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April 1, 2009
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=========================== TODAY'S ARTICLE ==========================
A Churchy Word, by Tim Archer
There are some words that I consider to be "churchy" words. They are
words that religious people use that rarely come up in other settings:
sanctification, atonement, grace, evangelism, gospel. Sometimes even
Christians don't have a good grasp on what such words mean.
Repentance is one of those words. When we look at what God wants us to
do as we enter His family, one of the key things is repentance. We have
to repent of our sins. But if we're going to repent, we need to know
what that is.
I used to think that repentance meant feeling bad about what we had
done. While that's certainly a part of it, that's not all there is to
repentance. Literally, "repent" means to turn around or change
direction. It's the idea of walking in one direction, then turning 180
degrees and walking in the opposite direction. Repentance isn't merely
about feeling bad; it's about change, a change of life. It is a change
in our thinking that causes a change in behavior.
In the New Testament, the apostle Paul wrote to a group of new
Christians and told them: "They tell how you turned to God from idols
to serve the living and true God" (1 Thessalonians 1:9). That's
repentance. It's not just about turning away from something; we are
also turning to something else. We leave behind one life to begin a new
one. We quit going toward one goal and move toward a different one.
Repentance is a change of mind that brings about a change of life.
Paul wrote this to the church in Rome: "We were therefore buried with
him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised
from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new
life" (Romans 6:4). Repentance and baptism consistently go together in
the Bible, for that very reason: in baptism, we bury our old selves and
come out of the water with a new life. We are born again, made new. But
what's the point of a new life if it's going to be exactly like the old
life? Why go through a burial if we're going to let our old man keep
living? The idea is that we come to Jesus in faith, leave behind our
old life, burying it in water, and begin again with a fresh start. Only
this time, instead of moving away from God, we live a life that brings
us closer to God.
So even if it seems a bit churchy, repentance is a good word. It helps
us understand what we need to do to come to God. We need to turn away
from our old life and begin a new one, through faith in Jesus. If you
haven't done that, if you haven't buried your old life in baptism to
begin a new life in Christ, let me put you in contact with someone who
can help you with that. Write me at tim@hopeforlife.org or leave a
comment on our blog at www.hopeforlife.org.
(Expressed written consent must be obtained prior to republishing,
retransmitting or otherwise reusing the content of this article.
Contact us at info@hopeforlife.org)
Are you presently experiencing a new life? God's word says, "if anyone
is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has
come!"
This new life is a free gift of God through faith in Jesus Christ. If
you want to know more about this life that only Jesus can give you,
sign up for one of our Bible courses. Wherever you are in life,
whatever you've done, you can begin again.
You may also contact us at info@hopeforlife.org if you have questions
about becoming a new creation.
---------
(c) 2009 Herald of Truth
RELATED LINKS:
* The Obedience of Faith
http://hopeforlife.org/blog/entry.asp?ENTRY_ID=7
* Hope For Life
http://hopeforlife.org/blog/entry.asp?ENTRY_ID=13
* Invited Into The Family
http://hopeforlife.org/blog/entry.asp?ENTRY_ID=10
* HopeForLife
http://www.hopeforlife.org
This article can be found on the web at:
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200904/20090401_churchy.html
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