Since I can’t seem to find time to actually write blog posts, we’ll just continue with discussion around quotes I find provocative/helpful/mildly irritating…
Here’s A.W. Tozer:
Repentance is not a meritorious act… repentance is a condition we meet in order that God, already wanting to be good to us, can be good to us, forgiving and cleansing us.
I find it interesting that Tozer says repentance is not meritorious, but is a condition we need to meet in order to receive forgiveness and cleansing. That seems like a helpful distinction that helps us do what we need to do without thinking we’re earning anything. In this sense, repentance is simply the way we receive the gift of God’s mercy.
What do you think? Does that distinction make sense for you? Or does it feel like semantic jargoning? If so, how would you describe the role of repentance in the life of a Christian?
(ht)
Tozer's right that repentance doesn't earn any merit. No more than recovering from a broken leg is to your credit. Nobody earns merit by having their diseases treated or his sins healed.
My only complaint is the emphasis at the end: God doesn't depend on our repentance — we are the ones who need to repent in order to become receptive to forgiveness, love, and God's goodness. We're not striving for God's forgiveness; that's free for the asking. Confident in God's love and forgiveness without reservation, we struggle for wholeness, holiness, and the acquisition of Christ's likeness.
So repentance reminds me of John Wayne's line in "The Train Robbers" — "You're going to spend the rest of your life getting up one more time than you're knocked down, so you better start getting used to it."
Silouan, thanks for the comment. I like the analogy of the broken leg.
Belief precedes repentance. God works faith in us so that we can turn around and walk a different way. “Without faith it is impossible to please Him.”
How about "repent and believe the good news," from Jesus' lips?
I see repentance more as the inner "turn" and belief as the action of walking in a new direction.
How about "repent and believe the good news," from Jesus' lips?
I see repentance more as the inner "turn" and belief as the action of walking in a new direction.