The Heart of Repentance
Scripture: “And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.'” Luke 16.30-31
“…but are not grieved by the ruin of Joseph!” Amos 6.6
Main Point: True repentance is the Holy Spirit’s work of turning us from self-centered living to God-centered surrender.
The rich man’s desperate plea reveals the key issue: repentance. He promises that if someone rises from the dead to warn his brothers, “they will repent.” But Abraham’s response is devastating: if they won’t listen to Moses and the Prophets—God’s Word—they won’t be convinced even by someone rising from the dead.
Amos paints a picture remarkably similar to the rich man: people living in luxury, enjoying the finest food and drink, inventing entertainment for themselves, yet remaining completely unmoved by the suffering around them. They are “not grieved by the ruin of Joseph”—not troubled by their nation’s spiritual and moral collapse.
The rich man’s problem wasn’t his wealth itself, but his failure to repent. He lived as if he were the center of the universe, as if his comfort mattered more than Lazarus’s suffering, as if God’s Word didn’t apply to his life. He never surrendered his will to God’s will.
True repentance isn’t merely feeling sorry for our sins—it’s the Holy Spirit’s work of completely reorienting our lives. The Spirit convicts us of sin, shows us our need for Christ, and then works ongoing transformation in our hearts. He turns us from self-centeredness to God-centeredness, from living for temporary pleasures to living for eternal purposes.
The tragedy is that the rich man’s brothers had Moses and the Prophets—they had God’s Word. The Holy Spirit works through that same Word today to bring us to repentance and keep us in faith.
Reflection: In what areas of your life is the Holy Spirit calling you to deeper repentance and surrender, and how are you responding to His work through God’s Word?
Prayer: Holy Spirit, work true repentance in my heart. Turn me from self-centeredness to God-centeredness. Help me surrender daily to Your will. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Responses