Independence Day, Deep Impact, Strange Days, even Superman. What do these movies have in common? At some point in the movie, some poor fellow is running around with a sign that reads "The end is near". In other movies, they portray a "Christian" with the same sign with one little change, the sign will read, "Repent, the end is near." REPENT.
Repentance is not something new to Christians. John the Baptist (or Baptizer, depending on the teaching that you received) was preaching repentance, "And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins." (Mark 1:4 NIV) So what is repentance?
Repentance is a change of mind, or a conversion from sin to God. Repentance is also the relinquishment of any practice, from conviction that it has offended God. Repentance, therefore, is a relinquishment of any sinful practice through a change of mind resulting from a conversion from sin and into a life, living for God. The Greek word that is used in this passage is metanoia which means (subjectively) compunction (for guilt, including reformation); by implication reversal (of [another’s] decision): - repentance. A reversal of ones decisions. It is a reformation, a turning away a reversal of ones decisions. (Strong’s Concordance #G3341)
What then, are we repenting from? Sin. What is sin? Sin is disobedience to God. Sin is doing things that we should not be doing. As it is written in I John 3:4, "Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness." (NIV). Who’s law? God’s law. If God said it was a sin 2000 years ago, it is still a sin today. If God said something is detestable to Him, it’s still detestable to Him. Sin is also not doing what must be done. "Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins." (James 4:17 NIV). In essence, breaking God’s law and not doing what is right, is sin.
When we look at repentance and what is true repentance, we find some misunderstandings to the repentance. Some people are taught that repentance is just feeling sorry for what they did. That’s sort of right. Are you sorry that you got caught and subsequently punished? That’s not repentance, that’s a fear of punishment. Are you sorry for the pain that you caused other people? That’s not even repentance. When repenting it starts with a degree of sorrow, a deep mournful sorrow, for the pain that was caused to the heavenly Father. Then, the promise not to do it again. Ever. That’s what leads to repentance. That in a nutshell is repentance. The promise to God not to do it again.
Jesus when forgiving sins, He would say in one form or another, "Don’t do it anymore." "Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, ‘See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.’" (John 5:14) "Jesus straightened up and asked her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you.?’ ‘No one, sir,’ she said. ‘Then neither do I condemn you,’ Jesus declared. ‘Go now and leave your life of sin.’" (John 8:10-11 NIV).
Repentance begins with acknowledging our sin. True repentance comes from not doing it anymore, and forgiveness comes from repentance. "But if a wicked man turns away from all the sins he has committed and keeps all my decrees and does what is just and right, he will surely live; he will not die. None of his offenses he has committed will be remembered against him. Because of the righteous things he has done, he will live." (Ezekiel 18:21,22 NIV) Following those verses is a warning, if you don’t truly repent and return to wickedness, "But if a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits sin and does the same detestable thing the wicked man does, will he live? None of the righteous things he has done will be remembered. Because of the unfaithfulness he is guilty of and because of the sins he has committed, he will die." (Ezekiel 18:24 NIV)
The myth that Christians can go to a member of the clergy, whether it be a priest, pastor, or any leadership person, and then say a few prayers of forgiveness and then go back and do it again, and be forgiven, is false. When one truly repents, they will not purposely do it again.
Today is a good day to repent and to turn to God. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (I John 1:9)
Have a blessed week
Daniel G Vandenburg
Friday, February 23, 2007
Monday, January 22, 2007
Three Aspects of Forgiveness
"My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense -Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." (I John 2:1,2 NIV)
It is written that "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." (Rom 3:23 NIV). Knowing that we all have sinned, what then must we do to correct the problem? How do we seek forgiveness and from whom do we seek forgiveness? What must de done to seek the forgiveness? What type of penance must we pay for forgiveness? I will attempt to answer these questions and maybe a few more that pop up into the article.
When we are living a life of lawlessness, we are sinning, for sin is lawlessness. When we disobey the commands of God, we have sinned and we must seek forgiveness. What is one of the first step towards seeking forgiveness? First is to recognize the sin and to repent from it. Repentance is something that many people tend to stumble over. Repent by definition means to turn completely away from. Figuratively it means to do a 180 degree turnaround, to go in the opposite direction. When we are able
to recognize that we have sinned, we stop, turn around, and walk away from it. Repentance is not feeling sorry that you were caught, it is feeling sorry that you did it. I believe (and this is just me, I haven’t heard anyone else express this thought) that what we call our conscience is actually the Holy Spirit working within us to convict us of the wrong that we are doing. Once we repent, we ask for forgiveness, and this is what leads us to the three aspects of forgiveness.
GOD’S FORGIVENESS
What is forgiveness? The dictionary defines forgiveness (forgive) v 1. To grant pardon for or remission of (something); cease to demand the penalty for. 2. To grant freedom from penalty to (someone) 3. To cease to blame or feel resentment against.1 (Emphasis mine) What is the penalty of sin? Death!
