Luke 3:2b-3 (ESV)
. . . the word of God came to
John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. [3] And he went into all the
region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the
forgiveness of sins.
The words repentance, penitence, and
penance all sound similar in the English language. Unfortunately the three
concepts are often confused and even comingled. According to the Mirriam-Webster
Dictionary penance is “an act of self-abasement, mortification or a devotion
performed to show sorrow or repentance.” Penance is something one does to earn
forgiveness or to pay for sins committed. Penitence is best understood as shame
or sorrow over sin. Penitence can lead to repentance or be associated with
repentance, but it is not the same as repentance. The word repent or repentance
is where the English dictionary fails us. It defines repentance as the act of turning
from sin and dedicating oneself to changing your life. That is not quite the
meaning of the original Greek word that we translate as repentance.
In the original language the idea
of repentance is a change of mind, not a change of action. The change of action
occurs because of the change of mind, but we must not confuse the cause with
the effect. When we do, we turn repentance into penitence and penance, and we
turn the gospel into a gospel of works. Hebrews 6:1 talks about “repentance
from dead works and of faith toward God.” Notice that it does not say
repentance from dead works to living works, good works, or righteous works, but
of faith toward God. It is talking about changing what you trust.
In Luke 3:8 John further instructed
those he had called to repentance to “bear fruits in keeping with repentance.” The
fruit is the result of repentance, but bearing fruit takes time. Fruit doesn’t
grow instantaneously. When we confuse bearing fruit with repentance, when we
confuse the result with the cause, we undermine the gospel, and we become
judgmental. We begin to decide who is saved and who is not. We point fingers
while failing to see our own blind spots and failures. We attempt to pluck
specks from others’ eyes without addressing the sliver or beam in our own.
Repentance is changing what we
trust. It is moving from self-effort to resting in the finished work of Christ.
It is often accompanied by penitence, but never by penance. We do not redeem
ourselves by changing what we do. We are changed because we are redeemed through
faith in what Jesus did. Stop worrying about whether you feel bad enough over
your sin, or whether you have changed enough for God to forgive you. Find rest
in the truth that forgiveness was paid for at the cross. That is the gospel.
Comments
Post a Comment