My good friend Matthew said it correctly – that forgiveness is available for those who repent. More specifically, I believe repentance
means that I’ve turned away from my sin. The following question becomes
obvious, “Can a person be repentant – truly having a contrite heart and a
broken spirit – without subsequently changing their behavior?” And if I’m not repentant, then can I be part
of the Kingdom of God?
My invitation to the Kingdom of God is the result of unmerited
grace. It is undeserved. I’ve done nothing to earn this gift from
God. In this respect, salvation and forgiveness aren’t exactly the
same. If there were *actions* required for salvation, then we
would no longer be saved by grace through faith – but by our works – and we’d
hear lots of boasting about this, for sure.
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Ephesians 2:8-10 (NASB)
We typically speak of repentance in reference to our single
sinful acts – each trespass requires a contrite request for forgiveness…and if
you missed one sin in your list of requests for forgiveness (or simply forgot
about one), then oops…off to Hell you go. But Jesus didn’t teach us to
pray like that. He said, “…And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive
those who trespass against us.” This is a very general prayer for
forgiveness, indicating a constant *attitude* of repentance and an equal
willingness to forgive others.
In
this context, can I have a constant attitude of repentance while I remain in the
state of sinfulness? Considering that we remain in the flesh – and will inevitably
sin, I expect that this tension will always remain. Paul says the same about his own struggles
with sin:
For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.
I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.
Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. Romans 7:15-8:4 (NASB)
This is an amazing gift we’ve been given. How beautiful, that even in my sinfulness,
Christ Jesus came and set me free from the Law, which was my condemnation. Some people might not even be able to
comprehend how amazing is the gift of Christ.
And with that, some people might not even believe that such a gift
exists. Certainly I have to DO SOMETHING
after I’ve been invited into the Kingdom of God, right?!?! I’ve got to live right and pray and tell others
about God and go do mission work and really DO STUFF, right? By our own actions, the only thing we can
earn is death. Its simple…by our own
works – even our good works, we abide with the Law and cannot be set free.
...Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses. Therefore take heed, so that the thing spoken of in the Prophets may not come upon you: ‘Behold, you scoffers, and marvel, and perish; For I am accomplishing a work in your days, A work which you will never believe, though someone should describe it to you.’ Acts 13:37-41 (NASB)
I love the last part of that grouping of verses…in that the
only WORK that matters is the one being done by God. There is no contradiction on this topic in
the Bible – we cannot be made righteous, entering the Kingdom of God by our own good works or by our abstinence from sin. There is a wonderful story in Luke where
Jesus forgives the sins of a woman, simply because she loved him so much:
“A moneylender had two debtors: one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. So which of them will love him more?” Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have judged correctly.” Turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet. You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume. For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.” Then He said to her, “Your sins have been forgiven.” Those who were reclining at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this man who even forgives sins?” And He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” Luke 7:41-48
This woman wasn’t forgiven because she asked for
forgiveness…and she didn’t repent of her MANY sins. She isn’t recorded confessing those sins
publicly. The focus of this verse is
clearly that people – people who are unable to obtain forgiveness on their own,
LOVE Jesus because He has already forgiven them of their MANY SINS.
I find it valuable that He specifies that the woman had many sins. And in this regard, she loved Him all the more because her debt was very large. We become a stumbling block when we make repentance a prerequisite of obtaining Jesus’ love. This is important, though…because when we do seek forgiveness, the Bible says it is assured. And repentance is a part of the ongoing process of sanctification, but certainly not a prerequisite to salvation - but, in fact, it is the result. We repent because "His word" is in us.
I find it valuable that He specifies that the woman had many sins. And in this regard, she loved Him all the more because her debt was very large. We become a stumbling block when we make repentance a prerequisite of obtaining Jesus’ love. This is important, though…because when we do seek forgiveness, the Bible says it is assured. And repentance is a part of the ongoing process of sanctification, but certainly not a prerequisite to salvation - but, in fact, it is the result. We repent because "His word" is in us.
If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us. 1 John 1:8-10 (NASB)
Salvation is a free gift available to ALL who believe. Luckily for me, that includes homosexuals and
the divorced/remarried, among others…
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. John 3:16-18 (NASB)
I looked up the word, “whoever” in this passage using my
Strong’s dictionary. This is a pretty
all-encompassing word.
Let’s not try to exclude anyone from this good news. And then let the work of the Holy Spirit take root in all of us, sparking us all to repentance.
