"So What?!"

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All aspects of life require a degree of faith. We have faith our car will start every morning. We believe in gravity. We trust our doctors. But, when something moves from the observable to the unobservable, from the known to the unknown, then faith kicks into high gear. Now, we must truly have faith in things unseen. We often hear, “I took a leap of faith,” “I stepped out in faith,” or “I went on blind faith.” But, what is faith? While our modern sayings possess a degree of truth, if we turn to the Bible we will find the most systematic and satisfying answers.

According to the writer of Hebrews, “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Heb. 11:1).” This verse best encapsulates a precise definition of faith. Faith is a belief or trust in something unseen. But, faith is not blind. Faith depends on two elements: the knowledge of a future reality and the present assurance that this future unseen reality is actually true. First, God’s assurance provides the knowledge of a future reality with Him. He ratifies this reality and assures the us by His word. The Scriptures demonstrate God’s fulfillment of His past promises and assure us of His future covenant faithfulness. Assurance literally means “standing-under”. In faith, we stand under God’s word and legitimately claim our future right from His guarantee. God speaks in truth and in faith we trust His word. Then, conviction emboldens the believer. Despite the abstract, intangibility of the future fulfillment of God's promises, God presently convicts the believer with a tangible and real boldness by the His Holy Spirit (John 16:8). This conviction serves as God’s present proof and serves as a confirmation for the future completion of His promises. So, a biblical “leap of faith” involves both the edifying power of God’s word and a present conviction by His spirit.

The groundwork of the Christian faith rests, not on convincing scientific theories, but on the power of God (1 Cor 2:5) found in His provable word (Prov 30:5; Ps 12:6) and the certain conviction of His spirit (John 16:8). In Romans 10:17, we read, “for faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ.” The word of Christ allows man to tangibly listen to God. But, true faith depends upon more than listening, but hearing. Hearing entails both comprehension and compliance. Only God’s power allows spiritually dead men to hear (Col 2:13). His Holy Spirit convicts men and women of their unrighteousness and sin (John 16:8), softens their hearts and allows the word of Christ to penetrate into a their very soul (Heb 4:12). The word of Christ and the Holy Spirit work in conjunction to bear the fruit of faith (Acts 2:37).

We must accept Christ as the center of our faith and all our resulting actions (Rom 10:9). Under the weight of His word and conviction of His Spirt, we repent and trust in Him (Acts 2:37-38). In Him, we possess a faith in God. Yet, Christ's work continues, He initiates (Acts 3:16) and perfects our faith (Heb 12:2). His word plants the seed and His spirit harvests the produce. We may strive in personal piety, but apart from Christ our faith is meaningless (1 Cor 15:14). Good works never produce faith. His power ensures that our faith produces good works (James 2:22-26). Only Christ may produce, ensure, and perfect the Christian faith.

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Admittedly, our modern western culture lacks the concept of repentance. Certainly, we recognize guilt and understand the nuances of the flower and chocolate apology. We "try to do good", ask for forgiveness, "promise better behavior", and apologize. We undertake all these penitent behaviors in an attempt to satisfy our guilty conscience. Yet, Biblical repentance stands apart from penance and our modern conceptions of guilt, shame, and regret. We will investigate both the Old and New Testaments to grow in our understanding of repentance, and the attribute’s critical role in the Christian life.

The call for repentance began long before the voice of John the Baptist boomed across the Jordan River Valley (Matt 3:1-6). Since the beginning, repentance remained a necessary means for a relationship between fallen man and God. Abel brought offerings to the Lord as a recognition of his inherent depravity (Gen 4:3-5). Jeremiah called Israel to quit worshipping idols and return to Yahweh (Jer. 1:16). Ezekiel prophesied the Lord’s desire for repentance and his promise of forgiveness, proclaiming,

“If the wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed and observes all My statutes and practices justice and righteousness, he shall surely live; he shall not die.” (Ezk 18:21)

Through the voice of the prophets God delivered His word and called Israel to turn from their sin. Throughout the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for repentance connotes a complete change of direction or retreat. God demands man to turn his back to sin and flee. But, what shall men flee to? Isaiah spoke to the affirmative nature of repentance, when he called the nation to turn to God (Isa 45:22). God desires men to turn from their wickedness and look upon Him.