When God forgives us, we are no longer bound to the penalty of death. This death is not a physical death, but a spiritual death. When we recognize that we have sinned, we need to confess the sin to God, and He will forgive us. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (I John 1:9 NIV)
The real beauty of God’s forgiveness, is that once He forgives us, He will no longer remember the sin that we committed. "‘This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.’ Then he adds: Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.’" (Heb 10:16-17 NIV) My favorite analogy is this: Your life is always being captured on a VCR tape. Everything you do, everything you say, everything you think, is being recorded. When you sin, it’s caught on tape. When you confess your sin to God, He erases that part of the tape. Once it is erased, it can no longer be brought back. For further insight, open your Bible to Ezekiel 18 and read the entire chapter.
Knowing that God is just to forgive our sins, does this mean that we can continue on sinning? By no means! "What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? (Rom 6:1,2 NIV) It is an insult and borderline blasphemy to deliberately sin against God, with the foreknowledge that He will forgive you. Again, focus on Ezekiel 18.
FORGIVENESS FOR OTHERS
"If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, ‘I repent’, forgive him." (Luke 17:3b-4 NIV) As humans, we will fail against our fellow human. When someone sins against us, and they repent, and ask for forgiveness, we are to forgive them. Is it easy? No, it’s not. Our own instinct is to do something in return. To make them pay for the pain and anguish they caused us. We want revenge. Yet, Jesus commanded that we are to forgive them. Part of the "model prayer" states that we are to forgive others, so that we also can be forgiven (read Matthew 6:9-15).
If we don’t forgive the person, we end up carrying a burden that we can’t get rid of. We struggle through life, unaware of what is wrong. Every time we see the person, the anger that we carry, resurfaces. Our stress levels rise, and we tend to lose all sense and sensibilities with that person. That comes from not forgiving the person.
When we forgive the person, we have to no longer blame the person for what they have done. We have to cease to blame them. I know it’s tough, but it is something that has to be done. Forgiving the person means not harboring ill feelings towards them, and not bringing up the incident in a heated argument four years later. When we forgive the person, we cease to blame them for their actions. The four steps to forgiving the person is; 1. Talk it Out, 2. Work it Out, 3. Gossip Never, 4. Friends Forever. Talk to them, explain how much you were hurt. Work on the solution to the problem. Don’t talk to other people and don’t bring it up at a later time to the person. (In other words, don’t throw it back into their face the wrongs that they have done). By doing this, you will have enhanced the Kingdom of God and you will have a friend forever. Is it easy, not at all. But, it must be done.
FORGIVENESS OF YOURSELF
A couple of months ago, I had to stand before the District Board of Ministerial Development. I had to discuss everything about my call into the ministry, my strengths, my weaknesses, and my past. While discussing everything, one of them asked me the same question my dad has asked me, "Have you been able to forgive those that have sinned against you in the past?" My answer was a resounding, Yes! He looked at me and said "Good, now have you forgiven yourself for what has happened?" That question had hit me hard. Had I forgiven myself? By the time I was standing before them, I had. If I was before them, two years earlier, I could have easily said "No".
Once we have acknowledged that we are sinners and that we have disobeyed God, the feeling of disappointment, will overcome us. We now feel "unworthy" of God’s love, because we are not perfect. We start to analyze all that we had done wrong, and carry it with us. God has forgiven you, it is now time that you have forgiven you.
If you carry unforgiveness for yourself, you will find it hard to forgive others. You will find it hard to understand how others can forgive you. You will carry a burden that will weigh you down, and it will deny you the opportunity to fully understand God’s grace and forgiveness.
When God forgives us, He throws those memories in the Ocean of Forgetfulness. Why then are we rowing our boat into the middle of it, trying to dredge up the memories. We must be able to forgive ourselves of our shortcomings or we will never be able to forgive those that have sinned against us.
Forgiveness will lead us into a closer relationship with God. By asking for forgiveness, by granting forgiveness to others, we grow closer to one another and to God. When we repent from our sins, we are a new creation. The old has passed the new has come to life. Once we commit our lives to Christ, it’s time we started living like it and not like the old ways.
"For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you don’t forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." (Matt 6:14,15 NIV)
Have a blessed week
Daniel G Vandenburg
1. Funk and Wagnalls New International Dictionary of the English Language, Comprehensive Edition Library Guild World Publishers 1987
It is written that "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." (Rom 3:23 NIV). Knowing that we all have sinned, what then must we do to correct the problem? How do we seek forgiveness and from whom do we seek forgiveness? What must de done to seek the forgiveness? What type of penance must we pay for forgiveness? I will attempt to answer these questions and maybe a few more that pop up into the article.
When we are living a life of lawlessness, we are sinning, for sin is lawlessness. When we disobey the commands of God, we have sinned and we must seek forgiveness. What is one of the first step towards seeking forgiveness? First is to recognize the sin and to repent from it. Repentance is something that many people tend to stumble over. Repent by definition means to turn completely away from. Figuratively it means to do a 180 degree turnaround, to go in the opposite direction. When we are able
to recognize that we have sinned, we stop, turn around, and walk away from it. Repentance is not feeling sorry that you were caught, it is feeling sorry that you did it. I believe (and this is just me, I haven’t heard anyone else express this thought) that what we call our conscience is actually the Holy Spirit working within us to convict us of the wrong that we are doing. Once we repent, we ask for forgiveness, and this is what leads us to the three aspects of forgiveness.
