Repentance

Repentance is the first step on the road to recovering our relationship with God and realizing our original self. Sins, attachments, and mistaken views must be acknowledged as such; then it is possible to turn away from the old life and set out on the new path of faith.

Since accumulated sins and delusions form a barrier obscuring the presence of God, repentance is a condition for God to forgive the sin and eradicate illusion, that the divine Presence may once again grace the penitent’s life. Repentance begins with words of contrition uttered in prayer, heartfelt and accompanied by tears.

The forgiveness, release and insight that follow should awaken the will to make amends for previous wrongdoing and lead to changing the direction of one’s life.

Father Moon teaches that repentance goes beyond expressing remorse for one’s individual sins.

People are more than just individuals; each human being contains within him or herself the fruit of history, and furthermore, each represents his or her society, nation and world.

Therefore, we should repent for more than just our individual selves; we should repent for our ancestors’ sins, our nation’s sins, and the world’s sins.

Going deeper still, when we recognize how distant we are from the divine ideal, and how much God suffers, longing to embrace us in His bosom but unable to reach our hearts, we can repent for that as well.

Thus, repentance becomes a journey of self-discovery that penetrates ever deeper into the depths of the soul.

Recognizing Sin, Confessing Sin, and Tearful Repentance for Sin

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.Matthew 3.2

Truly, God loves those who repent, and He loves those who cleanse themselves. Qur’an 2.222

The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. Psalm 51.17

If one hides the evil, it adds and grows. If one bares it and repents, the sin dies out. Therefore all Buddhas say that the wise do not hide sin. Mahaparinirvana Sutra (Buddhism)

Concern over remorse and humiliation depends on the borderline. The urge to blamelessness depends on remorse. I Ching, Great Commentary 1.3.4 (Confucianism)

All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. Isaiah 64.6

As was the will of God, so I ought to have thought; As was the will of God, so I ought to have spoken; As was the will of God, so I ought to have acted. If I have not so thought, so spoken, so acted, Then do I repent for the sin, Do I repent by my thought, word, and deed. Do I repent with all my heart and conscience. Patet 6 (Zoroastrianism)

Our transgressions are past counting, There is no end to our sins, Be merciful, forgive us, O Lord; We are great sinners and wrongdoers. There is no hope of our redemption. O Lord, dear Lord, our deeds weighed in the balance Would get us no place in Thy court! Forgive us and make us one with Thyself Through the grace of the Guru. Adi Granth, Shalok Vadhik, M.3, p. 1416 (Sikhism)

I question myself on my sin, O Varuna, desirous to know it. I seek out the wise to ask them; the sages all give me this answer, “The God, great Varuna, is angry with you.” What, then, O God, is my greatest transgression for which you would ruin your singer, your friend? Tell me, O God who knows all and lacks nothing, so that, quickly prostrating, I may sinless crave pardon. Rig Veda 7.86.3-4 (Hinduism)

Though I seek my refuge in the true faith of the Pure Land, Yet my heart has not been truly sincere. Deceit and untruth are in my flesh, And in my soul is no clear shining. In their outward seeming all men are diligent and truth speaking, But in their souls are greed and anger and unjust deceitfulness, And in their flesh do lying and cunning triumph. Too strong for me is the evil of my heart. I cannot overcome it. Therefore my soul is like unto the poison of serpents; Even my righteous deeds, being mingled with this poison, Must be named deeds of deceitfulness. Shameless though I be and having no truth in my soul, Yet the virtue of the Holy Name, the gift of Him that is enlightened, Is spread throughout the world through my words, Although I am as I am. There is no mercy in my soul. The good of my fellow man is not dear in my eyes. If it were not for the Ark of Mercy, the divine promise of the Infinite Wisdom, How should I cross the Ocean of Misery? I, whose mind is filled with cunning and deceit as the poison of reptiles, Am impotent to practice righteous deeds. If I sought not refuge in the gift of our Father, I should die the death of the shameless.10 Shinran (Buddhism)

Teachings of Sun Myung Moon
Jesus’ very first teaching was, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”

What should we repent for? Very simply, we should repent for all those actions that violate the rule stating that we should live by sacrifice and service to others. (105:92, September 30, 1979)

We should repent. Our first assignment is to repent. Before a criminal is released from prison, he must pay the price for his crime. Likewise, under whatever name, unless we make a condition to liquidate our crimes, we cannot be released. All people today are faced with this situation. (99:75, September 1, 1978)

It is a normal fact of life—when a child hurts or offends his mother or father, he has to apologize with tears before the parent will forgive him. It does not matter what country you live in—crime leads to punishment, and punishment, whether by inflicting pain or physical restraint, causes suffering. What is the purpose for giving punishment? Repentance.

