God loves you and longs for a relationship with you, no matter who you are or where you come from. Remember the line from Paul's sermon back in chapter five? God's purpose for your life is to reach out to him, to respond to his invitation, to move from the anchor of belonging to the secure anchor of believing.
A lot of times in Christianity, it feels like we've been encouraged to engage in a process that just doesn't work very well. And the process has usually gone from this. It's like believe, behave, belong, and be seated, okay? In other words, when we, as a church, so often when we've engaged with people, we first want to see if they believe like us, all right? And after we say, okay, you believe like us, then we want to make sure they behave like us, too, like they have the same moral standards and all of that. And if that's true, those first two are true, then we say you belong with us. But then we have like this unexciting finish, we can say be seated and just hear what we have to say, okay? And the book talks about flipping that around and instead starting with belong, just like God does.
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For Christians, I said, to sin is to break God's law, which everyone other than Jesus has done. I turned in my Bible and pointed to Romans 3 .23. For all have sinned, he read, and fall short of the glory of God. I saw that Sean agreed. I didn't need to convince him that all people, including himself, have sinned. My conversation with Sean was focused on the simple truth that we all fall short of God's standards.
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The law intended by God to create a loving civil society and connection with him had become for this young man's something merely memorized, but not truly lived out. The truth is he couldn't live them out. Neither can anyone.
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Because of our sin we're here eternally separated from God I explained then I pointed at the right side while God wants us to be in relationship with him here but this distance is too great for us to cross on our own what do we do Sean asked nothing we can't do a thing about it but God did.
[00:11:42]
This is the good news Sean Jesus paid the price for your sins on the cross he was punished in your place you and I should have been crucified for our sins but Jesus said I will take the punishment for them.
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No, I'm not asking you to be loved God already loves you and there's nothing you can do about it the choice is whether you'll love him back put him first trust him with your life eternity hangs in the balance.
[00:14:08]
He hadn't just made a decision he was ready to act on it we met at a KFC near my apartment true story KFC is kind of the place to be isn't it TN it's kind of a great hangout we met at a KFC near my apartment the irony wasn't lost on me discussing eternal matters in this with amid the smell of fried chicken and the chatter of Beijing college students but somehow the ordinary setting made the moment more sacred.
[00:15:15]
In my talk with Sean about believing I stress two things repentance and faith the two are foundational for belief and that's our next focus in this book but before we continue let's pause these four spiritual truths aren't just Sean story they're yours too the same God who pursued Sean at my dining room table in Beijing is pursuing you right now wherever you're reading this or listening the question remains will you choose to believe in Jesus.
[00:16:33]
For many, belief has been reduced to checking a doctrinal box or following a behavioral checklist, but biblical belief is far more transformational. It's a complete reorientation of our lives. As Sean discovered in that Beijing KFC, biblical belief has two essential ingredients, repentance and faith.
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Notice the pattern, repentance and faith, turn and trust. It's a two -step dance. Every believer must learn. You can't have one without the other. Yet many people try to skip one of these steps. Some want faith without repentance. I'll trust Jesus, but keep on living my own way. Others attempt repentance without faith. I'll try to be better on my own and earn my way. Neither approach works.
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Biblical repentance is none of these things. It's actually a complete reorientation, a literal turning around of our hearts and lives, something God's grace enables and empowers.
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Recognizing our sin isn't about comparing ourselves to other people. It's about seeing ourselves in light of God's power and perfection. When Isaiah saw it, he said this, woe to me, I am ruined. I am a man of unclean lips. When Job encountered it, he said, I despise myself and I repent in dust and ashes. When Peter witnessed it, he cried, go away from me, Lord. I'm a sinful man. Sin recognition isn't self -hatred. It's honest self -assessment, like turning on the lights in a room that you thought was clean only to see the dust and the cobwebs that you've been living with.
[00:23:33]
Sin recognition isn't self -hatred. It's honest self -assessment, like turning on the lights in a room that you thought was clean only to see the dust and the cobwebs that you've been living with. Whether by looking at the law of God with the power and the perfection of his beauty, take a moment even now to let the light of his love reveal the reality of your sin.
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Godly sorrow, true remorse is other -focus. It gives the pain we've caused God and it grieves the pain we've caused God and others. The sorrow doesn't paralyze us, it propels us toward change. The difference? Worldly sorrow says, I can't believe I got caught. Godly sorrow says, I can't believe the pain I've inflicted. One leads to death, the other to life.
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The tax collector's prayer is remarkable. No excuses, no comparisons, no bargaining, just a seven -word plea. God, have mercy on me, a sinner. This is the posture of repentance, not informing God of our apology, but praying for his mercy. Notice how the Pharisee's prayer was about what he'd done right, while the tax collectors was about what only God could make right. Who went home forgiven? Not the religious expert, the man who had begged for mercy.
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Making amends is an indicator of real repentance. Paul saw it as evidence of the Corinthians godly sorrow. Listen to what he says in 2nd Corinthians 7 11. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you. What earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. Do you hear it? The Corinthians were essentially asking, we made a mistake. How can we fix it? How can we restore and provide restitution? How can we make amends? When Zacchaeus encountered Jesus he instinctively knew that making amends as part of repentance.
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Real repentance results in real change. New life nurtures new fruit. The fruit might start small, newfound patience with your co -workers, unexpected generosity toward a difficult neighbor, surprising peace in traffic. But over time, as we stay connected to the vine, John 15, the fruit becomes evident. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self -control begin to characterize our lives.
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Repentance is a grace of God's Spirit, whereby a sinner is inwardly humbled and visibly...Reformed a grace of God's spirit says Watson a gift of God's love Paul confirms this God's kindness is intended to lead you to repentance Romans 2 2 verse 4 in other words repentance isn't just toward God. It's a gift from God.
[00:36:39]
Each movement of repent has brought us lower Not into shame, but into grace We've descended from pride into gratitude from self -sufficiency into God -dependence This is repentance But we're only halfway there remember biblical belief has two arrows aligned with the cross repentance and faith We'll discuss faith in the next chapter, but for now Thank God that repentance isn't something you have to manufacture God makes it possible through his loving kindness.
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