to move from one sort of person to another is the essence of repentance: the liar becomes truthful, the thief honest, the lewd pure, the proud humble. The whole moral texture of life is altered.
- A.W. Tozer
I think I've always thought of repentance in terms of specific acts. I "repent" of an act of lying, or anger, or lust, or whatever. But what Tozer proposes is that true repentance involves turning from being one kind of person and embracing a whole new character and identity. I shouldn't just repent of lusting after someone, I should repent of being the kind of person who would even find pleasure in lusting. I shouldn't repent of letting my frustrations with my mom consume me, I should repent of being the type of person who is not led by the love of Christ...etc.
It's no wonder that repentance is both an obligation and a supernatural gift (Luke 24:47; Acts 5:31; Phillipians 2:12)
By His grace, for His glory,
JRF
No comments:
Post a Comment