Repentance
Repentance is the deliberate humbling of oneself before God, that from ashes and sackcloth He may build a holy Temple that is pleasing unto Him.
Actually it is a rehash of Romans 7-8. I was dealing with the issue of repentance.
True repentance is often conceived using the textbook statement to "turn away from sin and turn towards God". However, the issue gets murky as we delve deep into the details of our daily struggles.
The disclaimer is that it does not mean we take sin lightly. Neither do we cherry pick and bring Scripture down to our level and expectations of what it means to repent before God.
However I realized that the definition to "turn away from sin and turn towards God" may be a tad too generic, and it fails to speak into the depth of our struggles. Some people feel condemned by sin. They felt that upon turning away, they technically shouldn't repeat the sin again.
While I commend the spirit behind the desire to not repeat sin, I also call into the question of what exactly God sees when He deals with sin in our lives.
My thoughts led me to consider Romans 7:14-24, which speaks of the struggles of Paul with sin. In Romans 7:23, Paul highlights the tug of war in every Christian- the love for God versus the sinful nature. We are not alone and unique when it comes to sin. I struggle too, and so does Paul the apostle. An even more shocking thing, perhaps, is that sin is natural.
Sin is a part of human nature. But what is natural doesn't mean it's right. Every human sins, but few are aware of the "wrong-ness" of sin. Or they may selectively pick and choose to take certain sins lightly. But the awareness of God (His laws and ways) will prompt us to be against sin.
However ask yourself: is it possible to fight your own nature? Can you stop yourself from breathing permanently? Clearly it is impossible. Paul's awareness of this impossibility caused him to cry out that he is a "wretched man" in Romans 7:24.
Yet something strange happened. After crying out 11 verses leading to the "wretched man" refrain, Paul gave an incredulous response:
Romans 7:25 "Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin."
Paul cried a lot, then he start giving thanks to Jesus! Is this some sort of emotional rollercoaster? Not really. More likely, Paul found the answer to his dilemma: Jesus. His relief seems to be found in God and Jesus Christ, though Romans 7:25 merely provides a brief response to a complicated struggle. From this verse, the Word actually proceeds to Romans 8.
For starters, Paul pointed out an important truth in Romans 8:1-2 "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death."
The phrase "No condemnation in Christ" is used so often that we may fail to appreciate its full weight. Although there are many themes to explore from these two verses, the emphasis here is placed on "no condemnation". I actually did a mental experiment.
Suppose you sin one time, will God forgive you?
Most Christians will say "yes" since they know that forgiveness of sins is found through Christ.
But what about 77 times? Repeatedly?
At this point, many may end up with a reluctant disbelief. That yes, God will forgive the person.
When Jesus gave the teaching to Peter, it is not merely about how followers of Jesus should live. It also reflects God's very own heart towards sinners:
Matthew 18:21-22 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
The point here is, we tend to comprehend the forgiveness of God in light of our own experiences and magnanimity, rather than the way God reveals Himself through Christ. This leads to non-biblical concepts that "True repentance means to not repeat the sin anymore". The forgiveness of God (as revealed by His Word) will burst our bubbles: If God will forgive not just 7, but 77 times, is there any meaning to count the number of sins repeated when we talk about true repentance?
Therefore the first thing one needs to realize is that true repentance starts from Christ. You need to be assured that God is forgiving. He will never condemn you because you are in Christ- even if you sin 1, 7 or 77 times. Knowing the forgiveness of God found in Jesus Christ gives us the confidence to keep walking with Him even when we fail.
It's easy to be caught up in self-condemnation because we tend to forget God's character. We tend to evaluate the character of God using our emotions towards ourselves rather than understanding our identity in the light of who He is.
That being said, it is alright to be disappointed in ourselves. In fact, it is important for one to feel shame and guilt because it reflects that you are still sober towards sin, being able to discern good from evil. But it is important for us to start learning to evaluate ourselves through how God sees and deals with us. And we need to understand God through the bible, His Word.
