Repent!

If you've ever been stuck in some type of besetting sin...  (not some pious standard set by some holier-than-thou church-goer) ... a real sin, and were delivered from it, you probably know that it wasn't a command to "Repent" that actually caused you to repent.

So often the word "Repent" is used with no explanation leaving the hearer with the impression that he can just pull himself up by his bootstraps and stop sinning. That is a misunderstanding and a miscommunication.

What is Repentance?
Heidelberg 88 states, that involved in genuine repentance or conversion, are "Two things: the dying-away of the old self, and the rising-to-life of the new."
Repentance is far more than behavior modification.

1. In dying to self, you begin to understand your sin, where it has taken you, and what it has done to God and neighbor.
2. And in new life, you know and believe that there is a Holy and Loving God, Who gave His One and Only Beloved Son to give His righteous in exchange for your sin, by living, dying and rising again, and ever lives to make intercession for you.

So, as you think about repentance, remember that too, is a gift from the Lord that only happens in the context of being convinced of the Gospel by faith. Preach repentance, but in your preaching, don't forget the Gospel. 

Scripture Twisting

Scripture Twisting

Sometimes what is stamped with the word "Biblical" is not. Satan was the first Scripture twister, and he continues attempts to deceive people through this kind of Christianese language that churchmen and laypeople speak. But when trying to decipher the truth from the lies, you need a knowledge of the broader context of Scripture, and often the interpretation of sound, gospel-informed teachers down through the ages.

One example of the kind of teaching called Biblical, but is actually diabolical is this idea that because "love keeps no record of wrongs" (I Cor 13), Christians cannot take note of patterns of sinful behavior.

Here's what I mean. Jay Adam's states, "Nouthetic Counselors help people to live in the present with an eye fixed on the future. They encourage counselees to look to the past only to remember God’s goodness to them in past times." *
This idea is in exact contradiction to Matthew 18 and the order of church discipline. Without the ability to note patterns of behavior, the offended party continues to be harmed, the offending party is not called to repentance for offensive behavior, the church is discredited, and the Gospel is not adorned.

Don't let a misinterpretation or misuse of Scripture leave you in a helpless position. Know the truth. Speak the truth. Live in accordance with the truth. Learn from trusted teachers past and present. Remember the Gospel. Lean on your Defender and Friend. He is faithful!

*Past Tense Living: Posted on November 23, 2015: http://www.nouthetic.org/blog/?p=551