Repentance is a change of mind, or conversion from sin to God. - Websters 1828
Most Christians would say that repentance is simply a turning away from sin, to stop being bad and start being better (good). All people are mindful of being good, every world religion presents a list of do's and don'ts for pleasing a deity. Even an atheist strives for goodness; in fact, most base their rejection of a God on the premise that a good God would not have made things this bad.
But as Christians who have tasted the true goodness and grace of God, why do we naturally return to the law when we think of repenting? Legalism not in terms of our justification, but now as blood bought born-again believers, we return to the law for the process of our sanctification... to become more Christ-like. Yet Jesus did not fulfill every nuance of God's Law by mere self-restraint and self-discipline, but by unimaginable compassion and pure selfless love.
Notice a focal point in this passage....
"There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. Even in laughter the heart may sorrow, and the end of joy may be grief. The backslider in heart will be filled with his own ways, but a good man will be satisfied from above. The simple believes every word, but the prudent considers well his steps. A wise man fears and departs from evil, but a fool rages and is self-confident." - Proverbs 14:12-16
Having been born in sin (spiritually dead), our natural inclination and reasoning all revolved around self. Self-preservation, self-fulfillment, self-esteem, and prioritizing self just came naturally. Our every thought was shaped by what we considered best for the me, my, and mine of this life, and even the life to come. This is the very reason our Lord promised to replace our hearts of stone with pliable hearts of flesh.
"And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh." - Ezekiel 36:26
Repentance is not about what we do, it is about why we do. Even the actions which we would most highly acclaim as Christians are rendered meaningless without the key motivation of why we did them.
"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing." - 1 Corinthians 13:1-3
In this world's existence of introspection, the Bible (as do most religious books) makes perfect sense where blessing is derived by being good while a curse awaits those who deviate from the law. And the personal benefit of ceasing or limiting a lifestyle of promiscuity, gambling, drunkenness, lying, stealing, neglecting Church and Bible, is simply considered God's blessing upon our effort of obedience (being good). Basically, a person "repents" from not trying to keep the Law and judges his or her success by their increase in standard of living and quality of life by keeping the Law.
This is this very modus operandi that draws comparison and parody between various Christian denominations and produces a cohesion with other beliefs such as Catholicism, Mormonism, Islam. All of which claim success is by being wholesome (obeying the laws).
But God gave us the law as a schoolmaster, to teach and direct us towards a higher way; a way so unimaginable that God had to show us by demonstration (1 Peter 2:21). The law is an end to a means, meaning once Christ fulfilled the law, He was able to offer a new and better way for a misled and disillusioned people. To repent from our old way (the world's way) unto His way.
Our entrapment (stagnation) comes through man's ingenuity, where much effort is placed into knowledge, reasoning, and distilling doctrines which pacify the untransformed conscience. Where we cease to look for the literal evidence of Christlikeness (both in thought and deed) within our own personal lives. Instead, we are told that one is either "elect" or "non-elect", and that nothing a person does before or after bears any influence on God's sovereign decree. Thus, our pursuit of being better (good) becomes less relevant and our periodic backsliding leads to periodic repenting. These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. - God
"I will give them a heart to know that I am the Lord, and they shall be My people and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart." - Jeremiah 24:7
How do all the shall and shall nots of Holy Scripture flow from our loving God and point us towards a true and effectual repentance (return to God)?
"On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." - Matthew 22:40
Notice that all the Law proceeds from guarding the proper direction in which a person's love is to flow, towards "loving God" and "loving neighbor" (loving God by loving neighbor). Every law given us in Scripture, every correction given through a prophet, every Christian discipline we're called to practice, are all based on correcting our inward (me, my, mine) direction of loving.
If the "why" we do what we do is changed, in both thought and deed, into selflessly loving (just like Christ thought and did) then there is no need for the law. The law has taught us it's lesson in the total depravity and eternal wages of receiving God's love and keeping the lions-share to ourselves (self love). Every sin ever committed began with love of self.
There is a modern expression which can be most applicable here... Monday morning quarterback. This term implies that it's easy to know what the correct moves and strategy should have been during Sunday's game, once the game has already been played.
The difference now is that this time we really are able to correct the present by knowing the future.
When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on His right and the goats on His left.
Then the King will say to those on His right, "Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in, I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you visited Me."
Then the righteous will answer Him, "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirst and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?"
The King will reply, "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for Me."
Then He will say to those on His left, "Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite Me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after Me."
They will also answer, "Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick in prison, and did not help you?"
He will reply, "Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me."
Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.
- Matthew 25:31-46
Now, by knowing what the end will be, how would you define REPENTANCE to those on the Lord's left? Would you warn them that they must turn from gambling, adulty, idolatry, cursing, drunkenness? Or would you direct them towards prison ministry, the mission field, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, or volunteering at Church? All of which are productive for lessening the harmful effects of sin upon a person's life... yet, without selfless love are utterly meaningless (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). Do you see that the very reason those on His left did not feed, give drink, clothe, or visit those in need was because they loved self more. And the reason that those on His right did what they did is because the loved others more, just as Jesus showed us how to do.