The theme of repentance continues in the New Testament. John the Baptist called the nation of Israel to repent (Matt 3:2). Jesus preached a gospel of repentance (Matt 4:17). At Pentecost, Peter condemned the Jews for their crucifixion of Jesus Christ and called his listeners to repent (Acts 2:38). All used the Greek word literally translated as metamorphosis. Repentance entails a complete change of comprehension or a metamorphosis of mind. This is not an intellectual decision, but a transformation of the heart. We may change our order at a restaurant: first we desire meat, then fish. Yet, regardless of our decision, we still desired food. This is not biblical repentance. The Gospel call of repentance declares a complete change of appetites: Men no longer desire sinful food, but long for a spiritual sustenance (Matt 5:6; John 4:31-34).

God desires a complete transformation of our appetites, not for us to reach a decision. A decision may last for a season, but will be dispersed upon the first spring rains (Luke 8:5-6). We cannot affix the word of Christ upon the rocky soil of their hearts. Only God transforms our hearts by His power (1 Cor 2:5). He wields His power through His word and spirit. His word reveals our depravity and cries for us to repent (John 3:3, 1 Cor 2:14). His spirit convicts us of our sin and fosters a repentant spirit in us (John 16:8; Psalm 51:10). Repentance demands a contrite heart and broken spirit (Psalm 51:16-17). In a spirit of repentance, we realize our sin and ask, “What shall I do to be saved..."

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Let's begin with the backstory. God is infinitely good (Ps 136:1), holy (Isa 6:3), and perfect (Ps 18:30). On the other hand, Man draws a stark contrast to God’s purity. We are born in iniquity (Ps 51:5), and continue in unrighteous (Rom 3:10), completely dead in our sins (Eph 2:1).

Now, for the “bad news”: We are judged as guilty (Rom 6:23) according to God's righteous judgement (Ps 7:11). Since, God is a perfect judge- the very definition of righteousness- He cannot merely look over our sins and infractions of His law. Nor, can we hope for a clerical error for He sees and knows everything (Heb 4:13)! He must judge sin as sin and punish sin with death to uphold His righteousness. Moreover, we cannot plead ignorance for He revealed His law through our conscience (Rom 2:14-16).

“The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom 6:23)

Jesus Christ saves from the "bad news".

All the good of the Gospel is found in Jesus Christ. Only He can restore man’s relationship with God (2 Cor 5:18), a restoration dependent on His humanity and divinity: His sinless life (2 Cor 5:21), His death on the cross (Heb 9:22), and His resurrection from the dead (2 Tim 1:10). All drawn to Christ by God will be saved (John 6:37). Furthermore, once received into God’s kingdom; none can lose, nor build upon the saving grace of Jesus (John 10:28).

In order for us to participate in the saving work of Christ, we must receive the call of God’s irresistible grace. Life in God begins, not in our birth, works, or religion, but in God’s will (John 1:13). He selects us and bears us into His kingdom by the power of His Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sins (John 16:8) and leads us to repentance. We repent of our sins (Acts 2:38) and turn to Christ, declaring His Lordship with our lips and believing in His divine power with our hearts (Rom 10:9). So, God plants faith in the heart of man by His spirit and word (Rom 10:17), and man responds in faith considering God’s righteousness (Rom 3:22).

But, this is not a mere lip service (Isa 29:13; Matt 15:7-9). God’s spirit empowers the believer in continual devotion to Him (Acts 2:42) and enables a tireless meditation upon the words of Christ (John 8:31). God transforms the heart of dead men with a living spirit (Ps 51:10; Rom 12:2) and allows us to enjoy the fruits of His spirit: patience, love, mercy, and grace (Gal 5:22). This is the new birth into the kingdom of God through Jesus Christ (John 3:5-8). While we continue to fight our lusts (1 John 8), God credits Jesus’s perfection to us (Rom 4:24-25) and by the power of His Holy Spirit continues to purify us on earth until He perfects us in heaven (Heb 6:1; 1 Peter 5:10).

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