Therefore, when you repent you have to shed tears. You should feel much pain in those tears. Your repentance is not genuine unless you feel more pain over your mistakes and sins than if someone were giving you a beating as punishment. (99:76, September 1, 1978)

Have you repented?

How can you help others unless you have thoroughly repented, and God has accepted your repentance? How can you save others? Can you become the judge of others’ sins if you have not yet been forgiven of your own sins? Have you ever deeply experienced that you are a sinner?

You do not just carry your own sins. You must understand that you carry the sins of history, sins committed by past generations. Also, you should understand that you are responsible for the sins of the present world.

Furthermore, you should recognize your responsibility for the sins of the future. You bear these three levels of sin [on top of your own]. (99:90, September 1, 1978)

People go to the church and pray, “Father, I committed such and such sins. I repent of them and pray for Thy forgiveness.” We should rather pray, “Father, please forgive me for having destroyed the heavenly order, for having violated the original relationship with Thee, for having violated relationships with other people, for damaging the creation, and for all other sins that I personally committed, especially violations of the heart.”

If you make such repentance, receive God’s forgiveness, bring victory and gain God’s approval, then everything will be solved. Heaven is looking for the individuals who make such repentance… You should understand that there is no sin greater than having violated someone’s heart.

Today, fathoming God’s heart, you should understand that you are sinners who violated God’s heart of love, sinners who rejected the heart of all creation, and obstructionists who blocked the fulfillment of the world of heart. I hope you understand this and repent from your hearts. (9:160, May 8, 1960)

In American society you have a strong sense of freedom. You interpret the meaning of freedom to mean, “I can do whatever I please; why should I feel ashamed or feel pangs of conscience?” Yet suppose your father was a thief or a traitor, would you still be able to hold up your head?

Suppose your father was a felon, would you still be proud?

What if you were the offspring of an adulterer? If you were to face your own sin, and also realize that you are descendants of sinners, could you still proudly say, “I am free; I can do whatever I please”?

The answer is only too clear. Before enjoying your freedom, you proud people had better die and be resurrected. You had better first cleanse yourselves by atoning for these sins, going the reverse way, so that you may be forgiven. (66:14, March 11, 1973)

Inadequate as we are, how dare we show ourselves before Thee? How can we raise our heads before Heaven? Even if we died ten million times, it would be a deserved penalty.

We are held prisoner by the chains of sin, and deserve to go through the suffering of judgment. Therefore, we bow ourselves with souls bared, hoping for Thy merciful love and grace. (2:168, April 14, 1957)

Repentance for National Sins

If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7.14

Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey in breadth. Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he cried, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” And the people of Nineveh proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.

Then tidings reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, and covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he made proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; let them not feed, or drink water, but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them cry mightily to God; yea, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence which is in his hands.

Who knows, God may yet repent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we perish not?” When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God repented of the evil which he had said he would do to them; and he did not do it.11 Jonah 3.3-10

Teachings of Sun Myung Moon
Religions, especially Christianity, have focused on repentance for personal sins, but not for social and national sins. Look, however, at Jesus and the saints and prophets; they did not focus on repenting their own personal sins but rather on social and national sins. (99:75, September 1, 1978)

Have you repented? Are you shedding tears to repent for your own sins?

Are you repenting for your ancestors’ sins? Beyond that, are you shedding tears to save the nation and the world? There are two kinds of tears.

The first kind of tears we shed for our own forgiveness; the second kind of tears we shed to save others and bring them to repentance. You should shed both kinds of tears. Only then can there be complete repentance. (99:75, September 1, 1978)

As God proceeded with the providence, in what did He inspire people to believe?

What was the first thing He caused people to experience? It was not joy. First, He caused us to grieve for ourselves.

