The Lost Discipline of Repentance
1. The Oppressive View of Sin: Some react aggressively toward anyone that mentions the concept of sin. Why? Because the concept of sin brings about a sense of guilt which is perceived as oppressive. However, sin is real and we all are plagued by it. What is truly oppressive is the consequences of living in sin. It destroys people and societies.
2. The Casual view of Sin: Many Christians approach the idea of sin with a casual spirit, ignoring the seriousness of their own sin. They may joke about their own sin without ever being broken over it. For example, one might readily admit their stubbornness (pride) in relationships and laugh about it, but never really express brokenness over it and seek repentance from it. Many have taken such a casual approach to sins such as anger, gossip, laziness, lying, pride, selfishness, lust, or slander. To be clear, taking a casual approach to sin means that though you recognize it as sin, you don't embrace the seriousness of that sin, which leaves you unbroken and unrepentant. The ironic thing is that many times people are quick to point out the seriousness of the sins of others, without ever even attempting to deal with their own sin. Those that take a casual approach to sin often find it hard to pray, because they know they are rebelling against God in the inner being. They often attempt to suppress the guilt that is meant to lead them toward repentance by justifying their sin, downplaying the seriousness of their sin, or comparing their sin to the sin of others, thus determining they are ok because they are not as bad. It's almost like the joke that you don't have to be faster than a bear to outrun him, you just have to be faster than the other people with you. The problem is that you cannot outrun God period.
3. The Graceless View of Sin: Some attach their sin with their identity and live in constant fear and guilt because they never measure up. These people actually understand the seriousness of sin in their life, but they have attached it to their identity. They fail to embrace that it is by God's grace that we are new creations, we have a new family, and that we possess eternal life. Sin does not define the identity of the believer... grace does. These Christians live their lives in fear and guilt. It is not that they don't think God can forgive them, but they can't forgive themselves. They beat themselves up over and over and are constantly focused on their sin instead of Christ. This is an unhealthy approach to sin. You just simply can't approach sin without a proper view of God's grace. While I think that a casual approach to sin seems to dominate the church, a graceless approach is right behind it. Neither one is a Biblical view of sin and they both destroy the person and often those around them.
4. A Biblical View of Sin: Sin by definition means to miss the mark. We find in the Old Testament that there were intentional sins and unintentional sins. Intentional sins are those that are committed by a person with the full knowledge that what they are doing is a violation of God's design and character. Unintentional sins are those that are committed without necessarily understanding it as sin at the time. You see this when a sin in a certain culture has become normal, yet one is later made aware that this normal cultural behavior is indeed sin. Polygamy is an example of this in many cultures around the world. Sin entered the world through the disobedience of Adam in the Garden of Eden and brought death to all (Romans 5:12). Sin is the very reason that the wrath of God is coming (Romans 5:16). It brought condemnation to all people. This is how serious sin is to God. In fact the only way for God to deal with sin is through judgment. Payment for sin must be made. It will either be by fire when Christ returns or by the cross for those that repent and turn to Christ through faith. Either way it is horrible. The righteous wrath of God is no joke and the cross, though there is beauty in it, is the place where God poured out His wrath on His only Son on our behalf. Ultimately sin is an expression of our own rebellion against God. For the Christian, however, we recognize that our new identity in Christ is not rooted in our sin, but God's grace. This means that as we continue to be broken over our sin we thank God for His grace. This means that we put to death what is earthly in us (Colossians 3:5). With deal with our sin before God honestly, often, and early. We cannot let it take seed in the soil of our heart. It is a weed and will grow quickly and snuff out what is good. The only right response to sin in our lives is repentance... turn from our sin and turn to Christ. He has already forgiven you, but He will continue to restore and renew you. Repentance is a necessary activity for sanctification. You will be made into the image of Christ by continuing to turn from your sin and turn to Christ.
Sin will destroy you and your relationships. Seriously, take some time to think this through. How does sin affect your own relationships? How does your habitual sins affect your relationship with God? Unrepentant sin will turn your heart away from God. It is such a serious issue that has plagued humanity since Eden and continues to darken the hearts people, even those who claim to be saved by the grace of God. We need to see more repentance in the church... more people recognizing the true nature of their sin, turning from it, and pursuing Christ. In some ways we have lost the significance of repentance. We don't confess our sins to one another to find healing (James 5:16) because we are worried that others might think we don't have it all together. Listen! There is no one righteous! None of us are perfect! We all tend toward rebellion! We are all a mess! On the other hand, we don't celebrate our sin or take a "poor me" attitude toward sin. Just deal with your sin honestly, often, and early. You may even want to find a few brothers or sisters in Christ that you can trust that will encourage you in your repentance and not judge you for the ways in which you miss the mark (sin).
I remember going to the Brooklyn Tabernacle for one of their Tuesday prayer meetings in my 20s. It was my first time there and Trish was with me. There were 2000 people jammed into this building praying, singing, and praying some more. Toward the end of the prayer meeting (2 1/2 hours later) they invited those who were pastors to come forward so that the staff of the Brooklyn Tabernacle could pray for them. I went forward with Trish and was greeted by an elderly pastor on staff. I will never forget his prayer. He prayed that God would break me. That I would understand that there was nothing in me that was good apart from Christ. That I would seek Christ above all. It was a call to repentance. I wept because I knew he was right and that I was allowing sin to take seed in my own heart. Repentance/Turning to Christ is a good and necessary discipline of the believer. Let's stop getting in the way of the Spirit's sanctifying work and humble ourselves before God and others, confessing our need to turn from sin and turn to Christ.
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