All religions teach a way to overcome sin. Christianity also teaches us to take sin seriously and stay away from it, more than any other religion. The most differentiating aspect of Christianity, however, is that overcoming sin does not come from our effort or will but the grace of God.

The Bible says that sin entered the world as the first man committed a sin against God, and because of that sin, humans have become inherently corrupt, making them vulnerable beings that cannot overcome sin on their own. On the other hand, all other religions and even social revolutionaries – who disparage religions as opium that makes people conform to injustice – believe that the sin of the world can be solved with our good will.

However, looking at the two World Wars, numerous crimes, and prisons full of prisoners, it does not seem like that sin can be solved by better social structure, education, or politics by a few revolutionaries full of justice. History has proven in the past that this optimistic view of human beings only makes people convinced of their own righteousness and divide sides between themselves, condemning and judging each other, leading to a greater misfortune. A bigger mistake is that this makes a mockery of the Lord Jesus Christ, who sacrificed himself to become a grace, through which anyone can be freed from the sin.

Then, do Christians live experiencing the liberation from the sin? 1 John 1:9 promises: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” We believe in this gracious promise and believe that we have been forgiven as we confessed our sins countless times. However, looking back, we will not be confident, if we were asked if we experienced the next part of the promise, that we would be purified from all unrighteousness.

The most fundamental problem should be that we live a habitual religious life without seriously standing in front of the gospel. However, if you have an ongoing relationship with the Lord and if you do not enjoy the freedom, it is because you have not had true repentance. ‘Confession,’ often used in a context of confessing our sin, is the same as the word ‘admit,’ that we use to admit our faith in front of another person. In the end, it means that I must deal with sin seriously and thoroughly that I can reveal my shameful sin in front of other people.

Repentance is not same as a regret or reflection which are lighter form of self-reflection. It is also not a moral intention to live a proper life in a future because of a guilty conscience. Repentance has a clear goal, of returning to God. Instead of tearing up clothes, we tear up our hearts and return to God. Against our misdeeds, the Lord told us to act in a manner of ‘putting them to death,’ not in a manner of fixing them (Romans 8:13). However, our hearts are so stubborn that we must face the moment of pain that stirs our hearts to express our sincere repentance.

However, you cannot necessarily be such a foolish person. If you are always awake with words and prayers and live as a person who is guided by the holy Spirit, you can pray that “Lord, help us to move on to the Lord with repentance that tear up our hears every day.”