MEET AND FOLLOW JESUS
REPENTANCE
What is repentance?
Preparing for our union with Christ in baptism requires repentance. Repentance is a change of direction in life. Repentance and faith are often seen together, “repent and believe”. To repent is to turn away from something and to believe is to turn towards something.
Repentance means turning away from whatever is incompatible, with what Christ has achieved for us by his death and resurrection:
• It means turning away from the domain of darkness to enter into the kingdom of light, the kingdom of life, love, freedom and from everything this implies.
• It means turning our backs on the ruler of this world system, satan, and turning towards the victory of Christ, who has conquered the world (John 16:33).
• It means turning away from all sin that made the death on the cross necessary and accepting freedom from the destructive power of sin, “if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36).
• It means putting an end to our separation from God by accepting Christ as the only way to restore that vital relationship.
• It means turning away from the path of death and travelling along the path of life while enjoying the free gift of eternal life.
Let us take another look at John the Baptist who proclaims the message of repentance to direct the people towards Christ. The people who came to be baptised came out of their urban environment into the wilderness, towards John, who directs them to Christ. It reminds us of the Israelites coming out of the slavery of Egypt heading towards the promised land. As in the case of John and the Exodus we, too, turn away from our modern day Egypt under the slavery of sin and corruption and head towards the promised land, the kingdom of God, in Christ, through baptism.
The Christian is called out from the world towards the church ekklesia the called-out-ones. Love of the world is incompatible with the love of God, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15). The world is also called the 'domain of darkness' (Colossians 1:13). We are exhorted not to be influenced by the conduct and thought patterns of this world, “Do not be conformed to this world” (Romans 12:2). As we progress on our spiritual journey we gradually discover just how much of our thinking and conduct has been influenced by TV, social media, newspapers and other people. There will always be cause for humility and self-examination that lead to repentance. We repent and turn away from anything in this present world that is incompatible with our new life as followers of Christ.
Why is the Christian called out of the world? Does that mean he is to isolate himself from this material world? The answer is ‘no’, "As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world" (John 17:18). The Christian is called to remain in this world and to play a very active role in it by continuing the mission of Christ. He is called out from the spirit of this world, the mindset, the attitudes that prevail in this world and are considered ‘normal’ despite their destructive nature. We are called to change the direction of our journey, from the path of the world leading ultimately to death, to the path leading to life. We are called out of the spirit of this world to bring the presence of God into it. Let us not forget that the world, since the fall of man, is Godless, under the curse of Genesis 3, under the power of evil from which we are freed through the death and resurrection of Jesus. ‘Ruler of the world’ is a title used to indicate satan, see for example John 12:31, 14:30, 16:11. Through the death and resurrection of Christ the Christian is set free from the power of sin but not from the presence of sin.
Let us consider one or two elements in the driving force of this world, of our secular society, a society alienated from God. Among the seven most deadly attitudes or dispositions of this world pride, envy, anger, sloth, greed, gluttony, and lust, let us briefly consider pride to see its devastating effect not only on individuals but also on relationships. The Christian considers pride the most devastating attitude or disposition, one of the ‘deadly sins’. The world is so spiritually blind as to consider it a virtue because it lies at the heart of that spirit of competition that tramples on the weak and vulnerable, a spirit of extreme selfishness, the driving force of our society. In such a competitive world others are seen as rivals, as a threat, rather than people to be loved. For Christians pride is seen as undermining relationships. We have already noted that a person, when he becomes a Christian, enters into a whole network of new relationships with a new mindset, with a new spirit, humility, not pride. Humility forms the basis of those new Christian relationships. Without humility there can be no true love or service. This does NOT mean that we need to be models of humility to enter into a loving relationship with Christ, on the contrary it is the work of the Holy Spirit with our collaboration, who will change us. This is the journey of a whole lifetime. Here we are talking about the direction of travel. The word of God tells much about humility
Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way (Psalm 25:8, 9).
For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar. (Psalms 138:6-7)
“God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6)
Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility towards one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (1 Peter 5:5)
In becoming a disciple, or follower of Christ, we need to adapt to a whole new way of thinking because even from these few verses we realise how different the logic of God is from that of our secular society, the 'world'.
The words of the prophet Isaiah ring loud and clear
my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:8, 9).
The proud find it difficult to repent, difficult to learn; they have a distorted view of reality, blinded by self and misguided self-sufficiency. They do not recognise their need for Christ, they feel superior and this has incredibly destructive potential.
The word ‘pride’ is used in different ways in English. We talk of being proud of our work meaning being satisfied, content with our work. This is not the pride we are talking about. We talk about being proud of our children again this is not the pride we are talking about. This is the esteem we have of what lies outside of us. The pride we are talking about is the bloated image we have of ourselves, the overestimation of ourselves that blinds us to our true selves and hinders both spiritual and human growth. It concerns our person and it erodes us from within. This is extremely dangerous for ourselves, for our spiritual life and for our relationships.
The pride we are talking about is the pride exhibited in the mindset of the Pharisee in the parable of the tax collector and the Pharisee in Luke 18:9-14.