GOD’S FORGIVENESS
What is forgiveness? The dictionary defines forgiveness (forgive) v 1. To grant pardon for or remission of (something); cease to demand the penalty for. 2. To grant freedom from penalty to (someone) 3. To cease to blame or feel resentment against.1 (Emphasis mine) What is the penalty of sin? Death!
When God forgives us, we are no longer bound to the penalty of death. This death is not a physical death, but a spiritual death. When we recognize that we have sinned, we need to confess the sin to God, and He will forgive us. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (I John 1:9 NIV)
The real beauty of God’s forgiveness, is that once He forgives us, He will no longer remember the sin that we committed. "‘This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.’ Then he adds: Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.’" (Heb 10:16-17 NIV) My favorite analogy is this: Your life is always being captured on a VCR tape. Everything you do, everything you say, everything you think, is being recorded. When you sin, it’s caught on tape. When you confess your sin to God, He erases that part of the tape. Once it is erased, it can no longer be brought back. For further insight, open your Bible to Ezekiel 18 and read the entire chapter.
Knowing that God is just to forgive our sins, does this mean that we can continue on sinning? By no means! "What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? (Rom 6:1,2 NIV) It is an insult and borderline blasphemy to deliberately sin against God, with the foreknowledge that He will forgive you. Again, focus on Ezekiel 18.
FORGIVENESS FOR OTHERS
"If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, ‘I repent’, forgive him." (Luke 17:3b-4 NIV) As humans, we will fail against our fellow human. When someone sins against us, and they repent, and ask for forgiveness, we are to forgive them. Is it easy? No, it’s not. Our own instinct is to do something in return. To make them pay for the pain and anguish they caused us. We want revenge. Yet, Jesus commanded that we are to forgive them. Part of the "model prayer" states that we are to forgive others, so that we also can be forgiven (read Matthew 6:9-15).
If we don’t forgive the person, we end up carrying a burden that we can’t get rid of. We struggle through life, unaware of what is wrong. Every time we see the person, the anger that we carry, resurfaces. Our stress levels rise, and we tend to lose all sense and sensibilities with that person. That comes from not forgiving the person.
When we forgive the person, we have to no longer blame the person for what they have done. We have to cease to blame them. I know it’s tough, but it is something that has to be done. Forgiving the person means not harboring ill feelings towards them, and not bringing up the incident in a heated argument four years later. When we forgive the person, we cease to blame them for their actions. The four steps to forgiving the person is; 1. Talk it Out, 2. Work it Out, 3. Gossip Never, 4. Friends Forever. Talk to them, explain how much you were hurt. Work on the solution to the problem. Don’t talk to other people and don’t bring it up at a later time to the person. (In other words, don’t throw it back into their face the wrongs that they have done). By doing this, you will have enhanced the Kingdom of God and you will have a friend forever. Is it easy, not at all. But, it must be done.
FORGIVENESS OF YOURSELF
A couple of months ago, I had to stand before the District Board of Ministerial Development. I had to discuss everything about my call into the ministry, my strengths, my weaknesses, and my past. While discussing everything, one of them asked me the same question my dad has asked me, "Have you been able to forgive those that have sinned against you in the past?" My answer was a resounding, Yes! He looked at me and said "Good, now have you forgiven yourself for what has happened?" That question had hit me hard. Had I forgiven myself? By the time I was standing before them, I had. If I was before them, two years earlier, I could have easily said "No".
Once we have acknowledged that we are sinners and that we have disobeyed God, the feeling of disappointment, will overcome us. We now feel "unworthy" of God’s love, because we are not perfect. We start to analyze all that we had done wrong, and carry it with us. God has forgiven you, it is now time that you have forgiven you.
If you carry unforgiveness for yourself, you will find it hard to forgive others. You will find it hard to understand how others can forgive you. You will carry a burden that will weigh you down, and it will deny you the opportunity to fully understand God’s grace and forgiveness.
When God forgives us, He throws those memories in the Ocean of Forgetfulness. Why then are we rowing our boat into the middle of it, trying to dredge up the memories. We must be able to forgive ourselves of our shortcomings or we will never be able to forgive those that have sinned against us.
Forgiveness will lead us into a closer relationship with God. By asking for forgiveness, by granting forgiveness to others, we grow closer to one another and to God. When we repent from our sins, we are a new creation. The old has passed the new has come to life. Once we commit our lives to Christ, it’s time we started living like it and not like the old ways.
"For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you don’t forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." (Matt 6:14,15 NIV)
Have a blessed week
Daniel G Vandenburg
1. Funk and Wagnalls New International Dictionary of the English Language, Comprehensive Edition Library Guild World Publishers 1987
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