Before Almighty God

I'm working on an adult Bible class on attitudes. One of our lessons has to do with God. A question I pose in the lesson is "How should my knowledge of God affect my attitude toward myself?" In a time of quiet reflection, I composed my answer below:

Who am I, Lord? Who am I that you should notice me? Who am I that you should bestow upon me grace and favor? Who am I that you should listen to my voice or care if I serve you?

I am nothing, less than nothing. I am an unprofitable servant, incapable of doing more than my duty to an eternal and holy Creator.

I am proud and arrogant. In my foolish imagination, I believe myself wise. I think I have discovered much, but I know precious little. I have considered myself at the center of the universe. I am arrogant, insolent, and foolish.

I am a sinner. In ten thousand ways I have defied my God. By every willful act, selfish intent, or unholy thought I have rebelled against Him. I have lied, stolen, cursed, and hated. I have murdered and committed innumerable other sins in thought, if not in deed. I have doubted and ignored the sovereign Master of the universe.

Standing before the Almighty Creator, the Just and Righteous Judge, the Sovereign Master of the Universe, I have nothing to say in my defense. There is no defense. “Woe is me, for I am undone. I am a man of unclean lips in the midst of a people of unclean lips.” I stand in shame and in fear, without strength, without defiance, with only a broken spirit, owning my guilt.

But, in Christ I am blessed. In Christ I have received the gift of repentance. Repentance without forgiveness is empty and without hope. In Jesus Christ I have received grace, pardon and mercy. I am confident, wise, strong, and hopeful – not of myself, but of Jesus Christ who gives me wisdom, strength, confidence and hope.

All that I have, I have received from my God. I have been bountifully blest, far more than I need and certainly more than I deserve. I have achieved nothing on my own. He deserves my very best, although He needs nothing from me. Any service I render, any souls I save, any good deeds I do are not for my glory, but for His. He works through me, a weak and often unreliable servant.

I am broken, humble, and submissive. I have given myself to my Lord because He cares for me and loves me. There is no room for boasting or pride. There is simply humble gratitude and submission.

-PG

Repentance -- What shall we do? (Part 3)

In Acts 2 when the men of Israel asked "What shall we do?", the first word out of the apostle Peter's mouth was "Repent". First proclaimed by John (Matthew 3:2), then by Jesus (Matthew 4:17), the earliest message of the gospel was "Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Peter proclaims in 2 Peter 3:9, "The Lord ... is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." Repentance is central to the gospel of Christ. It is the natural and essential response to belief in the message of the cross.

What is Repentance?

Repentance is a change of heart and of mind. Repentance is not merely feeling regret or remorse for past deeds. Certainly, godly sorrow leads to repentance (2 Corinthians 7:9-12). But repentance is more than just regret. Repentance is the determination to change the direction of your life. It is the sincere determination to cease living in selfishness and sin, and the resolution to live in obedience to God.

On-going Repentance

Repentance is not a one-time action. Repentance is necessary throughout our walk as servants of God whenever we find ourselves straying from His will. In James 4:4-10, James writes to Christians,

Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you now know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, "The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously"?
But He gives more grace. Therefore He says, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." Therefore submit to God. Resis the devil and he will flee from you.
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

The repentance James describes involves mourning for our past behavior, humbling ourselves before our God in our admission of guilt, and a sincere determination to change ("purify your hearts, you double-minded").

The No Repentance Gospel

We live in a proud society. We don't like to admit wrong-doing or weakness. I've heard advertisements from churches proclaiming, "Come as you are!" and "No perfect people allowed". I understand that we need to meet sinners where they are to begin teaching them the gospel. However, the message seem to be (and is sometimes explicitly stated) that not only can you "come as you are", but you can "remain as you are". This attitude that repentance is not necessary for salvation is not Biblical.

Many churches have stopped preaching about sin and judgment. It makes people uncomfortable. It is supposed to make people uncomfortable! Until you understand the righteous judgment of God and that your actions have placed you under condemnation, repentance is impossible. How can you feel remorse if you don't think you have done anything wrong? Why do you need to change if you are just fine as you are? We aren't going to save anyone unless we tell them the truth -- we have all sinned and unless we repent, we will be lost (Luke 13:1-5). Conviction of sin, contriteness of heart, and determination to change are essential responses to the gospel of Christ.

-PG