The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
The Pharisee stands in splendid isolation, ‘by himself’, self-sufficient. He is so spiritually blind as to address his words to God, whom, he should know, appreciates a contrite heart "a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise" (Psalm 51:17). The proud are constantly comparing themselves to others. The problem is that when we do compare ourselves to others those we compare ourselves to are chosen to support our distorted sense of superiority. It is the humility and contrite heart of the tax collector that finds favour with God, he "would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’" Imagine a relationship with someone who always boasts and considers himself superior. Would you not feel uncomfortable in his presence? Not a very healthy relationship!
Does this mean we must abase ourselves and see ourselves as worthless? The answer again is a resounding ‘no’. We are called to see ourselves not in our own eyes, not as others see us, but as God sees us.
Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. ... you are precious in my eyes, and honoured, and I love you (Isaiah 43:1, 4).
God sees us as being of inestimable value, worth dying for, precious.
It is when we see ourselves independently of God that problems arise. We can see that the relationship we have with God changes the relationship we have with self and with others. It is the relationship we have with God that constitutes the healthy basis for healthy living. Humility in our relationship with God creates a spirit of humility in us and it is this disposition with which we relate to others. It creates a more healthy view of ourselves. It also alters the way we see others as equally loved, precious and worth dying for; our relationships change radically. This new disposition and view of self and others gives us confidence, not confidence rooted in self, but confidence rooted in God. These two kinds of confidence are noticeably different in quality. One attracts, the other repels, one derives from a humble disposition the other from proud self-assertion. When we see ourselves, others and things independently of God we overestimate ourselves and underestimate others and division and conflict arise and relationships are undermined. The proud criticise and belittle others as a means of reinforcing the conviction in themselves and in others that they are superior. The humble see themselves and others as God sees them, equally precious, loved and lovable.
Repentance is turning from pride to humility, from dominating to serving, from belittling to praising, from seeing others as a threat to seeing others as precious, to be loved. This is the new way of seeing relationships, from the perspective of Christ, with whom we become one because in baptism we are all equally incorporated into Christ forming one body, the church.
What does it mean to "believe"?
Believing that Jesus is Lord and Messiah is not simply an intellectual assent, not simply accepting two facts about Jesus. It is an active, relational faith. It is establishing a relationship with Jesus to allow him to be Lord of your life, to guide you along the journey that will transform you into his likeness.
It means
• Believing that Christ is what he said he was: true God and true man, the way to salvation, the truth, the light that illuminates the world and the life of every man, the good shepherd who cares for his friends. The way to Life, Love and Freedom.
• Believing that he can do what he promises: forgive you, come into your life to control it and transform it into his image.
• Believing is an act of trust, an act of yielding to him, an act whereby we open our hearts to his transforming power. It is an act of will. It is not based on emotions or on the intellect but on that drawing and acceptance of that drawing in the depths of our spirit.
• Believing is your answer to God's offer of his mercy, his love and his forgiveness. It is saying yes to that offer of Life, Love and Freedom that you have been longing for.
The Faith That Saves
The faith that we should have is not intellectual, neither is it emotional. I can believe that Jesus existed as a historical figure, this is not the faith that saves. I can believe that God exists and so does the devil, "you believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!" (James 2: 19).
The faith that saves is the faith that leads you to put all your trust in Christ, confident that he will forgive you and give you eternal life. The faith that saves is the faith that leads you to put Christ first in your life, one that leads you to join other Christians, that leads you to surrender your will to the Father in every situation of your life. It is the faith that leads you to want to imitate Christ and that leads you to have compassion for those who do not yet know Christ and to want to help them.
We understand Paul when he said: "I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes" (Romans 1: 16). The faith that saves is that which places you in Christ who will take you where he is now and forever; we are united to Christ, incorporated into him at baptism and that bond cannot be broken by anything or anyone:
I give them eternal life; they will never be lost and no one will ever steal them from my hand. The Father, for what he has given me, is greater than anyone, and no one can steal anything from the Father's hand. The Father and I are one. (John 10: 28-30).
Active Faith
We are at New Street railway station in Birmingham. We are waiting on platform 1 for the train to London. The train arrives. I ask you a question: "do you think this train will take you to London? You say yes because we have the tickets, according to the timetables the train that leaves from platform 1 at this time goes to London and the announcements tell you it is the train to London. But suppose I get on the train but you remain on the platform and the train leaves. Will that train take you to London? Obviously not because if you do not move from the platform and step on the train, the train will take you nowhere. Only if you accept Jesus, and only if you are placed in him and let him carry you, only then can you reach your destination. Do you want to board the train with the other passengers on the journey to Life, Love and Freedom?
Are you ready to place yourself in the arms of the Father? Are you ready to put your trust in Jesus who died for you to cancel your sin? Are you ready to repent and confess your sin and recognise the need for healing? Are you ready to accept Jesus as the Lord of your life to control it and guide it so that he can empower you to be what you were meant to be, to fulfil the plan that God has for you, to achieve real self fulfilment? Are you willing to accept now the gift of eternal life? If your answer is "yes" the Holy Spirit will give you the faith to believe, the ability to obey and to know the joy of belonging to the family of God that has a loving Father who will always be near you.
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Next: Discipleship Part 4 - Faith
Introduction to the Christian Faith - Index
© R W
bsgbiblestudyguide@gmail.com
