I’m learning about true repentance. It’s a word I’ve heard countless times, but these days it feels new and different.

Repentance is not the same as Buddhist self-reflection, which is a form of self-centred meditation. I did use to say “Christians should not focus on analysing their own sins, but on growing a deeper understanding of God’s grace”. While I don’t think that statement was entirely wrong, it overlooked the importance of confronting and exposing our sins.

Buddhist-style reflection cannot lead to true transformation, but it does foster a humble attitude by making one aware of their own flaws. That’s why well-known monks are often considered to have a gentle attitude – a humility that comes from recognising their inner brokenness. But Buddhism is limited in that it cannot offer us a way to escape that sin ourselves. Instead, it tells us to endure and overcome sin through self-discipline, which is like telling a paralysed person to walk on their own. It not only fails to solve the problem but ends up isolating the person from normal life, increasing their suffering without any true remedy.

In contrast, the gospel declares that true healing can take place as the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ was the surgery that we needed to walk – so all we need to do is lean on this grace and obey him step by step, and undergo spiritual rehabilitation, and we will experience real, lasting change. What I had overlooked was that repentance is not the same as self-reflection, which is based on the belief that we can change ourselves; it is something we can do because we rely on the perfect grace of the cross. Self-reflection focuses on ourselves, but repentance comes from revealing our sins in front of the radiant light of God’s glory, through the Word of God which is sharper than any double-edged sword, which can penetrate and divide our souls, thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

“God is light […] if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” (1 John 1:5-10)

When we dwell in the light of God’s glory, our sins are inevitably exposed. And when we confess those sins and deal with them with the blood of Christ, we will be made clean. But if we treat sin lightly, we cannot be cleansed. Those who possess the Word of God are those who look inward, confront sin, and deal with it through the cross.

Just like Jesus, the first message of John the Baptist was also “Repent”. But he didn’t stop there – he told the crowds coming to him to produce fruit in keeping with repentance. Because so often, people stop at longing or good intentions without taking action. This reveals the second crucial part of repentance: If, while meditating on the Word, you stop at insight or emotion – “I hope I can live in this way” – nothing will change. Obedience and practical action is crucial, no matter how small.

“Lord, make me someone who repents daily.”