Romans 2:5: But according to your hardness and unrepentant heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath…
The word for “unrepentant” describes someone whose heart prevents him or her from changing in a way God desires.
Repentance is part of what God requires for us to initially have sins forgiven (Acts 2:38), and it is required for sin one has committed since becoming a Christian to be forgiven (Acts 8:22).
It is thus key for us to have a repentant heart. This demands persistent, sincere reflection of our lives in light of God’s Word. It involves application of His Word, as we allow Him to constantly mold us into the people He wants.
To have a repentant heart, we must have the humility to recognize our sins and admit the consequences of our sins.
During Jesus’ earthly ministry, He dealt with some who were too proud to admit they were wrong (John 7:47-49).
We can fall into this same deceptive trap today. It requires humility to acknowledge that we are wrong, especially if it is something we have been wrong about for a long time. Those with repentant hearts recognize that there is nothing shameful about changing in the ways God requires. What is a shame is refusing to change out of foolish pride.
To have a humble, repentant heart, we must examine ourselves (2 Cor. 13:5). Many of the proud, self-righteous individuals of Jesus’ time had no idea they were so sinful (cf. Luke 18:11-12). A surefire way to be deceived is to lack sincere examination of our lives.
To be doers of the Word and not hearers only, we should study God’s Word with an attitude that is looking to improve, and not merely to justify oneself.
This is the thought process of those who persistently grow as the Holy Spirit commands (2 Pet. 3:18). Instead of being afraid to admit and pursue needed correction…instead of justifying oneself by making excuses…instead of brushing problems under the rug, those with repentant hearts hit their sins “head on.” They study God’s Word with an intent to grow and make corrections as needed. When things are found that indicate guilt of sin, the thought process of the repentant is godly sorrow (2 Cor. 7:9-10) and repentance. Those with repentant hearts do not allow themselves to fall deeper into the hole they are already in, but instead allow Jesus to get them out of the hole.
If we have repentant hearts, we will feel a need to do whatever is necessary to be right with God, because such will be what we treasure. We will “hunger and thirst after righteousness” (Matt. 5:6), prioritizing being right with God above earthly treasure, “winning” arguments, or staying in our comfort zone.
This is the type of heart that receives seed on good ground and bears much fruit (Matt. 13:8). It is not a hard heart, a heart that loves the world, or a shallow heart. The repentant heart allows God’s Word to be rooted deeply in us.
This is the heart that should be inside all of us. The repentance Jesus commanded (Matt. 4:17) means to correct things that are contrary to God’s will. We must desire so earnestly to please God that we are willing to do whatever is needed to please Him. May we all have this type of heart, instead of being among those who “according to your hardness and unrepentant heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath…”
– Michael Hickox