Next, he inspired in us a heart to mourn over the situation of our family, society, tribe, nation and world, and then over how distant we were from Him. God set up this basic attitude to open the way by which we could stand before Him. (4:51, March 2, 1958)

Genuine Repentance Requires Changing Behavior

And whosoever repents and does good, he verily repents towards God with true repentance. Qur’an 25.71 (Islam)

If a man finds that he has made a mistake, then he must not be afraid of admitting the fact and amending his ways. Analects 1.8.4 (Confucianism)

Whosoever looks upon his wrongdoing as wrongdoing, makes amends by confessing it as such, and abstains from it in the future, will progress according to the Law. Digha Nikaya 1.85 (Buddhism)

How is one proved a repentant sinner? Rab Judah said, “If the object which caused his original transgression comes before him on two occasions, and he keeps away from it.” Rabbi Jose ben Judah said, “If a man commits a transgression, the first, second, and third time he is forgiven; the fourth time he is not forgiven.” Talmud, Yoma 86b (Judaism)

He who has committed a sin and has repented is freed from that sin, but he is purified only by resolving to cease: “I will do so no more.”… He who, having either unintentionally or intentionally committed a reprehensible deed, desires to be freed from it, must not commit it a second time. If his mind be uneasy with respect to any deed, let him repeat the penances prescribed for it until they fully satisfy his conscience. Laws of Manu 11.231-34 (Hinduism)

Expiation and repentance, to a man who continues to commit sinful acts, knowing them to be harmful, are of no avail. Futile is it to bathe an elephant if he is straightway to roll again in the mud. Srimad Bhagavatam 6.1 (Hinduism)

Say, O My slaves who have been prodigal to their own hurt! Despair not of the mercy of God, who forgives all sins. Lo! He is the Forgiving, the Merciful. Turn to Him repentant, and surrender unto Him, before there can come upon you the doom, when you cannot be helped. And follow the better of that which has been revealed unto you from your Lord, before the doom comes on you suddenly when you know not. Lest any soul should say, “Alas, my grief that I was unmindful of God, and I was indeed among the scoffers!” Or should say, “If God had but guided me, I should have been among the dutiful!” Or should say, when it sees the doom, “Oh, that I had but a second chance, that I might be among the righteous!” Qur’an 39.53-58

Do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then comes the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed. You cannot say, when you are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, you cannot say this; for that same spirit which possesses your bodies at the time that you go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world. For behold, if you have procrastinated the day of your repentance even until death, behold, you have become subjected to the spirit of the devil, and he has sealed you his. Book of Mormon, Alma 34.33-35 (Latter-day Saints)

Teachings of Sun Myung Moon
We are people who recognize that we are in a disordered and diseased state, and we have come to this place to be repaired. We have individual problems, family problems, national-level problems, and global problems, all of which need fixing… How then can you prove that you are completely healed?

You are in good shape when you feel disgust for your old self and your former way of life. Do you still have fond memories of those days?

Do you sometimes dream of the good times you used to have? If so, it means you have not yet fully recovered from your illness. Again, you meet a handsome man who whispers in your ear, “You are so beautiful!

Why don’t you forget about that difficult husband of yours and come live with me?” If such a temptation pulls you in the slightest, it means you have not yet fully recovered from your illness.

You are cured when you have become immune to such temptations, when they do not affect you at all. (May 1, 1978) Most people’s lives vacillate back and forth between good and evil, between a public life and a self-centered life.

They often end up falling into a self-centered life. But if they continue that way, they are destined to perish. Therefore, from time to time, they repent of their self-centered past and strive once again to live a public life, biting their teeth.

Nevertheless, they do not endure it for long and again fall back into self-centeredness… In such a way, people vacillate back and forth. Eventually, they are inclined to live a private life, distant from the standard of public goodness. Most people’s lives of faith have been like that. This is why people who lead private lives need to continually repent. (31:242, June 4, 1970)

Although God joyfully receives you this day, you should nevertheless have a tearful heart of thorough repentance. Question yourself: “Why did I not know Heavenly Father sooner? And why did I not understand the standpoint of God, who is so worried over humankind?”

When you think of your former ignorance, you should wail with indignation. God will sympathize with you if you have a heart of repentance over the past. If you lack a heart of repentance, you have no business participating in God’s work. (13:330, April 14, 1964)

Until the last moment of your life, you should be repenting. You must not leave the earth without doing it. (99:110, September 1, 1978)