Jesus makes it plain that repentance includes changing our thoughts. "What
comes out of a man, that defiles a man. For from within, out of the
heart of men, proceed evil thoughts ..." (Mark 7:20-21). He explains
what defiles us comes from within. He gives examples of the most basic
evil attitudes and passions that dominate our thinking and behavior: "...
adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness,
deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these
evil things come from within and defile a man" (verses 21-23).
Isaiah states plainly that repentance is changing the way we think. "Let
the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let
him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God,
for He will abundantly pardon" (Isaiah 55:7). Here Isaiah pinpoints
two things we must forsake to receive God's pardon: our sinful ways
and our sinful thoughts.
To repent we must recognize that at least some of the pulls of human
nature are at work in our minds, influencing or even controlling our
thinking. Not every human constantly yields to every trait of human
nature. But we all sin. We all have weaknesses. One person may succumb
more often to greed, another to self-righteousness or pride. Yet another
may have difficulty being truthful and honest. But in some way we all
exhibit self-centered and self-serving thinking and behavior.