Notice that both groups referred to Jesus as "Lord", just as we're told that every tongue will confess Him to be. But remember Jesus's rebuke, "Why do you call Me Lord and do not the things that I tell you to do?" - Matthew 7:21
And what was the New Command that Christ told us to do?
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another." - John 13:34-35
Notice the common denominator in both the Great and New Command is LOVE. "Love God, love neighbor, love one another." And the proper direction is selflessly, as Christ loved.
True repentance is turning from loving self (1 John 2:15-17) and to turn 180 degrees towards loving others (the least of these My brethren).
But the rich see their higher standard of living as God's blessing of being wholesome. Thus, we protect our wholesomeness by limiting our interactions with those who don't pursue keeping God's law as we do. But the law tells us to tithe and be generous, so we try keeping those laws as best we see fit (required). Yet, we drive our nice vehicles past those in need, we stock our refrigerators, freezers, and pantries while others go hungry, we keep our empty guestrooms dusted while others sleep in orphanages, we build our retirement accounts to enjoy life while others are evicted or homeless. We purse the do's and don'ts of Scripture, we praise the Lord with our lips, tithes, attendance, and Biblical devotion... a way that seems right. But we neglect the heart of the matter, the heart of Christ. We are told to simply love as Christ loved, growing in both faith and faithfulness. Because we know that God promised and Jesus has reaffirmed, that He will provide for our needs.
"Those who give to the poor will lack nothing." - Proverbs 28:27
"So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or "What shall we drink?' or "What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself" - Matthew 6:31-34
This is the method that grows our little faith and transforms us into being faithful stewards of our Lord and Savior. The early Church gave us a beautiful example of effectual repentance...
and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. - Acts 2:45
What did the apostle Paul mean when he proclaimed, "To live is Christ."
What did the apostle John mean when he said, "The one who abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked."
What did John the Baptist mean when he said, "He (Jesus) must increase, but i (John) must decrease."
Are they directing us to live a life such as the one we now are living? A life which more closely mirrors our unbelieving wholesome neighbors than does it our holy Lord and Savior?
Are we producing the evidence of traveling on the narrow path... Fruit and Transformation?
You will know a tree by its fruit... - Matthew 7:17
And we all, with unveiled faces, looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. - 2 Corinthians 3:18
Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? - unless indeed you fail to meet the test! -
2 Corinthians 13:5
Again, why do we see initial change, where overt sins are eliminated, lessened, or at least hidden from sight, yet afterwards, year after year, we merely grow older and not more Christ-like? Why is our "transformation" stagnant and not progressing?
The answer is because we remain in this world system. We think that because we say, "Lord, Lord..." and try to keep the 10 Commandments, that we are "in the faith".
We rely on only one of the three ways God has provided us to understand. This is obvious.
We consume the Bible, we learn it, and we recite it. We come to listen to it proclaimed and often confirm its pearls of truth with a hearty "Amen". We weave its verses into our daily vocabulary and consider this being transformed.
Yet what about the example that Jesus lived on our behalf and for our understanding?
Yet what about the contrast we can glean from watching the priorities of this world and the aspects of our faith for which it attacks?
Examine the early body of believers (body of Christ).
Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. - Hebrews 13:7
They sacrificed for the sake of the kingdom.
They established the first orphanages, hospitals, universities... in obedience to Loving as Christ loved.
They left family and friends for the sake of the kingdom.
They forsook safety, health, and longevity of life for the sake of the kingdom.
While we leave our guestrooms empty, prim and proper, for our family and our friends.
While we upgrade our vehicles and vacations, to delight ourselves or to impress our spouse or our friends.
While we neglect the poor and needy, and gladly allow government to confiscate our role.
The United States was the most blessed nation in human history, when unheard of benevolence was seen in it's people. Our ancestors shed their blood and the blood of their children on domestic and foreign soil, not in conquest but for the possibility of liberty... freedom to worship as a person's conscience decreed.
Wives and children are just the first steps in our living for others... God's training wheels for us.
Attending church, reading the Bible, receiving sacraments; tithing, fasting, and other spiritual disciplines... God's training wheels for us.
Prayer, to keep our focus on God and on others... The avenue onto the Narrow path.
But the training wheels are just the beginning of denying loving self and to begin and grow our selfless love of others. To stop living for the gluttony of self as goats do and begin living for the needs of others as sheep do. To be good a faithful steward as we sojourn to a place which God has promised for His children.
So, repentance is not us working for our salvation.
Repentance is evidence of God's work in our life.
Repentance leads us into producing fruit for others.
Were, as sap flows from the vine into the branch for the purpose of producing fruit for others, Christ's love flows from Him into us and unto others.
Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord. - Acts 3:19
Desiring to hear sweet praise from our Lord, "Well done, good and faithful servant."
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