If you read on in Romans 8:3 till verse 17, you will realise there is no clear solution towards every conceivable sin in existence. Rather the passage highlights certain key points- again focusing on the character of God and defining our relationship with Him.
Romans 8:15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.
The whole idea is this:
Sin is a lifelong struggle for those who seek to walk with God. To overcome sin is a journey, not a one shot method. But far from avoiding the problem, God solved the problem by sending Jesus as the atoning sacrifice for us. Even with an awareness of sin, Christians take on a position of powerlessness because they remain in fear and lack in understanding of God's character.
------------------------------------------------------------
When I sin, I come before God in repentance. I strive to never do it again.
Then I fell, and I had to come back to God, head hung in shame. I wasn't sure why I end up making the same mistake again.
I had endeavoured to do right and live right, yet at the critical juncture I chose to satisfy the desires of my flesh rather than the Spirit. Why? Why did I end up this way?
As I knelt before His throne, I could provide no answer. What I did was inexcusable, yet I also could not come up with a reasonable explanation except "I just did it."
Yet as I stood before His throne, there was a strange warmth. "My child, I do not count it against you."
Silence.
For a moment, my "why" of self-blame shifted gears to "Why did He say so?"
It was then that I remembered Christ. His death was absolute-in absolute pain from bearing my sins. Yet once the pain passed and He rose from the dead, another absolute emerged.
Absolutely no condemnation.
I could barely contain myself as I weep. Not tears of shame. Not tears of regret. But tears of gratefulness. Tears of joy. Tears knowing that one as wretched as I am could be forgiven without paying any price whatsoever, because Christ had paid the price.
In the light of who He is, I can only stand in worship. His forgiveness and loving-kindness draws me to repentance. That come what may, I seek to live better for Him everyday, until He calls me home.
------------------------------------------------------------
Actually it is a rehash of Romans 7-8. I was dealing with the issue of repentance.
True repentance is often conceived using the textbook statement to "turn away from sin and turn towards God". However, the issue gets murky as we delve deep into the details of our daily struggles.
The disclaimer is that it does not mean we take sin lightly. Neither do we cherry pick and bring Scripture down to our level and expectations of what it means to repent before God.
However I realized that the definition to "turn away from sin and turn towards God" may be a tad too generic, and it fails to speak into the depth of our struggles. Some people feel condemned by sin. They felt that upon turning away, they technically shouldn't repeat the sin again.
While I commend the spirit behind the desire to not repeat sin, I also call into the question of what exactly God sees when He deals with sin in our lives.
My thoughts led me to consider Romans 7:14-24, which speaks of the struggles of Paul with sin. In Romans 7:23, Paul highlights the tug of war in every Christian- the love for God versus the sinful nature. We are not alone and unique when it comes to sin. I struggle too, and so does Paul the apostle. An even more shocking thing, perhaps, is that sin is natural.
Sin is a part of human nature. But what is natural doesn't mean it's right. Every human sins, but few are aware of the "wrong-ness" of sin. Or they may selectively pick and choose to take certain sins lightly. But the awareness of God (His laws and ways) will prompt us to be against sin.
However ask yourself: is it possible to fight your own nature? Can you stop yourself from breathing permanently? Clearly it is impossible. Paul's awareness of this impossibility caused him to cry out that he is a "wretched man" in Romans 7:24.
Yet something strange happened. After crying out 11 verses leading to the "wretched man" refrain, Paul gave an incredulous response:
Romans 7:25 "Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin."
Paul cried a lot, then he start giving thanks to Jesus! Is this some sort of emotional rollercoaster? Not really. More likely, Paul found the answer to his dilemma: Jesus. His relief seems to be found in God and Jesus Christ, though Romans 7:25 merely provides a brief response to a complicated struggle. From this verse, the Word actually proceeds to Romans 8.
For starters, Paul pointed out an important truth in Romans 8:1-2 "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death."
