s Divine fury for his sin in hell by God’s justice which is just and good. He not only sees that he is a true sinner before God, but sorrows under his understanding of sin, and is “ashamed of such a sad and sinful state.” He comes to learn that repentance is a supernatural gift given to him from God, and that he must turn from sin and confess his sin. This kind of repentance is necessary to remove the wrath and judgment of God and to “answer the call of the gospel,” which requires everyone to repent. Crofton explains the characteristics of true biblical repentance from 2 Corinthians 7:11. There are eight characteristics that he covers: godly sorrow, care, clearing of ourselves, indignation, fear, vehement desire, zeal and revenge against sin. And, finally, Crofton demonstrates 10 points which show how you, reader, might gain godly repentance, completely soaking the sinful heart in the blood of Jesus, with great speed, and earnestly looking for repentance only at the hands of God. This is not a scan or facsimile, has been updated in modern English for easy reading and has an active table of contents for electronic versions.