Repent! Matthew 4:17

Scripture

Matthew 4:17

Background

John came to prepare a way for Jesus. He had already begun preaching about repentance. That message surely included the basis for repentance, which is God's love for us. Jesus also comes preaching repentance. Not an act of obedience, but a response to God's love and mercy.

Comments

Where is the basis for repentance preached today? So much of Jesus' message dealt with this aspect of faith, and it is missing from much of what I hear today. We hear of God's blessings, but often that is tied to our behavior rather than tying our behavior to God's blessings. Even what we consider a blessing has taken a hit. Paul and Silas were in prison praising the Lord. I think that many of us today would instead be praying for release. Paul and Silas recognized that God's blessing was in salvation, and not in circumstance. John the Baptist, who lived such a humble and obedient life, imprisoned and beheaded. Surely he recognized God's blessing were in his salvation and not his circumstance. Stephen, while getting stoned (Acts 7) for proclaiming the gospel, cries out for forgiveness of the ones who are stoning him. (Acts 7:59-60).

The Disagreement

I heard a pastor preach on Romans 12:1-2. Afterwards we had a discussion. I told him that I thought he was mistaken, when he said the "Therefore" in verse 1 refers to the entirety of the text of Romans prior to that verse, and that our acting as a living sacrifice was an expectation from God that we as Christians must strive to meet. I suggested that the "Therefore" refers to Paul's preceding verses (Romans 11:32-36), where is speaks of God consigning us to disobedience, but then bursts out in praise of the riches and wisdom of God. Therefore, our response to God is not one of obligation, but rather a rich and full response of a heart of praise, and offering our lives as a living sacrifice is not something we must do to obtain salvation but rather a reaction because God has granted us salvation. Let's just say we agreed to disagree.

Conclusion

I say all of this because the idea of repentance is an important one for the Christian, and we must understand what it is and how and why we do it, What it is not, in my opinion, is a one time event or proclamation made to enter the gates of heaven. What it is, in my opinion, is the response of a heart that has seen God's love and mercy, and is doing all that it can to live according to that belief.