The phrase "No condemnation in Christ" is used so often that we may fail to appreciate its full weight. Although there are many themes to explore from these two verses, the emphasis here is placed on "no condemnation". I actually did a mental experiment.
Suppose you sin one time, will God forgive you?
Most Christians will say "yes" since they know that forgiveness of sins is found through Christ.
But what about 77 times? Repeatedly?
At this point, many may end up with a reluctant disbelief. That yes, God will forgive the person.
When Jesus gave the teaching to Peter, it is not merely about how followers of Jesus should live. It also reflects God's very own heart towards sinners:
Matthew 18:21-22 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
The point here is, we tend to comprehend the forgiveness of God in light of our own experiences and magnanimity, rather than the way God reveals Himself through Christ. This leads to non-biblical concepts that "True repentance means to not repeat the sin anymore". The forgiveness of God (as revealed by His Word) will burst our bubbles: If God will forgive not just 7, but 77 times, is there any meaning to count the number of sins repeated when we talk about true repentance?
Therefore the first thing one needs to realize is that true repentance starts from Christ. You need to be assured that God is forgiving. He will never condemn you because you are in Christ- even if you sin 1, 7 or 77 times. Knowing the forgiveness of God found in Jesus Christ gives us the confidence to keep walking with Him even when we fail.
It's easy to be caught up in self-condemnation because we tend to forget God's character. We tend to evaluate the character of God using our emotions towards ourselves rather than understanding our identity in the light of who He is.
That being said, it is alright to be disappointed in ourselves. In fact, it is important for one to feel shame and guilt because it reflects that you are still sober towards sin, being able to discern good from evil. But it is important for us to start learning to evaluate ourselves through how God sees and deals with us. And we need to understand God through the bible, His Word.
If you read on in Romans 8:3 till verse 17, you will realise there is no clear solution towards every conceivable sin in existence. Rather the passage highlights certain key points- again focusing on the character of God and defining our relationship with Him.
Romans 8:15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.
The whole idea is this:
Sin is a lifelong struggle for those who seek to walk with God. To overcome sin is a journey, not a one shot method. But far from avoiding the problem, God solved the problem by sending Jesus as the atoning sacrifice for us. Even with an awareness of sin, Christians take on a position of powerlessness because they remain in fear and lack in understanding of God's character.
------------------------------------------------------------
When I sin, I come before God in repentance. I strive to never do it again.
Then I fell, and I had to come back to God, head hung in shame. I wasn't sure why I end up making the same mistake again.
I had endeavoured to do right and live right, yet at the critical juncture I chose to satisfy the desires of my flesh rather than the Spirit. Why? Why did I end up this way?
As I knelt before His throne, I could provide no answer. What I did was inexcusable, yet I also could not come up with a reasonable explanation except "I just did it."
Yet as I stood before His throne, there was a strange warmth. "My child, I do not count it against you."
Silence.
For a moment, my "why" of self-blame shifted gears to "Why did He say so?"
It was then that I remembered Christ. His death was absolute-in absolute pain from bearing my sins. Yet once the pain passed and He rose from the dead, another absolute emerged.
Absolutely no condemnation.
I could barely contain myself as I weep. Not tears of shame. Not tears of regret. But tears of gratefulness. Tears of joy. Tears knowing that one as wretched as I am could be forgiven without paying any price whatsoever, because Christ had paid the price.
In the light of who He is, I can only stand in worship. His forgiveness and loving-kindness draws me to repentance. That come what may, I seek to live better for Him everyday, until He calls me home.
------------------------------------------------------------
Repentance leads to renewed strength to live for God.
Repentance helps us to be aware of who we are in light of who He is.
Repentance is the deliberate humbling of ourselves before God, that from ashes and sackcloth He may build a holy Temple that is pleasing unto Him.
In the final analysis, repentance is not about me and you, and even how we feel about ourselves, but about who God is and what He can do in our lives... if we repent and allow Him to do so.
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