OPENING PRAYER: Dear God, help me to have a proper understanding of repentance.

PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE: The teacher should allow one of the students to review the lesson for the previous week.

BIBLE PASSAGE: 2 CORINTHIANS 7:9-10

[9]Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.

[10]For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation, not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

MEMORY VERSE: “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.” Acts 3:19

LESSON INTRODUCTION

Technically, repentance is a change of mind, not just a turning from sin. The Greek word translated as repentance is metanoia, and the meaning is simply a change of mind. In common usage, however, we often speak of repentance as “a turning from sin.” In this lesson, we will discuss the role of the Holy Spirit in repentance and its outcome.

LESSON AIM: To teach students the doctrine of repentance.

TEACHING OBJECTIVES: Through this study, students are expected to:

i. know the etymology of repentance.
ii. Understand the interactional work of the Holy Spirit that leads to repentance.
iii. Know the resultant effect of repentance in the life of a person.

TEXT REVIEW: 2 Corinthians 7:9-10
Apostle Paul while explaining to the brethren in Corinth, the reason for the joy he had, made a clear distinction between godly sorrow and the sorrow of the world, saying:

Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry…….. V9a.
But that ye ……………. V9b
For ye were ……………. V9c.
For godly sorrow …….. V10.

LESSON OUTLINE
LESSON OUTLINE 1: THE CONVICTING WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Repentance is often associated with salvation in scripture, that is, what happens when the Holy Spirit begins His work to bring a person to salvation.

A. The Spirit gives the sinner a personal understanding and infallible conviction that the facts concerning his spiritual state are true (John 16:8).

Those facts are his sin, the eternal punishment due him for his sin
The substitutionary nature of Jesus’ suffering for his sin as well as the need for faith in Jesus to save him from his sin (Romans 6:23; 2 Corinthians 5:21). 

From that convicting work of the Holy Spirit, the sinner repents; he changes his mind about sin, the Saviour and salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9).

B. When a repentant person changes his mind about sin:
That change of mind naturally leads to a turning from sin. Sin is no longer desirable or fun because sin brings condemnation (Romans 5:17-18).
The repentant sinner begins to dislike his past misdeeds, and he starts seeking ways to amend his behaviour (Luke 19:8; Acts 2:37).

CLASS ACTIVITY 1: Why do you think some people change their ways and others do not though they are under the same atmosphere of the Holy Spirit and the word?

LESSON OUTLINE 2: THE FINAL PRODUCTS

Ultimately, the result of the change of mind
about sin is good deeds (Matthew 3:8; Titus 2:7, 14).
The sinner turns away from sin towards faith in the Saviour.
That faith is shown in action (James 2:17).
Repentance about salvation is a change of mind from an embrace of sin to rejection of sin and from rejection of Christ to faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:1-5).
Such repentance is something only God can enable (John 6:44:2 Timothy 2:25).
Therefore, true biblical repentance will always result in a change of behaviour (2 Corinthians 5:17).

CLASS ACTIVITY 2: Students should share their experiences on something bad they repented from.

CONCLUSION: Your character must change from sinful to godly if you have repented. It is not just turning from sin but turning to God.

EVALUATION: What is repentance according to the scripture in a sentence?

CLOSING PRAYER: Father, help me to genuinely turn away from every ungodly practice in my life.

ASSIGNMENT: Write five differences between repentance and remorsefulness. (2×5=10 marks).