Tuesday, October 04, 2005
Do You Repent?
Challies has a really interesting post about repentance. I have to be honest and say, I agree with the points that Tim is making, including the criticism of Rick Warren that is in the post; however, the truth of Tim's points should be sufficient without having to take a shot at Warren. I was reading and reading the post and loving it and then it turned into some sort of attack on Warren and I felt like it robbed the post of it's real power, turning it from a genuine declaration of God's truth into just another "bashing" post.
But, let's concentrate on the meat of the matter. Tim says (emphasis added)
Have you ever remodelled a house? How do you start? With demolition, that's how. let's take a kitchen for example, I should know, I've done this in the last couple of years. The first step is to decide the current kitchen is ugly, that the job needs to be done -- that's confession. Then you have to the demolition, that is make room for the new stuff, which means you have to take everything out of the cabinets, take the applicanes out, then tear out the countertops and cabinets, only then are you free to build a new kitchen that is as wonderful as you would hope.
Now none of us as what it takes to demolish our lives that thoroughly, fortunately, we have the Holy Spirit to do the work for us. All we have to do is tell Him we are ready to get busy and get out of His way -- that's repentance.
It saddens me deeply that the good news of repentance is leaving the church so rapidly. WHOA Nellie, back up the truck, "Repentance? -- Good News!?" Oh yeah, there is none better. We cannot realize the real promise of God to us, the genuine depth of His grace without repentance, that makes it the best news of all.
Jollyblogger looked at the issue from a slightly different angle yesterday. David is talking about redemption and says this
That's radical faith in Christ -- That's radical life in Christ.
But, let's concentrate on the meat of the matter. Tim says (emphasis added)
Repentance is a concept that causes our human natures to rebel, for we hate to think that we are really sinful enough that we need to repent before God. We also hate to give up our autonomy and admit that God's ways our superior to ours. The idea of expressing faith seems wonderful and so does the idea of being followers of Jesus, but admitting our sinful natures and confessing our unworthiness before God flies in the face of what our society teaches us. We are taught that right and wrong are subjective and that what is good for me may be bad for you - and frankly that's just fine as long as you don't force your views on me. Repentance is an admission that our ways our wrong and God's are right. Repentance is admitting that we are willing to suppress our desires in favor of God's.I have experienced this kind of "seeker-sensitive" watered down preaching quite a bit. Sometimes, it can be just amazing.
Because our society so hates the idea of repentance, many churches, out of a so-called "seeker-sensitivity," have stopped speaking about it, choosing instead to teach about sorrow and brokenness. Instead of portraying Jesus as the one who died to remove the stench of our sin from before God, Jesus is portrayed as one who died to meet our needs and to help us live a better life. Jesus died to give us purpose and to give us the power to change our minds. There need not be true, biblical repentance in this watered-down gospel. The true gospel, the gospel which has the power to transform lives, cannot be preached without repentance.
Have you ever remodelled a house? How do you start? With demolition, that's how. let's take a kitchen for example, I should know, I've done this in the last couple of years. The first step is to decide the current kitchen is ugly, that the job needs to be done -- that's confession. Then you have to the demolition, that is make room for the new stuff, which means you have to take everything out of the cabinets, take the applicanes out, then tear out the countertops and cabinets, only then are you free to build a new kitchen that is as wonderful as you would hope.
Now none of us as what it takes to demolish our lives that thoroughly, fortunately, we have the Holy Spirit to do the work for us. All we have to do is tell Him we are ready to get busy and get out of His way -- that's repentance.
It saddens me deeply that the good news of repentance is leaving the church so rapidly. WHOA Nellie, back up the truck, "Repentance? -- Good News!?" Oh yeah, there is none better. We cannot realize the real promise of God to us, the genuine depth of His grace without repentance, that makes it the best news of all.
Jollyblogger looked at the issue from a slightly different angle yesterday. David is talking about redemption and says this
You see, in His work of redemption, Jesus doesn't so much procure something for me, rather He procures me! The picture of redemption is not that there is some commodity sitting on the shelf of a warehouse somewhere that Jesus goes and gets and transfers ownership of to me. I am the thing that is on the shelf.See the central issue here is taking ourselves out of the picture in any sort of self-determinative sense. In repentance, we deny ourselves, in redemption we are purchased -- either way we are wholly God's and not our own.
That's radical faith in Christ -- That's radical life in Christ.
